As I always say Dollar for Dollar there is no more effective way to impact your Carbon Footprint than to properly upgrade your Home or Business HVAC System, here are some tips.
Greener Living: Small Steps, Big Savings
KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Your contractor just outfitted your house with an array of solar panels, and soon the windmill will be up and running out back. Hey, you'll be off-grid by summer.
Not your story?
Then you're like most of us in terms of energy use, living in a regular house without any highfalutin green amenities.
Still, like most people, you'd rather not spend more money than you must on utility bills _ or suck up more energy resources than makes good sense.
Start by reducing home energy use.
Spring is a fine time to start making changes, during an energy-use lull between winter's chill and summer's swelter.
An estimated 25 percent of the United States' enormous energy bill is attributable to households. That's a big chunk, so even small changes by a lot of people result in significant overall reductions.
Individually, those small changes often amount to only small dollar savings. But if homeowners make gradual improvements, energy experts say, eventually they could cut their energy bills by as much as 50 percent.
So, start small, plan bigger.
"Do the simplest, low-cost things up front, and get those out of the way," said Jennifer Thorne Amann, co-author of "Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings."
Then put yourself in an energy-savings frame of mind as the bigger decisions come along, from appliance purchases and beyond, Amann said.
AUDIT ME
Assessing the situation at your house is Job 1. That could mean an audit by a professional, but this is not like an IRS audit. There are no fines, and nobody's going to jail. Doing an online self-audit is another good way to start.
A professional house audit will take a few hours to perform and cost several hundred dollars. Get ready to hear about the "building envelope." (See glossary.)
Sharla Riead and her company, Hathmore Technologies in Blue Springs, Mo., conducts residential energy audits. A professional can reliably identify the highest priority improvements that will save the most in energy costs, she said.
There might be leaks in your house's ductwork, for instance. About 20 percent of a home's heating and cooling inefficiencies are related to the ductwork. Or the auditor might determine your attic insulation is fine but insulation is lacking in the basement.
And safety is a concern, Riead said. While you want to plug up a leaky house, you also want to be certain it's properly ventilated.
Homeowners can get help choosing a residential energy auditor through the Metropolitan Energy Center. Call the Home Energy Information Line at 816-835-7593. Also ask about a new program available to Missouri customers of KCP&L. Homeowners can get a rebate for audit costs provided they make an improvement recommended in the audit.
PLUG HOLES
Ever thought of all the places your house leaks air? A fireplace, for example, is a big hole in your house, and dampers don't always seal tightly.
At a recent remodeling show, Kristin Riott of Bridging the Gap, a Kansas City environmental organization, had on display what looked like a big black plastic pillow. It was a fireplace plug.
Susan Brown of the Energy Savings Store in Prairie Village, Kan., said the stoppers cost less than $60, an inexpensive way to reduce air leakage when not using the fireplace.
Amann said people often jump quickly to the conclusion that fixing a leaky house requires new windows. Actually, she said, because replacing a house full of windows is so expensive, it's tough to recoup the money in energy savings.
But if new windows are in the budget, she said, spend the extra money it takes to get high-efficiency windows that have earned the Energy Star label.
Amann, who has a 140-year-old row house in Baltimore, said she has newer windows but they weren't installed well. Her solution was a trip to the hardware store for caulk and weather-stripping.
"We did that ourselves," she said. "That and installing door sweeps are really simple things."
Now, think smaller holes, such as places where pipes, wires and cables enter the house. Often those spots aren't insulated well.
When Jason Jones, KCP&L's energy solutions manager, tended to his drafty house, he used spray foam insulation in such small holes and gaps. The foam expands and fills the crevices.
George Phillips, KCP&L's energy efficiency manager, took aim at his electrical outlets, which are also leaky. He unscrewed the wall plates, placed thin foam pads from the hardware store around the outlets and replaced the plates.
POWER OFF, FOR REAL
If you still think on is on and off is off, you're living in another era, back when TVs warmed up. And most people owned just one.
Nowadays, our "plug-in loads," as the experts say, are way up: multiple televisions, video game equipment, several computers with associated contraptions, chargers for personal gadgetry and so on.
One problem is that we don't turn them off, although it might seem like we do, Amann said with a laugh.
"I'm laughing because I'm looking around my home office, and it's a mass of wires and cords and little gadgets everywhere," she said. "I try to tame the little lights, to make them go away."
Those "little lights" and remote controls are signs that the machines stay on, if only a little bit. And plugged-in chargers, even if not attached to a piece of equipment at the other end, still draw power.
The solution is to either unplug stuff at the wall or, more practically, plug electronic equipment into power strips and switch off the strip when the equipment isn't in use.
"You actually can save on your electric bill by turning off all those things when you're not using them," said Dustin Jensen with the Metropolitan Energy Center.
USE IT BETTER
With a change of habits, most people can use the equipment they have more efficiently.
But first, experts say, get rid of appliances you don't really need. Refrigerators are one of the biggest energy consumers in typical houses, Riott said, so plugged-in but unused or little-used fridges and freezers should be the first to go.
Stove tops and ovens, like anything that heats up quickly, are also energy-intensive, much more so than a microwave oven. One hour of cooking time in an electric oven, for instance, can cost about 19 cents, while 15 minutes in a microwave costs only 3 cents.
"I try to use my microwave as much as I can for cooking," Riott said.
On the cleanup side, studies show a fully loaded dishwasher uses less energy than washing the same amount by hand. Use the dishwasher's light cycle and air-dry setting to improve efficiency.
When picking out new appliances, electronics and other equipment, buy those that are Energy Star rated, which means they are certified by a government program to be as much as 50 percent more efficient than standard products.
Heating and cooling are a home's biggest energy expense, so every opportunity should be taken to manipulate the thermostat.
Ceiling fans are a good deal in the summer, allowing homeowners to raise the thermostat by as much as 4 degrees, which saves a bundle on air conditioning.
But don't forget to turn them off when you're not in the room, Amann said. The air movement cools the skin but doesn't actually cool the room, so leaving fans on in an empty room is a waste.
As for thermostats, programmable ones reduce energy use.
"The advantage with the `programmable' is that when you get back from work or wake up in the morning, it's already bringing the temperature back to your comfort point," Jensen said. "Plus, you don't have to think about it."
Jones of KCP&L said programmable thermostats offer savings of up to 20 percent in heating and cooling costs. KCP&L will install a free one, a value of about $300, for customers who allow the company to alter their air conditioners' cycle time during peak demand periods.
Most people know by now that compact fluorescent lamps are much cheaper to operate than incandescent bulbs. How much?
On average, 75 percent more efficient, said Jensen of the Metropolitan Energy Center. About 90 percent of the electricity consumed by an incandescent bulb is given off as heat and only about 10 percent as light. Compact fluorescents are the reverse, he said. They also last much longer, five years on average.
A couple of caveats: For lights on dimmers and in three-way lamps, look for CFLs that say they will work for those applications. And remember that fluorescents have a tiny amount of mercury in them and so must be taken to a recycling center rather than thrown away.
SOLAR, GEOTHERMAL
The beginning of this story notwithstanding, quite a few folks are investing in what might be called highfalutin, high-tech energy solutions.
Riott of Bridging the Gap installed a geothermal heat pump system at her Prairie Village home. Such systems use the constant temperature of the Earth to operate and are pricey to install, typically $16,000 to $25,000. But Riott expects to cut her heating and cooling costs by two-thirds.
And Brown of the Energy Savings Store, which has expertise in solar installations, noted that people who can't afford expensive solar panels are drawn to a relatively inexpensive device, the SolarSheat, to help warm their homes in the winter. The panels are placed on an exterior, south-facing wall and cost about $2,500. Brown has one and likes it.
"It keeps your furnace from having to turn on so much," she said. "It's for people looking for something just a little more exciting than the usual efficiency tips."
___
RESOURCES
Air Conditioning and Heating Repair Made Easy $59.97
http://www.howtorepairairconditioners.com/
"Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings" by Jennifer Thorne Amann, Alex Wilson and Katie Ackerly, $16.95.
Conduct a free, Home Energy Saver do-it-yourself audit: hes.lbl.gov.
Metropolitan Energy Center has information on residential energy auditors and area energy programs (816-531-7283, kcenergy.org).
KCP&L's "Energy Optimizer" free programmable thermostat program (1-866-882-4429); the "Cool Homes" program for air-conditioner inspection and rebates (1-866-276-9303); and the "Energy Analyzer" online home energy survey (kcpl.com).
Rocky Mountain Institute's "Home Energy Briefs": rmi.org.
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy's "Home Energy Checklist for Action": aceee.org.
"A Consumer's Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy" by the U.S. Department of Energy: eere.energy.gov.
___
GLOSSARY
Blower door: A procedure used in home energy audits. A powerful fan is attached to an exterior door, and air is pulled from the house. An energy auditor rates the house's leakage or "infiltration" and identifies specific trouble spots.
Building envelope: The house's roof, walls, windows and foundation, the parts that separate the inside from the outside.
Duct blaster: A test of a home's ductwork for leakage. An instrument detects leaks as air is forced into the duct system.
Energy Star: A product rating program by the EPA and the Energy Department. An Energy Star designation means the product uses 10 percent to 50 percent less energy and water than standard products. Some builders are constructing Energy Star houses.
Infiltration: Accidental air leakage from your house. The Energy Department estimates the sources of leaks this way: 31 percent from floors, walls and ceilings, 15 percent from ductwork, 14 percent from the fireplace, 13 percent from plumbing penetrations, 11 percent from doors, 10 percent from windows, 4 percent from fans, 2 percent from electrical outlets.
Phantom power: The electricity used to power light displays and instant-on features of otherwise turned-off computers, TVs and other electronic equipment. It also refers to the lost power when chargers are plugged into an outlet but aren't charging.
R-value: A measure of a material's resistance to the transfer of heat through it. R-values describe building insulation. The higher the number, the better the insulation. For instance, a professional might recommend R-49 in ceilings and R-26 in walls.
___
DUCTS AND INSULATION
Leaky houses waste energy. A home energy audit will check ductwork and insulation in walls, ceilings and basements.
WINDOWS
Replace them? Depends. New windows are expensive, and it's difficult to recoup the cost in energy savings. Other improvements might be a priority.
REFRIGERATOR
Get rid of that plugged-in but often unused one in the garage or basement. Look for Energy Star appliances and electronics when buying new.
WATER HEATER
A blanket on an old one could help. As for tankless or demand water heaters, they save energy because they don't store water. But flow might not be adequate in busy households doing multiple hot-water tasks at the same time.
ELECTRONICS
Computers, stereos, TVs and other devices only look like they're turned off. Most are on, at least a little bit, all the time. Use power strips to shut them down completely.
LIGHT BULBS
Compact fluorescents, of course, but get to know Kelvin. The K value on the package tells you the color temperature. For instance, about 2800 K is "soft white," similar to a 60W incandescent bulb.
CEILING FANS
They will help in the coming air-conditioning season, allowing you to raise the thermostat several degrees. They work by cooling you, not the room, so turn them off when you leave.
FURNACE AND AC
Together they're the energy-suckers in your house _ 40 percent or more of a home's energy use. The myth is the bigger the AC unit the better. Oversized units don't cool correctly and cost more to operate.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment