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What are some of the first things I should do to save Energy?
Saving Energy can start with a number of small actions, each one by itself may not be very noticeable, but added together they can make a large savings in energy, cost and CO2.
The following tips do not involve any cost, but may require some lifestyle changes:
- Turn off lights when you leave a room
- Turn your thermostat down a degree or two in winter and up a few degrees in summer
- In summer if the air temperature drops at night then opening windows to let the cooler air in, will reduce the air conditioning needs the next day. Be sure that your house remains secure if you do this.
- Close drapes at night in the winter and on windows exposed to the sun in summer
- Close or partially close doors on unused rooms. Be sure that rooms remain warm enough that any pipes in the walls or ceiling don't freeze.
OK I'm doing the no cost items, what can I do next?
Lighting is a great place to start because new Compact Fluerescent Lamps (CFLs) and Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights are so much more energy efficient than traditional incandescant lights:
- CFLs consume 1/4 the power of an incandescent lamp and if you look for specials, or Utility incentive programs, they can be very inexpensive. There are very few dimmable CFLs and the ones we've seen don't have the same control range as an incandescent, but hey you're saving energy and maybe you can accept the limitations. Make sure you check out the color temperature the lower temperature in the 3500 degrees Kelvin range will be a warmer color, above 4500 degrees Kelvin the light gets more blue. Personal preference plays a large part here, but we've been told that the blue light can make reading easier.
- LEDs are where the future is, but here in 2008, they are expensive and a bit unpredictable regarding color temperature. They can last a very long time up to 50,000 hours, so for areas that are hard to get to like high ceilings, they are worth considering.
I've checked my lighting and made some upgrades, what's next?
Now it's time to start looking at appliances that may be consuming more energy than they should. These next steps will cost some money up front, so be sure that your budget can handle the expense. The good news is that in the long run you'll be saving money by making a wise investment and you'll be reducing your carbon footprint.
Refrigerators and freezers are high on the list of items that can waste a lot of energy. If yours are more than 10 years old you will find that you can get an equivalent appliance that will use less than 1/2 the energy that a 10 year old appliance used. Check out www.energystar.gov to see more information. You will find ratings on most common models and expected energy costs
I've heard about Home Performance Testing. Will this help me to decide what I should do to save energy?
Conducting a Home Perfomance test on your home will enable you to make improvement decisions based on the measured performance of your home. You will receive a report based on measurements and observations obtained during a detailed audit of your home. The report will be a comprehsive analysis that will highlight areas where improvements can be made. Once you have determined where to start you should obtain several quotes from contractors who have good reputations for work related to Home Performance improvements.
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This picture shows a blower door being set up to measure air infiltration into a house.
During this test infrared pictures are taken to identify where air leakage is taking place. Surprisingly this can often be through internal walls that are not well sealed at the attic/wall junction.
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Once the blower door fan is operating, infrared pictures are taken to show cool areas where insulation may be missing, or poorly installed.
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