Energy Conservation Analysis, Do It Yourself And Save...That's right, with an energy conservation analysis, you can see where your home energy dollars are going. Most people look at their homes as a bunch of separate pieces or systems. In reality, it is best to use the whole house concept. This is basically an understanding that most of the parts or construction features of a home interact with each other to affect the quality of the home environment. For the average home, the heating and cooling systems use 30-60% of the total energy consumption. With energy prices on the rise, it is more important than ever to ensure the home is as efficient as possible. We all have what is referred to as a carbon footprint. This is basically a measure of the impact of our lifestyle on the environment. This impact is a measure of the carbon dioxide emissions (in tons per year) that are released into the atmosphere due to our daily lives. This is an important factor in global climate change/global warming. Most of our carbon dioxide emissions are from burning fossil fuels and over one half of the U.S.A. emissions are from large sources such as power plants and factories. With the help of an energy conservation analysis, we can lower our demand for electricity which then lowers the amount of fossil fuels the power plant must burn. This in turn lowers the carbon dioxide emissions from the power plant but also means that less coal must be mined. Therefore, less fuel for mining equipment is used and CO2 emissions are lowered even more. As you can see, the small steps we take at home can have a much larger effect than we might at first believe. Most homeowners are talked into replacing their hvac systems to save money. While it is true that a new hvac system can be more efficient, it may not always be the best use of limited funds. Usually it is better to spend the money on lowering the homes' heat gain or loss. Then, your energy savings can help you to pay for those other home improvements such as replacing the hvac system. Improvements to lower the homes' heat gain/loss will also allow you to purchase a smaller system when the time comes. This will save you a lot of money! The attic is a good place to start your energy conservation analysis. If you have little or no insulation, installing or adding more can significantly reduce your homes energy use. You should also ensure that the attic has sufficient ventilation. This can not only save you energy dollars but can make your home last longer. If the access to the attic is located in a conditioned space, you should ensure that the hatch is insulated. It should also be sealed with weatherstripping or an attic hatch cover.
Another factor that affects the heat gain or loss is air leaks. You can usually find these by feeling the air come into the home on a windy day. Old single pane windows are one of the largest sources of these drafts. They typically have wooden frames that have shrunk and leave gaps for the air to enter. If you cannot afford to replace them (or if you rent the home), you can purchase kits to seal them in the winter. These kits usually consist of a clear plastic film and doublesided tape. They are inexpensive and can save you 5-15% on your heating bills. Another common source of these drafts are the outlets and switch boxes located on exterior walls. You can purchase foam gaskets to place behind the cover plates. They are inexpensive and will pay for themselves in less than one heating season. Exterior doors are another common source of these drafts. This can usually be cured by weatherstripping around the doors and installing a sweep at the bottom of the door. Both of these things are inexpensive but effective. You can also conserve energy (and save money) by replacing your thermostat with a basic programmable thermostat. This is an easy do it yourself project and relatively inexpensive. You can typically save 10-15% on your heating and cooling bills. After you have minimized your heating and cooling (hvac) loads, your energy conservation analysis can consider alternative cooling methods. Instead of turning on the central ac system, you can use natural cooling with a whole house fan. Next, you should continue your energy conservation analysis by examining your homes' appliances. They typically account for about 20% of the homes' energy use. The refrigerator, clothes washer, and the clothes dryer are the major users of this energy. If the appliances are more than 10 years old, you should plan on replacing them with energystar qualified units. The refrigerators' energy use can be minimized with routine maintenance. The coil on the unit which is either mounted on the bottom or the back of the unit should be cleaned at least once per year. This is a simple matter of removing the dust and dirt with a vacuum cleaner. You should also test the door gaskets on the refrigerator and freezer. This can be done by placing a dollar bill in the door opening, closing the door, and trying to pull it out. If the dollar bill comes out easily, the gaskets should be replaced. It is an easy diy project. On the clothes washer, you can save energy dollars by lowering the water temperature. It is even better if you wash your clothes in cold water. With advances in detergents, we can now get our clothes clean without using hot water and they will even last longer. The lint trap on the clothes dryer should be cleaned before every load. You should also inspect the vent for buildup of lent at least once per year. Your home energy conservation analysis should continue by examining your water heater. The homes' water heater can account for about 13% of the homes' total use. If you have an electric storage heater, then the thermostats should be set to 120 F. You can also install a blanket to minimize the standby losses. You can also install a timer so that the heater only maintains the water temperature at programmed times during the day. You may also want to consider replacing the old unit with a tankless hot water heater and save even more. Another option is to install a drain water heat recovery system. The next thing to consider in your energy conservation analysis is your homes' lighting systems. The homes' interior lights typically use 11% of the homes' energy. This can be reduced through the use of CFLs. A CFL is a compact flourescent light bulb. They normally use 75% less energy than standard bulbs and last 10x longer. An added benefit is that they produce 75% less heat during operation which can lower the homes' cooling load. The normal savings over the lifetime of a CFL is $30 per bulb.
Now that we have lowered our demand for energy, we may want to consider producing our own. This can be achieved with photovoltaic (solar) panels, residential wind turbines, or by replacing your heating unit with a CHP (combined heat and power) system. RETURN FROM ENERGY CONSERVATION ANALYSIS TO HOME |