green home tips

7/31/2019 Green Home Tips

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How-To Make Your Home MoreEnergy Efficient

Reduce cost and improve your homes energyperformance when you take advantage of thesecost-effective measures.


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A very effectivestrategy in improvinghousehold energy

efficiency is to firsttarget your homesenclosures withinsulationwalls,

attic, windows, anddoors.


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Then improve theenergy efficiency ofsystems, such asheating, cooling,

lighting, andappliances.

Consider clean

energy generation(solar, geothermal,and so on).


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1. Make sure your walls and atticare well insulated.

Quality insulationslows the rate thatheat flows out of thehouse in winter or intothe house in summer,so less energy isrequired to heat orcool the house.


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If your house has no wallinsulation, and it has more-or-less continuous wallcavities (such as

conventional stud walls),blown-in insulation cangreatly improve yourcomfort and save enoughenergy to be very cost-

effective. (It rarely pays toblow additional insulationinto already insulatedwalls.)


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Choosing a qualifiedcontractor is moreimportant than theinsulation material you

choose. Properlyinstalled fiberglass,cellulose, and most foaminsulation materials canall reduce the heatconduction of thecompleted wall system.The key is the insulationbe properly installed.


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2. Upgrade or replace windows.

If your windows are oldand leaky, it may be time

to replace them withenergy-efficient modelsor boost their efficiencywith weatherstrippingand storm windows. It is

almost never cost-effective to replacewindows just to saveenergy.


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EnergyStar.govreports, replacing

windows will save 7to 24 percent of yourheating and air-conditioning bills, but

this applies toreplacing single-glazed windows.


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However, if you arereplacing windows for

other reasons anyway, inmany areas the additionalcost of Energy Starratedreplacement windows isvery modest, perhaps $15

per window. This upgrade would be

cost-effectiveandincrease your comfort toboot.

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3.Plant shade trees and shrubs aroundyour house.

If you have an older home,with relatively poorinsulation and windows,good landscaping can

save energy, especially ifplanted on the houseswest side.


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4. Replace an older furnace with a high-efficiency system.

If your furnace is over 20years old (built before1992) and has a standingpilot, it probably wastes 35

percent of the fuel it uses,and it is probably near theend of its service life.

In this case, in all but thewarmest climates, ACEEE

recommends earlyreplacement with acondensing furnace withannual efficiency of at least90 percent.


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This type of furnacewastes no more than 10percent of the natural gasyou buy, and may save

you as much as 27 percenton your heating bill.


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For houses with boilersand hot-water heatdistribution (radiators,baseboard)

The savings from amodern condensing boilerwith outdoor reset orequivalent feedbackcontrols can be

substantially larger, sincethe condensing boilersallow reducing thecirculating looptemperature almost all thetime.


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6. Replace incandescent lightbulbs withcompact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).

Most people dont thinkabout the fact that theelectricity to run a lightbulbcosts much more than the

bulb itself. One of the new CFLs costs

about two or three dollars,but it lasts 10,000 hoursand uses only about 27

watts to generate as muchlight as a 100-watt bulb.


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During the new CFL bulblife, it uses about $22 inelectricity, so the total costis about $25.

A 100-watt incandescentwill cost more than $80 ata national average price.The best targets forreplacement are 60- to

100-watt bulbs.


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A 100-watt incandescent will cost more than$80 at a national average price. The besttargets for replacement are 60- to 100-wattbulbs.


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7. If you buy a new refrigerator, dont leavethe old one plugged in.

Avoid the temptationto use the old fridgeas a backup for partysupplies and liquidrefreshment.

The extra storagespace will cost you:

figure an extra $50150 per year inelectricity to keep thatolder fridge running.


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7. If you buy a new refrigerator, dont leavethe old one plugged in.

In contrast, the newfridge, particularly ifEnergy Star rated,

may cost only $3060per year to run.

The best rule is tohave only one

refrigerator, and tosize it to meet yourneeds.


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If you would like to learn How to SAVE 70% onyour Next Month's Electricity Bill:

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