Why and how to save energy at home

John Irwin, Sierra Club DE, home owner johnirwin@comcast.net Jack Sol-Church, weatherization instructor Presentation will be posted on DE chapter

Sierra Club’s website under Issues, then the Energy and Climate Change page’s list of documents at the right.

http://delaware.sierraclub.org/energy Thanks to Amy Roe for inspiration by

example.

Understand ways you use energy at home and how energy flows in your house

Understand how to find out how much energy you use from your bill

Understand what’s on Delmarva’s website Understand what an energy audit is, why it is

important, and how to get one or do it yourself. Understand some things you can do yourself to

save energy Become aware of programs to help pay for work Leave ready to get started saving energy!

Energy costs money Energy prices are projected to go up It helps us be more energy independent as a

country It helps reduce pollution from producing

energy. Ex. Less burning of coal, less hydro-fracturing to get natural gas.

Our non-renewable energy supplies will last longer

Renewable energy sources can provide a higher % of our needs.

Change our behavior or lifestyle ◦ Lower the thermostat setting in winter and dress

more warmly in winter; ◦ Raise the setting in summer and use a ceiling or

window fan when you can instead of A/C

Seal holes and cracks to prevent the leakage of heated or cooled air out of your house

Insulate to prevent heat moving into or out of the house through walls, floors, ceilings

Turn off electric appliances and lights when not in use.

Change from incandescent to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL’s) or LED’s

Replace old appliances with new ones using less energy to perform the same job

Keep the same thermostat setting, but use a more efficient furnace or air conditioner

www.energystar.gov

Your energy bills tell you how much of each type of energy you are using.

They can be confusing.

Oil and natural gas are pretty simple. Gallons, and hundred cubic feet (CCF) are quantities you can visualize.

Electricity is a bit abstract in comparison kW = kilowatt: a kilowatt (kW) is a power level or

intensity. 1000 watts. Powering 10 100 watt light bulbs.

kWh = kilowatt hour: 10 100 watt bulbs turned on for an hour.

Price 4.9 cents Amount used

Partial wind power WGES price

Delmarva price

Oil or propane are other possible heating fuels.

Same principles apply

http://www.delmarva.com/home/ Then create your account. Click on 1st time

users under Customer Self Service and follow onscreen directions. You’ll need a recent paper bill.

You can see history of usage and costs over time.

You can see up to 2 years of history. Gives feedback on how your usage compares

to other similar houses.

Create an account

Just need to figure out the right things to focus on and put in effort.

Establish a baseline of usage from website or old bills.

Have a home energy audit done Implement recommendations yourself or hire

someone.

An onsite measurement and inspection process taking a couple of hours

A report of the findings and recommendations.

Different companies charge different amounts, but expect $200-$500. Difference may reflect different tests and more detailed feedback.

You can save much more than that with a good report.

You can do some of it yourself, but you probably don’t have the specialized equipment, like infrared camera and blower door that auditors do.

The state has a list of certified auditors on the Energize Delaware web site, Your Home link. Click on ‘Find a Contractor’.

Ask them for a description of what they will do.

Make sure it includes a report of the audit results for your records.

Resource: http://www.aceee.org/consumer

Typically more cost effective to weather strip than to buy new windows. They are expensive and have a very long payback time.

But if you’re needing new windows, get good ones that help stop energy losses.

U-factor: how well they insulate. Lower is better. Look for < .4

SHGC (solar heat gain coefficient): how much heat from sunlight gets through the window. Depends on climate what you want.

Caulk these places

Weather strip around the seal Make sure air doesn’t leak under them with a

‘sweep’

The attic needs ventilation to allow heat out during the summer.

It’s not a heated/cooled area The insulation and sealing of the attic floor

keeps the house from being affected. You need to be careful when insulating not to

block the flow of air into and out of the attic.

Insulation keeps heat from moving through barriers like walls, floors, windows, doors by conduction. Like a coat or sweater keeps you warm.

R value is a measurement of how well something prevents conduction of heat, higher is better.

Insulation will have an R value. The attic should have insulation with an R value of 30-60. Standard has moved towards R60.

Attic is easiest (if access hatch exists) Basement (either walls or ceiling) Living space walls (can be a big project)

These are big ticket users of energy, around 40%.

The heating/cooling system is replacing the heat/cooling that is leaking out of your house.

Plug leaks and insulate first. Then you won’t need to buy as big a heating/cooling system.

Sizing is important. Too much capacity is inefficient.

An auditor can check the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems.

Efficiency refers to how much energy it takes to do the job, ex. produce hot air from burning fuel or using electricity. Some furnaces are better than others and there are rating systems and measurements an auditor can take.

Heating: AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) Look for over 90%

Oil or gas furnace look for AFUE over 85% HSPF (Heating Season Performance Factor) for

heat pumps. Look for over 8 Cooling: SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency

Ratio) Look for 14 or higher for central A/C. Room A/C EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio)

Energy Star is higher than 10.7 currently

Get a programmable thermostat and in winter set temperature lower at night, and when the house is empty.

In summer set it to higher when you’re away, and at night.

Change air filters monthly. Dirty filters make your system work harder.

Most of your electricity usage is by appliances Some things to think about when buying

them.

Initial cost + (annual operating cost * years) Energy efficient appliances typically cost

more initially but save every year. Over time you save more and more.

There are sometimes rebates and tax incentives to offset the higher initial cost from state and federal sources.

Energy used to manufacture and deliver the item to you

If current item is only a couple years old, keep it even if not so efficient because of time it would take to save enough to offset the energy debt of the new one.

It depends on the relationship between the amount of energy to make the replacement vs the operating savings from a new one.

Energy Guide label Energy Star rating Use Kill-o-watt to measure draw.

A program of the EPA A standard, and logo to identify products that

meet the standard Products must be more energy efficient than

normal.

When you need to replace it, get a high efficiency unit. Consider solar hot water.

There are tax incentives – energystar.gov Wrap old water heater with insulation Insulate hot water pipes with foam pipe

insulation. Turn down the temperature to 120 F Turn it off when you go away for vacation Use low flow showerheads and sink aerators

Replace old fashioned incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFL’s) for a 75% savings in energy for the same amount of light and longer lasting bulbs.

Start with lights that are on the longest. Ex. Outdoor lights left on all night.

Payback of higher purchase price in a month or so, then ongoing savings.

Use timers, motion detectors and turning out lights manually to save.

CFL vs Incandescent $22 vs $100 for 10 years Lighting life cycle cost

Operating cost Incandescent CFL Yearly Savings

Watts 60 13

Hours a day 4 4

Days a year 365 365

Watt per year 87600 18980

Convert to kW: divide by 1000 1000 1000

kWh 87.6 18.98

Cost per kWh $0.11 $0.11

Cost per year $9.64 $2.09 $7.55

10 Year Calculation 10 Year savings

Cost per bulb $0.25 $1.54

Lifetime in years 1 10

10 year purchase cost $2.50 $1.54

10 year operating cost $96.36 $20.88

Total 10 year cost $98.86 $22.42 $76.44

Replace when needed with high efficiency model. If 10 years old, then replace.

Set temperature properly, not too cold Freezer 0-5 degrees F. Refrigerator 36-38 F Size for your actual needs. Larger uses more

energy. Make sure seals are in good shape and not

leaking. Clean coils once a year

Replace with new more efficient model Use cold water: 90% of energy is to heat water. Wash full loads Use high spin speeds so clothes are not so wet

when put in dryer Clean dryer filter before each use Use moisture sensing controls if available. Periodically clean out dryer ducts Hang on a line to air dry!

Buy energy star models Turn off when not using Smaller TV’s use less energy Use power strips and turn off the strip to

eliminate ‘vampire loads’. Ex. cell phone chargers, TV’s, microwaves, and other electronics.

Can hire someone. Handyman companies, energy auditors often also do upgrades

Auditor defines the work then you can get multiple bids for doing the work.

Find a friend with more skills and work together on each other’s homes.

Learn: online videos for most things. See youtube.com

Get an energy audit Plug leaks-learn to do it, or hire someone Insulate if audit suggests it Replace old inefficient appliances Take advantage of rebates and tax credits Conserve by turning things off, dressing for

the weather, thermostat settings.

Replace old fashioned light bulbs with CFL’s Check list of auditors and pick one. Turn temperature on water heater to 120 F. Install low flow shower heads to save on

heating water. Weatherstrip doors and windows. Put gadgets on power strips and turn the

strips off when not using. Go to the Sierra Club website, under

Conservation, Energy for links to resources.