Cutting Home Energy Bills Fred Schlicher Program Manager Mass Climate Action Network Fred.Schlicher@MassClimateAction. net
May 12, 2015
Cutting Home Energy Bills
Fred Schlicher
Program Manager
Mass Climate Action Network
Special Thanks
• Marc Breslow, Director of Transportation & Building Policy, Mass. Exec. Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs
• Michael Blasnik, M. Blasnik & Associates of Boston, Mass.
U.S. Energy Use by Sector 2003
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
residential commercial industrial transportation
Per
cen
t o
f to
tal
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
space heating
electric air-cond.
water heating
refrigerators
appliances, lighting
% of residential BTU use, New England 2001
Four Basic Approaches
• Behavioral – Lifestyle changes you can make
• Appliances – Items you can buy
• Weatherization Investments – Home improvements
• Education – Reliable sources of information to help you become an educated consumer
Structure & Objective
• Behavior– www.massclimateaction.net Low Carbon Living – www.empowermentinstitute.net Low Carbon Diet
• Appliance– www.energystar.gov Products– www.masssave.com Rebates– www.consumerreports.org Appliances (fee)
• Weatherization– www.energyratings.org HERS raters for Mass.– www.masssave.com Guide to Energy Savings
BehavioralLifestyle changes you can make
• Hot water use
• Heating & cooling
• Lighting
• Electric use reductions
Hot Water Use
• Adjusting hot water heater
• Insulate heater• Shorter showers• Hand dish washing• Wear clothes longer• Washing with cold
water
Additional Hot Water Tips
• When replacing a water heater, buy the most efficient one available, and don’t buy more capacity than you need.
• Put “cut-off” switch on your
Shower head, and reduce flow when
full pressure is not needed.
Heating & Cooling
• Turn down thermostat
• Change A/C filter frequently
• Regular tune up of furnace or heat pump
• Seal windows and doors
Air Sealing
• Rope caulk along edges of windows• Clear plastic on windows• Weather stripping on edges of doors• Plug holes in ceilings, floors, walls with
caulk, fiberglass, plastic, etc.• Foam inserts for power sockets &
switches
Lighting
• CLF’s use ¼ the electricity for same amount of light, blub lasts 7 to10 times as long
• Turn lights off when no one in room
Electric Reductions
• Phantom load reduction with power strips
• Determine power eaters with “Kill A Watt” meter and economize use
• Energy appliance purchases
Energy Star Appliance Purchaseswww.energystar.gov
• New hot water heater $350
• New dish washer $450
• New washer and dryer
• New refrigerator $550
Additional Appliance Tips
• DON’T buy a plasma TV
• Buy a gas-fired clothes dryer
• Buy a front-loading, high-speed
washing machine (the clothes
come out much dryer, reducing
dryer time)
• Turn computers & other electronics off when not in use
Heating & Cooling Purchases
• New programmable thermostat $35.
• New furnace or heat pump $3500.
Additional Heating & Cooling Tips
• Boiler – efficient, well-tuned & cleaned
• Insulation, windows – don’t let heat escape through roof, walls, windows, basement
• Don’t waste heat – use thermostat to provide heat only when needed
Lighting
• Installation of additional CFL fixtures • Motion detector for security
lighting
Weatherization Major Home Improvement Investments
• Sealing air leaks– Attic– Basement– Plumbing stacks, walls without top plates, etc.
• Insulation installation– Empty walls– Empty attic
Air Leakage Paths• Attics & basements
usually 50%-75% of leakage– plumbing stacks– walls without top
plates– ceiling height
changes– chimneys– soffits– recessed lights– foundation walls
• Windows and doors typically 10%-15%
Blower Door Air Leakage Analysis
• Measure leakage– before & after
• Help find big leaks
• Assess ventilation
• Requires training
• works well with infra-red camera
Infra-red Camera
• Assess current level of insulation in walls and spot gaps
• Check results of contractor work and if additional remedial work is needed to complete job
GEMS Table - savings per residential measure on heating costs
Lifestyle strategies
Thermostat setback (2 to 8 degrees for 16 hours/day 1-4%Thermostat setting (reduce 2 to 6 degrees) 10-26%
Building Strategies (air sealing and insulation)Air sealing 6-16%Attic insulation (starting from nothing) 15-17%Increase attic insulation 2-3%Wall insulation 16-20%Windows (no storm windows before) 13%Windows (storm windows before) 8%Floor insulation (unheated basement) 7-8%
Heating System StrategiesReplace heating system (depends on efficiency of old and new systems) 6-22%Insulate heating ducts 7%Insulate heating pipes 4%
Energy Saving Actions: PrioritiesAction Priorities, when applicable
Action Annual Savings
Setback Heat 8°F, 8 hrs/day $75-$140
Turning Off Appliances vs. 24x7 operation
- 2nd fridge get rid of / unplug $125-$400
- Freezer get rid of / unplug $100-$250
- Computer off when not used vs. screen saver $40-$100
- Furnace Fan if set ON all year, change to AUTO $600-$800
- TV off when not used (vs. background noise) $100-$200
- Stereo off when not used $80-$160
- Waterbed use quilted pad, no heat $150-$200
- Humidifier unplug – shouldn’t be needed in tight home $10-$30
- Fans off when room is empty in summer $5-$20
Energy Retrofit PrioritiesHigh Priority Treatments when applicable
Retrofit Cost Annual Savings
Insulate empty walls dense pack, 1000 ft² $1,200 $350
Insulate empty attic bypass seal, 1000 ft² $1,000 $350
Insulate attic: some existing bypass seal $800 $100
Air Seal using blower door $400-$800 $75-$250
- w/Strategic Dense Pack in tricky homes $500-$1,000 $100-$400
Replace old (pre-93) fridge $500+ $75-$200
Replace old Clothes Washer 1 load/day $500+ $75-$175 +$100 H2O
Replace old furnace w/92% if heat >1200 th $3,200 $500+
Replace 15 most used bulbs with CFLs $15-$100 $75-$150
Security Lighting: motion detector $15-$100 $40-$150
Very low flow showerhead <1.8 gpm $5-$50 $10-$40
Fix hot water leak $5-$150 $50-$200
Energy Retrofits: Lower PrioritiesLower Priority Treatments
Retrofit Cost Annual Savings
Insulate attic: some existing no seal $700 $30-$60
Replace old furnace w/92+% avg. use $3,200 $300+
Replace old dishwasher $400+ $25-$45
Caulk/Weatherstrip Windows/Doors $50-$600 $10-$40
Insulate basement ceiling 1000 ft² $1,200 $30-$100
Seal basement ducts $50-$600 $0-$50
Tankless Gas Water Heater $2,000 $50-$100
Replace 15 old windows $10,000? $50-$150
Cool Roof (white roof coating on flat) $1,000 $10
Tune Up Gas Furnace (annual) $150 $0
Windows
• Longer payback than other measures• Estimate 13% savings from new
windows if no storms before, 8% if storms
• Standard double-glazed windows only R-3, versus R-12 for cellulose in walls, cost $300-$500 per window.
• Buy triple-glazed, R-5, $460 and up per window.
• Good installation important – fill cavities with loose insulation
Window Quilts
Educational Resources
• Behavior– www.massclimateaction.net Low Carbon Living – www.empowermentinstitute.net Low Carbon Diet
• Appliance– www.energystar.gov Products– www.masssave.com Rebates– www.consumerreports.org Appliances (fee)
• Weatherization– www.energyratings.org HERS raters for Mass.– www.masssave.com Guide to Energy Savings
Buy Clean Power
• Support renewable energy in Massachusetts
• Sign up for National Grid’s GreenUp Program – A Clean Energy Choice at: www.cleanenergychoice.org
Look for the post card in your next bill!