Home Energy Seminary Save Money! Protect the Climate!

Home Energy Seminary

Save Money!

Protect the Climate!

Home Energy Seminary

1. Introduction: Climate Change

2. Home Energy: Lights

3. Appliances:

• Fridges, Washing machines, AC

4. A little Physics: Understanding your home!

• Building diagnostics

• Insulation vs. Air-tightness

5. Windows

6. Heating Systems

Cumulative CO2 Emissions from 1800-1988:

The Ecological Debt of the North

Graph by Martin Storksdiek

“As the global climate changes, extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, heat waves, heavy rainfall, tropical storms and hurricanes are expected to increase.”

(Dr. David Easterling, National Climatic Data Center, 9-26-00)

Flooding of the Ohio river (NOAA Photo Library; www.photolib.noaa.gov)

Temperature rise of 1 degree Celsius from the end of the twentieth century will leave up to 30 percent of species at risk of extinction. (IPCC, FAR)

Drought Popenguine, Senegal (United Nations Photo Library

www.un.org/av/photo)

Climate Change & Extreme Drought

Severe drought as a result of global warming threatens to spread across half the Earth's land surface by 2100, turning one third of the planet into a desert.

(Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, 2006)

Average Bangladeshi produces 0.2 tons of CO2 Average American produces 21 tons of CO2

Millions of Bangladeshi will loose their home and livelihood due to sea level rise.

Climate Change & Equity

The Solutions to Climate Change can address many

other problems:

Energy SecurityNational Security

Job SecurityLocal Air Pollution

EfficiencyAn estimated 94% of

materials become waste before a product is even

manufactured.

Only 6 per cent of materials extracted each year are

embodied in durable goods!

Home Energy Seminary

Save Money! Protect the Climate!

Americans spend more than $160 billion a year to heat, cool, light and live in our homes.

Homes use about 21% of the energy we use as a nation. Homes contribute about 17% of our national emissions of

greenhouse gases.

Switch To Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs)! More expensive upfront ($1-$12)

but they'll save $30-$50!

Many different types of CFLs available (including for small fixtures, 3-ways, etc).

Last 10 times longer!

Watch for available rebates.

Compact fluorescent bulbs• Take 1-2 min to reach fullest brightness

• Are less bright when it is cold• If you are concerned about brightness, buy a brighter one!• Should not flicker after 1-2 seconds

• Are not all of equally good quality • Test out a brand before you invest in a lot of them

Compact fluorescent bulbs

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs:• Regular CFLs don’t work in dimmable

fixtures

• Buy a dimmable CFL

• Check out www.efi.org for other specialty bulbs

• Have a small amount of mercury: call your city about disposal. (But they still use less mercury than would have been produced at the power plant when you use a regular incandescent bulb)

Compact fluorescent bulbs

If every household in the US replaced 5 fixtures with CFLs:

Savings: 800 billion kWh

The equivalent of shutting down 21 power plants.

Compact fluorescent bulbFacts!

Halogen Torchieres Nice light but…Energy Hog!

Uses 300W – 500W….

(a normal bulb uses 60W)

Halogen torchieres are also a fire hazard!

Buy a torchiere with CFL!

Appliances:

Energy Star: www.energystar.govLook for the energy star label! More than 35 product categories are available with the ENERGY STAR label.

Careful! Energy Star appliances are rated by size class.

Look for the smallest appliance that fits your needs.

RefrigeratorIf your refrigerator is more than 8 years old, it makes sense to replace it. The new one will pay for itself in energy savings in about 3-6 years.

Again! Energy Star appliances are rated by size class.

Look for the smallest refrigerator that fits your needs! Side-by-side are least efficient.

BAD: Top-loader GOOD: Front-loader

Washing Machines

40 to 60% less water 30 to 50% less energy 50 to 70% less detergent

Top-loader: 40 gallons of water per load. Front loader: 20 - 25 gallons. You could save as much as 7,000 gallons of water per year!

Gentler on clothes.Decreases drying time considerably.Do a better job cleaning clothes. Be modern, get a front-loader! Top-loaders are the technology your grand-parents used!!!P.S. Only do full loads. Use cold water as often as possible.

Front –loading Washing Machines

Conventional Dryer

• 800-1000 kW/year

•$80-$120/ year

Be old-fashioned - dry your clothes like your grand-parents did!

Tip: If you do not have time to hang all your clothes, hang the heavy, and thick items: towels, sheets, socks…

Use Fans Instead of AC!

Only 10-15% of the energy an AC uses.

(Shut the fan off when you leave the room, because it does not actually cool the air but just move it. The exception to this is a window fan to get cool night air from the outside into the house.)

Be cheap! Turn it off!Most electricity is used by things that are on a lot and use a lot of power:

Refrigerator (500kWh-1300 kWh per year)

Freezer (500kWh-1300 kWh per year)

Desktop Computer (300-1000 kWh per year)

Lights

Don’t forget to turn your heat or AC off /down!

Great Myths

Turning off your computer

will harm it.WRONG!This used to be true back when computers had green screens

and punch cards……

Great Myths

Leaving your heat on is more efficient than turning it down because you need so much

energy to heat the house back up.

WRONG!Think about it!

It’s as if you’d claim that putting down your suitcase while waiting for the bus uses more energy than holding it up the

whole time, because you’d have to pick it up again.

Get an Energy Audit

A professional will be able to analyze your house and give you advise.

You’ll get most out of it, if you are well educated!

Prepare well and ask lot’s of questions!

Convection

The flow of hot and cold gases

This is how heat travels through leaks, cracks and gaps in your house.

A Little Physics:

How Heat Travels:

Will she be warm enough in the winter?Convection:

Air leaks:This is why you wear a wind breaker

over your woolen sweater!

Blower-Door Test

Where is the Energy Going?Ceiling

4%

Doors1%Windows

13%

Floor10%

Equip. Efficiency

16%

Infiltration34%

Walls22%

What You Can Do:Use weather stripping and caulking!

It’s cheap, it works!

Stay warm!Save Money!Protect the Climate!

From the simple to the sophisticated, air sealing pays!

Heat exchange between adjacent molecules

Conduction

This is how heat travels through materials.

Some materials conduct heat better than others.

Insulation slows the movement of heat.

Conduction

Insulation:This is why you wear a

woolen sweater in winter and a cotton sweatshirt in the summer!

Infra-red Photography

Windows are rated by: Conductance: U-value

Low U-value = high insulation properties

You want: Low U- Value

Insulation is rated by:

Resistance: R-ValueHigh R-value = high insulation properties

You want: High R- Value

How Conduction is measured:

Two components to good weatherization:

Minimize air leaksOptimize insulation

How Your House Loses Heat

Insulation (conduction):

Get your walls and attic insulated!

Insulating your walls and attic, along with addressing leaks around your doors and windows, can save as much as 30% on your heating bill.

Insulate before you replace windows: it will cost you much less and save you more.

Watch out for active knob-and-tube wiring before you insulate!

Insulation materialsFiberglass

Insulation materialsCellulose

Fiberglass Vs. Cellulose

Fiberglass vs. CelluloseFiberglass: like a woolen sweater+ easy to install+ can be cheaper + moisture tolerant- does not stop air flow- poor fire protection- most of the times poorly installed

Cellulose: like a down jacket+ stops air flow+ better fire protection+ can fill up nooks and crannies.- does not tolerate moisture very well

Slide by Paul Eldrenkamp @ Byggmeister

Cellulose Installation

This should be the very first home improvement you do!

Pay back is 1-5 years Cost: $1000 - $5000

Insulation MaterialsSpray-foamsIcynene; 2-part polyurethanes; Soy-based Rigid

foams

General Insulation Strategies

Use an insulation that air-seals and insulates– Spray foam– Dense-pack (or wet-spray) cellulose

When practical, insulate the outermost plane– Attic roof rather than floor joists– Crawlspace floor and walls rather than ceiling– Basement walls rather than ceiling

Slide by Paul Eldrenkamp @ Byggmeister

RadiationElectro-magnetic waves emitted from hot objects

This is the how the sun heats the surface of the earth. This is why it can get very hot in a car in the summer.

Window Replacement

+ New high-quality windows are definitively more energy-efficient and will cut your heating bills.

+ You’ll get rid of lead paint.

+ New windows are easier to operate and clean.

- High-quality windows are expensive ($300-$600 per opening)

- They have a very long pay back (30-50 years)

- Esthetics

Window Replacement

The Don’t’s• Don’t get single pane.• Don’t be lured by the cheap price of some windows. You really get what you pay for.

The Do’s• Get double or triple pane windows. • Get high quality windows.• Make sure to get an experienced installer who will pay attention to details (and insulate the weight box)• Get Low-e coating with argon fill. • Wood or fiberglass frames are best.

Windows:

Invest in good storms, weather stripping, caulk, plastic

Heating Systems

Largest energy expense in the home.

What system? Steam, hot water, forced air?

Gas, oil, electric, wood

Heating Systems

Sizing?

Most systems are oversized

To tell how much, see how long it runs out of each hour during cold weather.

If less than half the time, a smaller system will save energy.

Replacing your system:

Insist on a heat loss analysis

(ACCA Manual J)

If your plumber sizes the system by the old system,take your business elsewhere!

Efficiency

Check www.energystar.gov

Go for over 90% efficiency. (Gas boilers can achieve higher efficiencies.)

Check for rebates!

Don’t trust just your plumber! A little upfront research can make a

big difference.

Get this book, it will change your life:www.aceee.org/consumerguide/index.htm

Replacing a Heating System

Stay away form electric heat.

It’s very expensive!!!!

No electric water heaterNo electric furnacesNo space heaters

Electric Heat

Exception: If you want to heat only a small space in a large house

#2 Heating Oil

1/3 more carbon emissions than natural gas

Natural Gas

More climate friendly!

More chimney friendly!

Less air pollution!

No oil tank!

More expensive than oil….

Oil or Gas?

… unfortunately, doing the right thing is not always the cheaper thing…

Also:

Efficiency can make up for it.

No oil tanks, no hazards…

Saving energy in your home does more than just save money!

It’s a step towards securing the future for our children!

Thank You!

High-cost but low-impact issues

Vapor barriers– Vapor diffusion not a big problem in our

climate– Big difference between a vapor barrier and

an air barrier – Vapor barrier paints

Slide by Paul Eldrenkamp @ Byggmeister

Slide by Paul Eldrenkamp @ Byggmeister

High-cost but low-impact issues

Roof venting– Cold roof vs. hot roof (vented vs. unvented)– Instead of investing heavily in venting,

invest in better roof insulation

Slide by Paul Eldrenkamp @ Byggmeister

Roof venting: Ice dams

Slide by Paul Eldrenkamp @ Byggmeister

Summary

• Solve the big problems first—health & safety issues

• Control moisture and pollutants at source

• Air-seal and insulate (with the same material if possible)

• Perform pre- and post-weatherization evaluations (blower door, infrared)

Slide by Paul Eldrenkamp @ Byggmeister