Home Energy Savings

**paul** · #1 06-23-2009, 06:43 PM

Did you know that the typical U.S. family spends about $1,900 a year on home utility bills? Unfortunately, a large portion of that energy is wasted. And each year, electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars. And as for the road, transportation accounts for 67% of all U.S. oil consumption. The good news is that there is a lot you can do to save energy and money at home and in your car. Start making small changes today. The key to achieving these savings in your home is a whole-house energy efficiency plan. To take a whole-house approach, view your home as an energy system with interdependent parts. For example, your heating system is not just a furnace—it's a heat-delivery system that starts at the furnace and delivers heat throughout your home using a network of ducts. Even a top-of-the-line, energy-efficient furnace will waste a lot of fuel if the ducts, walls, attic, windows, and doors are not properly sealed and insulated. Taking a whole-house approach to saving energy ensures that dollars you invest to save energy are spent wisely.
Energy-efficient improvements not only make your home more comfortable, they can yield long-term financial rewards. Reduced utility bills more than make up for the higher price of energy-efficient appliances and improvements over their lifetimes. In addition, your home could bring in a higher price when you sell.

**greencat** · #2 06-27-2009, 01:15 PM

Keep your freezer full. It will work more efficiently. You can freeze plastic containers filled with water to use up space in your freezer.
Long term storage in a freezer should be set for zero degrees.

To check the freezer temperature, place a thermometer between frozen packages and read it after 24 hours.
Your freezer will run for shorter periods with clean coils. Vacuum coils once a year.

Make sure your freezer door seals are airtight. Test them by closing the door over a dollar bill so it is half in and half out of the freezer. If you can pull the bill out easily, the seal may need replacing.

If your freezer is very old consider replacing it. Models 20 years old use nearly three-times as much electricity as models sold today.

**greencat** · #3 06-27-2009, 01:16 PM

• Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer. The less difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.
• Don't set your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and, therefore, unnecessary expense.
• Don't place lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
• Plant trees or shrubs to shade air-conditioning units but not to block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity than the same one operating in the sun.

**greencat** · #4 06-27-2009, 01:19 PM

Prepare small meals with special appliances such as electric fry pans, toaster ovens, and broilers. Normally, they use less energy than a conventional range.

Match the pan size with the size of the cooking element. The bottom of all pans should be flat for efficient contact with the units.

Once the pot is boiling, cover it and turn down the heat.

Tight-fitting lids retain heat and moisture in pots and pans. Try not to lift the cover too often.

**greencat** · #5 06-27-2009, 01:20 PM

• Repair leaky faucets promptly; a leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a short period.

• Install aerating low-flow faucets and showerheads.

• Buy a new energy-efficient water heater. While it may cost more initially than a standard unit, the energy savings will continue during the lifetime of the appliance. Most electric cooperatives offer incentives to reduce the costs of a replacement.

• Although most water heaters last 10-15 years, it's best to start shopping for a new one if yours is more than 7 years old. Doing some research before your heater fails will enable you to select one that most appropriately meets your needs.

• Lower the thermostat on your water heater; water heaters sometimes come from the factory with high temperature settings, but a setting of 120°F provides comfortable hot water for most uses.

• Drain a quart of water from your water tank every 3 months to remove sediment that impedes heat transfer and lowers the efficiency of your heater. The type of water tank you have determines the steps to take, so follow the manufacturer's advice.

• Take more showers than baths. Bathing uses the most hot water in the average household. You use 15-25 gallons of hot water for a bath, but less than 10 gallons during a 5-minute shower.

• Consider the installation of a drain water waste heat recovery system.

Jessica · #6 07-16-2009, 05:39 AM

To cut your energy bill, you may also want to consider replacing that bulky computer monitor you have in the home office. A flat panel computer screen uses a third of the electricity of regular computer monitors. The difference is that same as if you leave a 50-watt bulb on all year.

And if you're thinking about replacing that big screen TV, think about investing in an LCD - it uses half the energy of a plasma TV.

__________________
Green Networking

lilypotter · #7 07-30-2009, 09:57 AM

Im new to this forum and came here to get information about energy resources. Great information - Greencat and Jessica. I have to follow and check it out.

**greencat** · #8 07-30-2009, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilypotter

Im new to this forum and came here to get information about energy resources. Great information - Greencat and Jessica. I have to follow and check it out.

Thanks Lily and welcome to N2E. I hope you enjoy the site...

**greencat** · #9 09-18-2009, 12:39 PM

Understanding Low-e Window Coatings
You can tell a lot about windows just by looking at them. But if you rely on your eyes alone, you'll miss an invisible but important energy-saving feature, the low-e coating.

Low-e coatings, which are microscopically thin layers of metallic oxide that's bonded to the surface of a window's glass, are so thin you can see right through them yet they prevent heat and ultra-violet (UV) rays from passing through glass. The result? A window with low-e glass does a better job keeping heat in during the winter and out during the summer.

Letting Light In
When you look outside on a sunny day, you're seeing the visible part of the light spectrum. But only 38 percent of the solar energy that reaches the surface of the earth is visible. The rest of the light that lands in your yard is invisible. 59 percent is infrared and 3 percent is ultraviolet (UV rays). Even though they're invisible, infrared and UV rays do affect the interior of your home. Infrared rays can pass in out out through glass windows, which increases your home's heat load in the winter and cooling load in the summer. As for UV light, the same rays that burn your skin can enter through glazing to fade and degrade your fabrics and furnishings.

The U-factor rating, and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient, Visible Transmission and Air Leakage numbers will help you decide if the window you want is suitable for your climate.

Credit: National Fenestration Rating Council

Coating Types
A low-e coating works like an invisible mirror to reflect selected portions of the light spectrum back out or back in through windows. There are three major types of coatings on the market: soft, hard, and Heat Mirror. Soft coat is applied to the surface of a finished piece of glass. It's not durable enough to be exposed to the elements, so it's only used on the inner surfaces of windows. Hard coat is not quite as energy efficient as soft coat, but is tough enough to be used on exposed surfaces. Hard coat is produced by fusing metallic oxide to the hot surface of glass during manufacture and is found primarily on storm windows and removable energy panels. Heat Mirror is a proprietary product that's applied to a thin polyester sheet suspended between the two panes of dual pane window. The coating reflects radiant heat while the sheet decreases heat loss by splitting the air space in two.

Energy Ratings
To find out if the windows you're considering are appropriate for the climate you live in, look at the Energy Star or National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) label. The NFRC label indicates the U-value and solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) for that window. The Energy Star label shows how these ratings compare to the minimum energy-efficiency standards of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Energy Star breaks the country into 3 zones. To meet the standards, windows used in areas like Florida and Southern Texas must have a SHGC rating of .40 or lower and a U-factor of .75 or lower. In states like Maine and Montana, the DOE says windows should have a U-factor of .35 or less but has no requirement concerning solar heat gain. That's because in the far North heat loss is a big issue but solar heat gain isn't.

The NFRC label also contains information on visible light transmission (VLT), which can be reduced by some coatings. The VLT rating indicates the percent of visible light able to pass through the glazing. Since the whole idea of using glass windows is to admit light, look for a VLT rating of .60 to .80 (60 to 80 percent). On the plus side, low-e coatings do block some of the UV light that can fade and damage furniture. These ratings don't show up on the NFRC label, but can often be obtained from the window manufacturer.

Cold Climates

Mixing-and-Matching Window Coatings

When examing a window's label, keep in mind that there are always tradeoffs. Increasing energy efficiency by choosing windows with an extra low Solar Heat Gain Coefficient rating may reduce the amount of visible light that passes through the glass. However, while you can see through low-e coatings, they're not completely invisible. Sometimes they appear as a slight tint on the glass. To account for different sun exposure, sophisticated designers sometimes specify different coatings for different windows in the same house. This can increase efficiency, but you should be aware that windows with different coatings may appear to have slightly different colored glass.

Low-e coatings were introduced in the 1980's, and were devised to save energy in cold climates. Early low-e windows were designed to let light and solar heat pass through the glazing into the building, and to reflect heat back into the building when it tried to escape through the glass. By lowering the U-value or heat loss rating of the glazing, a low-e coating reduces the amount of energy needed to heat the building. Sitting next to a window when it's cold becomes much more comfortable because the heat that radiates from your body is reflected back into the house. What's more, the glass stays warmer, so moisture is a lot less likely to condense on the inside of the window.

Hot Climates
The problem with windows designed for cold climates is that they keep heat in but they don't keep it out. As a result, early low-e windows weren't much help in the South, where it's harder to stay cool than it is to stay warm. In the 1990's, manufacturers introduced windows with spectrally selective coatings. Designed for use in hot climates, windows with these coatings admit up to 40 percent less solar heat than ones with clear glass panes. As a result, less heat enters through the glass, so the house is easier to cool.

Understanding Low-e Window Coatings

kbhale · #10 12-05-2009, 07:46 AM

Couple tech devices that might help you save a few dollars.
P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor
Amazon.com: P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor: Electronics

Lets you know in real time how much it cost to run a TV. frig or such.

Black & Decker TLD100 Thermal Leak Detector
Amazon.com: Black & Decker TLD100 Thermal Leak Detector: Home Improvement

Helps you find those cold spots or drafts to better insulate. Might even help you find a hot spot in your wiring.