By U.S. Air Force photo by Edward Aspera Jr. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
NYT reported last month that although there are some early adopters of monitors of electric use in our homes, it is predicted that more than half will have them in the next ten years. Notable in the Times article is a quote from Dan Yates, CEO of Opower: “Simply making energy usage visible can have an impact”. I can believe that; after all, “knowledge is power”, right?
Blending physics, and metaphor, with this age old adage (I can’t resist throwing in some physics), power implies transformation. It is a function of using energy to do work. My point is that energy monitors aren’t worth squat unless we change our behavior based on what they tell us. In fact, since you plug them in, they use electricity, they don’t save it.
Local utilities are offering energy data with things like the green button which we’ve written about in the past. Changing light bulbs to CFLs or LEDs can make a big impact with electric loads. When you use electricity—for A/C or to heat water for example—more efficient systems can make a difference; and so can improving the home in other ways. The gains in insulating and air sealing, proper shading, and good windows can really make an impact on your energy usage as well as your comfort.
I wonder if the adage “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing” is relevant? Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to keep an eye on your electrical usage, but don’t get caught watching and not acting. Or maybe, “a fool and his money will soon part” fits too.
Recently Fox News had an interesting piece on energy audits. It asks an excellent question; are they worth the cost? As homeowners we can identify some issues in our homes, but it often takes and expert to pull it all together, and catch some of the bigger issues affecting our utility bills.
The article points out that not all auditors are created equal. It mentions that blower door tests, Infrared imaging, as well as duct testing, are important for and auditor to perform. And we agree. In fact, we spend numerous hours training individuals to use the equipment, as well as getting them certified with the Building Performance Institute (BPI). BPI’s focus is not on just energy efficiency, but also health and safety, and that in my mind is more important that just saving money.
It is important that our advisors have ongoing training and support, because homes—and the building science behind them—are complicated. If I relate this to the medical profession, would you want an intern performing surgery while figuring it out on their own? Or, would you rather have an experienced doctor teaching the intern?
One thing not pointed out in the article is that saving energy is only part of it. Don’t forget comfort, the reason we heat and cool our homes in the first place. Acting on the recommendations in an energy audit can make our homes a more comfortable place.
Is it worth the cost? If you take action, absolutely! An audit isn’t worth anything if you don’t fix the problems, which is why it is so important to identify them—and provide cost-conscious improvements—making your home more energy efficient, healthy and comfortable. You can learn more in our learning center.
The benefits of home performance improvements are clear and widespread. You can be more comfortable, safer, and healthier and save money. Money you can put elsewhere, such as towards the expense of driving with an electric vehicle. What I think is important here is that this isn’t just for Florida. Florida is of course a great place for solar power being the “Sunshine State”, but this isn’t really part of the formula for most homeowners. Generating electricity can be done in many ways, and energy efficient homes are the key to being able to drive for free.
The Alliance to Save Energy posted this graphic comparing some common costs for U.S. homeowners.
As Benjamin Franklin said in 1817 “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” seems to me energy bills should replace taxes.
I’m guessing things are more comfortable in your home than they were for Mr. Franklin and I’m certain you want to keep it that way. But addressing energy efficiency issues in the home can keep you comfortable and Ben Franklin honest, and save you more than a few of those bills with his face on it.
GreenHomes America Partner ABC Cooling and Heating, was recently presented the 2012 Energy Upgrade California Highest Performance Award. This award is presented to the contractor that has completed the highest number of Home Performance projects within the PG&E territory in the state of California.
This is a significant achievement since 75% of all Energy Upgrade California projects were completed in the PG&E territory. I won’t steal ABC’s thunder but, collectively GreenHomes America Partner locations have performed close to half of all completions in the State of California! I know this won’t be the last award we will see from ABC Cooling and Heating!
Jerry Unruh President & Owner
We’re proud to support ABC Cooling and Heating’s locations in Fresno and Hayward as they perform both energy assessments and upgrades from Santa Clara County/SF Bay Area to the Central San Joaquin Valley. Their dedication to quality, hard work and customer service has paid great dividends.
Rest assured that when a GreenHomes America Partner works on your home, those dividends will be more than energy savings. You will experience the service and quality that instills the trust to recommend a company from friend to friend and neighbor to neighbor.
Many Americans love their TVs, and it must be “love” otherwise why would we spend so much on something that takes up so much real estate on the living room wall! Until recently they used a lot of energy too.
According to a recent posting from the NYT, “Incorporating LED and laser technology has helped slash the energy consumption of new TV models by nearly 50 percent within the last three years.” But really it’s not efficiency claims selling these sets in some parts of the country, its “technology” or “better picture quality”.
What sets these TVs apart is the Energy Forward label which identifies a small group of the most efficient Energy Star appliances. The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, a utility supported non-profit organization based in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, is behind the label and they have taken an interesting approach. Since TV watchers are prone to “geek out” by wanting the best set, it seems leveraging this “weakness” and making the best sets energy efficient is a win-win situation.
Collectively, small savings add up when everyone tunes in to the evening news on a high efficiency TV. The important shift recognized here is that comfort and efficiency don’t have to conflict. We fix homes to make them more comfortable. It just so happens that is a wonderful side effect of reducing energy usage as well!
This video helps to demonstrate the importance we place on air sealing. Before insulating, we tighten up the attic. Of course we also air seal elsewhere, and it’s part of many of the common household problems we can address. Basements and crawlspaces help a lot too. Windows and doors matter, but really focusing on the top—and the bottom— first, creates the greatest impact.
Drafty homes can be fixed, and not just for heating season! Air leakage happens year round and affects our comfort daily!
The offender in many folks’ minds when it comes to pollution is the automobile, not our homes. It seems to be ingrained in our heads that automobiles are the worst offenders; I won’t discourage alternatives. But, in fact, we generate twice as much carbon dioxide emissions as we consume coal, oil, and natural gas—directly or indirectly—in our homes.
Imagine what happens if we cut the energy use in our homes by half? The scale might balance out for sure, but there are definitely more benefits, saving money for one. We do this on a daily basis. Improving their home’s insulation and air tightness, heating and cooling systems, and more, will typically save our customers at least 25%, but often much more.
It all starts with a comprehensive home assessment which helps drive pollution and energy cost reduction in the home. But the biggest impact we hear about from our customers is how comfortable that drive can be! The end result we sometimes forget about is the level of comfort revealed after the job is done.
One of our top advisors a few years back had a unique experience on an assessment visit. Leaving the doors open to his vehicle, he unknowingly acquired some unwanted guests. It made me think about our homes and another unwanted “guest”: uncontrolled airflow via attics and elsewhere in the home. (A great resource if you haven’t seen it already can be found in our learning center)
When we test airflow in homes we use cubic feet per minute as a unit of measurement. Ideally this can help people visualize how much air moves through your walls ceilings and floors. The large fan we place in the doorway of the home measures this flow and allows us to compare the amount of leakage in your home to others of similar size. Many of us don’t often think in terms of cubic feet, but you know, I’d guess it’s about the same as a good sized chicken.
You would be surprised by the amount of leakage in the average home when you can’t see the holes. They are hidden behind walls and floors, connections in the ceiling. In places we don’t really think about. Every chicken’s worth of air that moves uncontrolled in or out of your home costs, not only in terms of money, but also comfort. There could be hundreds of them entering or leaving your house every hour. Not sealing those leaks is like leaving the door open all year long.
Keep the chickens where they belong. Close the doors.
Thanks,
Jason
Photos courtesy of John Scipione Branch Manager, Syracuse NY.
Older homes, especially ones that had steam systems, often had pipe insulation like this; it looks a bit like white corrugated cardboard. I suspect it was as much to protect people’s foreheads from being scalded as they walked through their basement as it was to deliver the heat where it needed to go!
Fairly effective as an insulator—with the pockets of air and resistance to high heat—Aircell type pipe insulation starts to be a concern in the home as it deteriorates.
Materials containing asbestos are troublesome if they can become “friable”. This means something that was once considered solid can disintegrate quite easily. Asbestos found in vermiculite is a problem because it may already be dust. Pipe insulation made with asbestos breaks down over time and turns powdery when it is bumped.
Keep in mind that not all white pipe insulation contains asbestos, other materials are now used. Asbestos was banned in the late ‘70s and should have been out of circulation by the early ‘80s. The best course of action is to leave it alone if you’re not sure. Leave it to the experts if it needs to be removed, they know what to do. A healthy, energy efficient home is in reach; knowledge is half the battle.
Thanks,
Jason
Image used with permission by Asbestorama on Flickr.
