Summer Energy Efficient Windows – Part3

In the final months or my energy conservation mode, I’m beginning to gear up for the next step – Energy Efficiency. My study now revolves around windows for summer energy efficiency.

Today’s window performance rating element is visible transmittance (VT).

Visible transmittance tells you the amount of light a window allows though. Efficient windows are energy savers and will reduce my energy bill, but I still need the daylight shining into my house to keep my inside plants alive and to keep my sanity!

The visible transmittance (VT) is measured on a scale of 0 to 1. Usual values are between 0.3 and 0.8.

The higher the visible transmittance (VT) rating on the window, the more light passes inside. So for the greatest amount of daylight and to enjoy the view from your windows, the visible transmittance (VT) rating the better.

But there is a trade-off. You see, lower the VT number, the better a window insulates. To get maximum daylight transmitted inside, I lose insulating capacity.

Hmmm…I’ll have to think about this more. Perhaps some of my windows need more insulting that others.

Welcome to the final week, week 6, of the Home Energy Conservation Challenge! If you’re here for the first time, you can find how this challenge works here.

If you have taken the action steps explained in the previous five (5) weeks of the Energy Challenge, you know or have these things:

1.    How many kilowatt-hours your home used last year
2.    The average kilowatt-hours used per month last year
3.    A tracking excel sheet to track kilowatt-hour usage,
4.    Home much energy your refrigerator uses (measured by your Kill-A-Watt meter)
5.    A refrigerator running as efficiently as possible
6.    A water heater efficiently heating water when YOU decide you need it
7.    A heating/cooling system set to automatically raise and lower your home temperature settings to accommodate your family’s lifestyle and comfort—and reduce your electric bill.
8.    A power strip eliminating phantom loads that add to your electric bill
Let’s get started with our final week, week six (6).

Small, imperceptible things add up.

Think about it.

A couple cookies, a few French fries, and those lazy hours spent surfing the net. Once a month a few cookies and fries and a lazy hour probably do not matter too much to your general health.
But daily, these little habits can add up to excess body fat.

Small decisions, small habits, accumulate to form a lifestyle.

Choices add up. Like rungs of a ladder, they take us somewhere.

This week you will conquer the imperceptible energy leaks. Although seemingly insignificant, these small energy tweaks accumulate to save you energy dollars.

• Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs)
• Windows and doors
• Electrical outlets and switch plates

Switch to Compact Fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs)

Most likely, you have been using incandescent light bulbs in your lamps and lighting fixtures at home.

These bulbs produce light by passing an electric current through a thin filament. The filament, when heated with electric current, produces light.

However, a shocking 90 percent of the energy produced by an incandescent light bulb is given off as heat, not light.

Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) reduce your home’s demand for electricity.

EnergyStar rated Compact Fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) produce 75% less heat than incandescent light bulbs to produce the same amount of light. They also last up to 10 times longer than incandescent.

EnergyStar rated CFLs can save up to $30 in electricity costs over the lifetime of the bulb. Recycle your CFLs at your local Home Depot or check Earth 911 for a recycling center near you.

The EnergyStar site offers a helpful article about how to match the right CFL to the proper fixture. Here are the bullet points from their site:

• CFLs perform best in open fixtures that allow airflow, such as table and floor lamps, wall sconces, pendants, and outdoor fixtures.
• For recessed fixtures, it is better to use a reflector CFL than a spiral CFL since the design of the reflector evenly distributes the light down to your task area.
• If a light fixture is connected to a dimmer or three-way socket fixture, you’ll need to use a special ENERGY STAR qualified CFL designed to work in these applications. Make sure to look for CFLs that specify use with dimmers or three-way fixtures.
• To choose the ENERGY STAR qualified CFL with the right amount of light, find a qualified CFL that is labeled as equivalent to the incandescent bulb you are replacing. Light bulb manufacturers include this information right on the product packaging to make it easy for consumers to choose the equivalent bulb. Common terms include “Soft White 60” or “60 Watt Replacement.

CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury, so here’s what to do if you happen to break a CFL. Follow these guidelines to dispose of them properly.

Caulk windows and doors and other small air leaks

Would you leave a window open when your heating or cooling system is running? Of course not!
But consider this: ignoring those little cracks and leaks in your house is the same as leaving a window open wide. Added together, those small leaks become one giant leak.

The folks at Home Depot say that tiny cracks account for up to 20 percent of the energy used to heat and cool a typical home. So, by caulking, sealing up those tiny cracks, your energy costs are reduced by 20 percent.

Here’s where to look for these pesky leaks in your home:

•    Around doors
•    Around windows
•    Dryer vents
•    Faucet pipes and wires
•    Hot water heating pipes

If you’ve never done this before it’s really not that hard. If you have a handyman-type living at your house you’re in luck. If not, the easiest thing to do is visit your local home improvement store—like Home Depot—and ask for help in choosing the caulk that works for your particular home.

Weather Strip around doors and windows

Weatherstripping around doors and windows keeps air leaks sealed around the movable joints. Even a 1/8-inch-wide crack around the door is sucking dollars from your pocket. If you can feel air coming in around your closed door then you definitely need weatherstipping.

There are various types of weatherstripping—again, ask your local Home Depot for help—to accommodate different situations, doors, and windows.

Also, the U.S. Department of Energy Consumer’s Guide gives helpful information about weatherstripping selections for particular uses.

Install gaskets behind cover plates on electrical outlets

This little trick was a new one for me. I had never heard of gaskets for electric outlet cover plates until this year.

Simple to install, these foam inserts create a seal around your electrical outlet.

Home energy auditors recommend installing these behind your cover plates on your outside walls. Seems the air in your attic communicates with the air in your house via holes cut for your electrical outlet.

Who knew?

Here’s a photo of a foam insulation gasket.

Purchase a package of these at your local Home Depot (or other home improvement store).

Besides keeping that cold attic are from seeping into your house in winter there’s another small but appreciated benefit from these little jewels.

They keep the attic dust from seeping into your house and landing on your furniture! Very cool!

Take Action:

1.    As your incandescent bulbs need replacing, them with Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs)
2.    Caulk your windows, doors and other small leaks
3.    Weatherstip your windows and doors
4.    Purchase and install foam insulation gasket around your electrical outlets and switch plates that are on the outside walls of your home
5.    Make a note on your excel sheet the date you install these changes

Continue to document your kilowatt-hour consumption monthly on your excel sheet and watch your energy consumption and electric bill decrease.
Thanks for participating! I would love to know how these conservation tips work for you. Feel free to share your results in the comment section.

Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Did you know you can calculate your home energy carbon footprint? There’s a nifty carbon footprint calculator at BeGreenNow.com. All you have to do is enter your kilowatt-hour usage and/or your natural gas usage for the month (or year).

Using the BeGreenNow calculator, I calculated my home’s carbon footprint based on my kilowatt-hour usage alone. My home’s carbon footprint measured in CO2 emissions from electrical use for 2008 was10.79 tons.

Is that good or bad?

The Nature Conservancy also has a free carbon footprint calculator. Their calculator, based on averages, has no input for kilowatt-hours used. After answering a series of questions, they totaled my CO2 emissions per year at 23 tons.

While the Nature Conservancy site calculator teaches lots about how daily habits affect energy use, the BeGreenNow calculator felt more realistic since they use my actual kilowatt-hour usages.

Reducing your home energy consumption begins with knowing what you are using today. Then you can consider and make changes to reduce your energy consumption (and your energy bill!)

Go ahead. Try one of these carbon footprint calculators to get an idea of your home’s energy use.

BeGreenNow

The Nature Conservancy

Energy Conservation by Individual Choice

The mission here at Simple Home Solar Energy is to “go solar.” The goal is to eventually produce all the energy our home requires. The process to turn our home into a solar energy generator is documented here, in this blog.

Not being a trained engineer or a scientist, I research a lot. I depend on qualified folk for proper information. The research must be careful since every one these days uses the “g-word” (green) to promote themselves and/or their products.

Even politicians freely use the “g-word” (green) to promote their lofty political promises and get votes because they know what we care about.

But government cannot make a healthy environment; they flaunt green-ness hoping we will notice.

Scientists cannot make a clean environment; they cannot even agree with each other.

Businesses cannot make a green environment; they can only sell us what we will buy.

Our culture likes to blame government, business, the economy, our educational system, religion, our mother, our neighbors, etc. for the environment. If we blame others, we don’t have to make changes ourselves.

The truth is our environmental and economic situation is complicated. There are no easy answers. There are no quick fixes.

Dawn Killough wrote an excellent article about each of us taking responsibility for the way we live on our planet. I agree with her that the answer to our situation is to do what we can, “one thing at a time.”

It was Gandi who said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

If I want a greener, healthier environment, I must make greener choices.

Frankly, I’d like to go out and buy solar panels today. It’s the right thing to do; but I can’t afford it!

So I’m doing things slowly, one thing at a time, in this order.
1.    Conservation
2.    Efficiency
3.    Solar energy

Want to join the slow-but-steady path to responsible energy use?

Join the Energy Conservation Challenge coming in February. Sign up for the “10 Simple Steps to Reduce Your Energy Costs.” We will email you about the challenge when we get the details worked out.

Home Energy Reduction Diet Update

My home energy reduction diet has been going well since August. It’s December now. On this cloudy, cold day in South Texas, I’m cold.

Setting my digital thermostat to 85 degrees in summer was easily tolerated by this southern acclimatized body. However, the thermostat setting of 68 degrees during the winter makes my house feel like an environment meant for penguins.

Now, if the sun were shining, life would be much warmer no matter what the outdoor temperature. I would at least have the sun’s thermal energy penetrating the cold air to warm my happy abode.

Perhaps I need to add a small space heater to the mix on these extra cold days.

Has anyone used the Eden Pure heater? Has it reduced your heating bill as advertised?

Please let us know your Eden Pure experience in the comment section. Thanks!

Home Energy Efficiency versus New Energy

There appears to be a contest between embracing energy efficiency and going solar.

Why is every thing a contest? We all want the same thing:

•    Reduced carbon footprint
•    Reduced energy bills
•    Reliable energy source
•    Energy independence

Maybe it’s the government subsidies. Solar energy gets subsidies but home energy efficiency is the more cost-effective. One homeowner observed,

“Even with all the incentives offered [for solar], it pays me more to solve my problem by retrofitting the house.”

It does not have to be an either/or situation. In fact, wanting to go solar was our impetus to practice energy efficiency. The most cost effective way to clean the air of carbon emissions is to not put them there in the first place.

And the most cost effective home solar system is the one on the most energy efficient home.

In these critical economic times, all of us want energy efficiency. Being energy efficient reduces our carbon footprint and reduces our monthly energy bill. We always search for new ways to reduce or eliminate our electrical load in order to make a home solar energy system compatible with our home budget.

Image via Wikipedia

Today I learned something new. LG Electronics makes an all-in-one washer/dryer combo. Yes. One machine that both washes AND dries.

The product description states the new high-efficient front-loading washer/dryer exceeds EnergyStar classification ratings.

“These washers and dryers are designed to clean and dry noticeably better than related products on the market today.  They also remove more stains, use far less water and energy, and last longer!”

I think I would love the compact feature. The laundry room space would be better utilized.

The only drawback I can imagine is that I could not wash load #2 while drying load #1. For just the two of us living here that would not be an problem. For larger families this could be an issue. However, perhaps it would only entail establishing a new laundry schedule.

Has anyone use one of these? Leave a comment to let us know what you think of these new washer/dryer combos.

Is it possible to create a net zero energy home by renovating an existing home?  Yes!  This 2,400 square foot house was built in the 1970s.   With a desire to live sustainably, the homeowners decided to set an energy budget of 10 kWh/day for their home. A budget of $100,000 was set for the renovation.  The budget was very roughly 1/3 for solar photovoltaics (PV) and solar hot water, 1/3 for energy-related changes such as the metal roof and new appliances, and 1/3 for other changes including the addition of a master bath, replacement of carpet with hardwood and tile, and removal of a retaining wall.

In the first year of full-time occupancy by one person the house generated over 1,500 kwh more power than it used.  So with one occupant, the home was actually better than net zero energy, it generated more power than it consumed.  Beginning in  July 2007, three additional family members moved into the house.  As of July 2008, some of the accumulated credit had been used up, but overall the home has still generated more energy than it has used.

Changes to this home are ongoing in the hope of bringing the house back to net zero energy with four occupants.  These changes include:

1. Removing all fiber insulation from attic as preparation for foam insulation
2. Adding 1×3 furring strips in attic from the soffit to the ridge vent and tacking lauan to the furring strips.  This creates an air gap from the soffit to the ridge vent for foam application
3. Adding 4 inches of foam on lauan, 3 inches of foam on gables, and 1 inches of foam flashing on ceiling (scheduled for end of September)
4. Adding a whole-house fan
5. Replacing the old 4 ton Seer 10 heat pump with a  2 ton SEER 18 unit, (mainly for humidity control)
6. Caulking and foaming air leaks reduced air infiltration  from 2300 cf/min to 1700 cf/min at 50 pascals
7. Tilting PV panels to allow for more ventilation and better winter power production
8. Tilting the solar thermal panels to 50 degrees for a winter bias, and adding more collection and storage

Information provided by Sustainable Future, LLC.
For most current information refer to http://SustainableFuture.biz