Steps to Take TODAY, FOR TOMORROW! - Part 2
Burning fossil fuels Hydro-electric dams Nuclear power plants Air pollution Global warming Waste These are added costs that we, our kids and future generations are having and will be coping with in years to come. Is it not time for us to rather do something more positive in how we spend our money, make our decisions about energy efficiencies? We can all do our part, every day in our routines and homes to advocate, practice, promote and ensure energy-efficient cost-effective homes and habits. This is a role and calling for every homeowner. Here are some more very PRACTICAL suggestions from online sources on what to do with regards to small changes in and around your home, to improve energy efficiency and capitalize on lower utility bills and other cost savings: Refrigerators Refrigerators use the most energy of any home appliance. Here are some tips for efficient refrigerator use: Place refrigerators out of direct sunlight and away from the stove and other heat-producing appliances. Decide what features you really need and use. Through-the-door features like cold water or automatic ice dispensers can increase electricity usage by as much as 20 per cent compared to similar models without these extras. Buy an Energy Star approved refrigerator. A 2002 Energy Star refrigerator uses less than half the electricity of a standard 10-year-old model! If you buy a new refrigerator, unplug your old one. There is no energy efficiency in continuing to use your energy guzzler. Find cold storage spaces to store fresh foods safely without using any electricity. Dishwashers Energy Star approved dishwashers use 25 per cent less energy than other new models! Here are some other energy-saving tips: Always run your dishwasher with a full load. Most of the energy used by a dishwasher is spent heating water, and since you can’t decrease the amount of water used per cycle, filling your machine is more effective than running half-loads. Use the air-dry option instead of the heat-dry, rinse-hold and pre-rinse features. If your dishwasher doesn’t have this option, prop the door open after the final rinse cycle to dry your dishes. Washers and Dryers Energy Star designated washers are a wise investment for several reasons: They clean clothes using 50 per cent less energy than standard machines; Full-sized Energy Star washers use 72-100 liters of water per load, while their standard counterparts use 160 liters; and Energy Star washers extract more water from clothes during spin cycles, reducing drying time and saving energy and wear-and-tear on your clothes. Front-loading tumble washers, use an average 104 liters of water per load, while top-loaders use 160 liters. Front-loading machines also use a third less water, a third less heat energy and a third less detergent! Clothes washers are more efficient when operated with full loads. Wash clothes in cold water – yes, they will still get clean! Use environmentally safe detergents and whiteners that are kind to aquatic life and your clothes. Clothes dryers don’t have Energy Guide labels on them because the energy efficiency of different models are essentially the same. But not all clothes dryers are created equally. Learn more about dryers. Look for clothes dryers with moisture sensors that automatically stop drying when they sense a load is dry enough. More efficient appliance tips: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_index http://www.greenhome.com/learn/energy/Guide.shtml To view the top-rated appliances for 2002-2003 visit: http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/mostenef.htm For energy-smart tips on home lighting, visit: http://homeenergy.org/hewebsite/consumerinfo/lighting/ http://homeenergy.org/archive/hem.dis.anl.gov/eehem/94/941116.html Unplugged You don’t need to buy new appliances to make a difference. Look around your home. Do you need all those appliances and electrical devices? Do they always need to be plugged in? Once you unplug various items, you may notice how little you actually use them. Many electrical devices consume power even when switched off, sometimes as much power as when turned on! A large number of electrical products - from air conditioners to VCRs — can’t be completely switched off without unplugging the device. These products draw power 24 hours a day, often without our knowledge. Plug these devices into power-bars, and turn them off when not in use. You can stop the electrical leak! For more information on zero-energy, energy independence, solar and geo-thermal options: ORNL Buildings Technology Center www.ornl.gov/btc Building America www.buildingamerica.gov Appliances Energy Star (888) 782-7937 www.energystar.gov Windows Andersen Windows (888) 888-7020 www.andersenwindows.com Cool Roof ATAS International (800) 468-1441 www.atas.com/dutchseam Heating and Cooling Lennox Heat Pump HPX19 (800) 953-6669 www.lennox.com American Geothermal (800) 776-8039 www.amgeo.com Solar Electric System BP Solar (866) 277-6527 www.bpsolar.com Sharp multi-crystalline silicon modules (800) 237-4277 www.solar.sharpusa.com Xantrex/Trace Sun Tie inverter (800) 670-0707 www.xantrex.com Big Frog Mountain (equipment installers) (877) 232-1580 www.bigfrogmountain.com Walls and SIPs Insulspan (517) 486-4844 www.insulspan.com FischerSIPS (800) 792-7477 www.fischersips.com Winter Panel (802) 254-3435 www.winterpanel.com Dow Styrofoam T-Mass System (800) 232-2436 www.t-mass.com DuPont Tyvek Envelope Weatherization (800) 448-9835 www.tyvek.com Water Heating ECR International WatterSaver (800) 228-9364 www.ecrinternational.com/ prod_wattersaver.asp If you are in the market for a new home or just moving into an older one, renovating or inspecting your conventional home, regardless of design or age, check for energy efficiencies like: Check for and ensure sealed ductwork Condition of the roof Effective insulation Ensure that exterior and interior of the house are without gaps or cracks, holes and crevices High-efficiency heating and cooling equipment High-performance windows (such as low-E (low emissive) windows) Tight construction and outer shell, firm robust, strong and durable structure As a proud home-owner, do everything in your power to optimize what the market has to offer you, that can assist you in these processes and undertakings to save money and energy, make your home more efficient. Empower, enable and educate yourself regarding, understanding issues related to energy-efficient housing, issues, concerns, actions, products and pre-cautions to take that will help lower costs, cut utility bills, consumption and waste. Take your time to explore energy-efficient housing in all its intricacies and complexities and see how you can find practical solutions to some of the challenges and realities, opportunities, obstacles, promise and potential YOUR OWN home and family has to offer, on both smaller and larger scales. For a home to be deemed ENERGY EFFICIENT use criteria like construction, heating and cooling with reduced energy optimized in mind, for both conventional and traditional, older homes, and newer building wonders and architecturally sound, even zero-energy homes. You can benefit and take advantages on numerous fronts by making some of these changes, considering some of these options, finding solutions that work for you, your home and your budget. Benefits like cost, comfort, ecology, fuel conservation, and climatic conditions, contribution to the environment and future generations all figure into these decisions (consciously or sub-consciously!) Sources of energy and fuels and their potential usefulness, applications and contributions to your overall goal of lowering cost, being more energy efficient homes, consider natural gas, propane, gas, electricity, hot water, fossil fuels, wood and coal, even alternative fuel sources like hydroelectric power, solar power, geothermal energy. Find some great ways to address the biggest guzzler of energy – heating and cooling of your home and running appliances: Homes can be heated conventionally using: Natural gas Electricity Wood OR unconventional heat sources using: Solar Ground heat Ground water Wind generation Straw Heat pumps ** Note: economic and environmental costs have to be considered in these cases Here are some more checklist items for you to use and consider as you ‘evaluate’ or inspect your home for energy efficiencies: Window shutters Use of sunrooms or skylights Type of glass used in windows and patio doors Thermostat control Style of furnace and fireplaces Storm windows Site orientation and landscaping, land and structure Shape of the home (square, L shape, T shape) Porches Number of levels in the house (main, top, basement) Location of largest windows Insulation (quality and amount) Frequently used rooms grouped together in the same part of the house Exposure or orientation of the house on the lot for wind control and exposure to sunlight Entry ways with storm doors Color of the roof and size of the roof Closets on the coldest side of the house Ceiling height Amount of roof overhang to west and south. Air lock Always ask yourself how each factor that you consider can and will affect the EE (energy efficiency) of YOUR HOME. You could also consider retrofitting your home for energy efficiency. Consider as priorities potentially: Weather stripping Ventilation Vapor barrier The use of plastic, styro-foam, and tinfoil on windows Storm doors Programmable thermostats Low E windows Insulation Heat exchanger Energy-efficient appliances Caulking Conclusion Compare and contrast, do analysis on the costs of heating/cooling using oil, natural gas, or electricity. To keep you thinking along these tracks, consider a recent illustration in the New York Times, provided by BASF to illustrate how energy-efficiency can be brought ‘HOME’. This is but one example of some of the things to consider, that you might not even have contemplated or considered. As you continue on your own personal journey, to evaluate, upgrade, improve and optimize your home, from an energy perspective and savings some hard-earned cash, putting it back in your pocket, lowering your utility bills, heating and cooling costs, we wish you luck and may different paths of success all help us to get the results we want! In closing, here are some MORE simple actions you can take to reduce energy costs, improve comfort, and reduce air pollution in your home: Control indoor air pressure to help prevent a variety of comfort, safety and health problems. Eliminate the need for air leakage through your home's building envelope by using mechanical ventilation to supply as much fresh filtered air as you want. Insulate the walls and attic as much, or more than, recommended for your local climate. Seal air leaks in the building's envelope to block entry of microbes, allergens, toxins, irritants, insects, and cold drafts. These actions will make your home a safer shelter if an accident, or a terrorist, releases chemical, biological or radiological substances upwind of your home. Use a powered exhaust system on any device that burns fuel indoors. |
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