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Home Solutions

INTRODUCTION

In the United States, residential energy consumption is responsible for over half of all buildings-related energy use in the United States.

An average home in the Pacific region (consisting of California, Oregon, and Washington) consumes 35% less energy than a home in the South Central region, but is never-the-less an energy hog in general -- mostly due to inefficiency! The US Dept. of Energy reports, "The ability to maintain desired temperatures is one of the most important accomplishments of modern technology. Our ovens, freezers, and homes can be kept at any temperature we choose, a luxury that wasn't possible 100 years ago. Keeping our homes comfortable uses a lot of energy. Almost half of the average home's energy consumption is used for heating. Another 17 percent is used for water heating, 6 percent for cooling rooms, and 5 percent for refrigeration. Almost one-fourth of the energy used in homes is used for lighting and appliances."

In the United States, energy consumed directly in the household amounts to about 12% of total national energy supply. If the primary energy (mostly fossil fuels) used to generate the electricity consumed by households is included, the household share of total energy supply increases to 22%. By reducing this consumption rate, we can help protect ourselves against the predicted enormous rise in energy costs, as well as reduce our carbon footprint which will help save the world, and quite possibly our lives.

Energy Auditing Tips

* Check the insulation levels in your attic, exterior and basement walls, ceilings, floors, and crawl spaces.
* Check for holes or cracks around your walls, ceilings, windows, doors, light and plumbing fixtures, switches, and electrical outlets that can leak air into or out of your home.
* Check for open fireplace dampers.
* Make sure your appliances and heating and cooling systems are properly maintained. Check your owner's manuals for the recommended maintenance.
* Study your family's lighting needs and use patterns, paying special attention to high-use areas such as the living room, kitchen, and outside lighting. Look for ways to use lighting controls—like occupancy sensors, dimmers, or timers—to reduce lighting energy use, and replace standard (also called incandescent) light bulbs and fixtures with compact or standard fluorescent lamps.

Formulating Your Plan

After you have identified where your home is losing energy, assign priorities by asking yourself a few important questions:
* How much money do you spend on energy?
* Where are your greatest energy losses?
* How long will it take for an investment in energy efficiency to pay for itself in energy cost savings?
* Do the energy saving measures provide additional benefits that are important to you (for example, increased comfort from installing double-paned, efficient windows)?
* How long do you plan to own your current home?
* Can you do the job yourself or will you need to hire a contractor?
* What is your budget and how much time do you have to spend on maintenance and repair?

Once you assign priorities to your energy needs, you can form a whole house efficiency plan. Your plan will provide you with a strategy for making smart purchases and home improvements that maximize energy efficiency and save the most money. Another option is to get the advice of a professional. Your utilities conduct energy audits for free or for a small charge.

Alternatively, for a fee, a professional contractor can analyze how well your home's energy systems work together and compare the analysis to your utility bills. He or she will use a variety of equipment such as blower doors, infrared cameras, and surface thermometers to find leaks and drafts. After gathering information about your home, the contractor or auditor will give you a list of recommendations for cost-effective energy improvements and enhanced comfort and safety. A good contractor will also calculate the return on your investment in high-efficiency equipment compared with standard equipment.

Don't forget the basics. This simple stuff will save energy -- and money -- right now.

1. Unplug
* Unplug seldom-used appliances, like an extra refrigerator in the basement or garage that contains just a few items. You may save around $10 every month on your utility bill.
* Unplug your chargers when you're not charging. Every house is full of little plastic power supplies to charge cell phones, PDA's, digital cameras, cordless tools and other personal gadgets. Keep them unplugged until you need them.
* Use power strips to switch off televisions, home theater equipment, and stereos when you're not using them. Even when you think these products are off, together, their "standby" consumption can be equivalent to that of a 75 or 100 watt light bulb running continuously.

2. Set Computers to Sleep and Hibernate
* Enable the "sleep mode" feature on your computer, allowing it to use less power during periods of inactivity. In Windows, the power management settings are found on your control panel. Mac users, look for energy saving settings under system preferences in the apple menu.
* Configure your computer to "hibernate" automatically after 30 minutes or so of inactivity. The "hibernate mode" turns the computer off in a way that doesn't require you to reload everything when you switch it back on. Allowing your computer to hibernate saves energy and is more time-efficient than shutting down and restarting your computer from scratch. When you're done for the day, shut down.

3. Take Control of Temperature
* Set your thermostat in winter to 68 degrees or less during the daytime, and 55 degrees before going to sleep (or when you're away for the day). During the summer, set thermostats to 78 degrees or more.
* Use sunlight wisely. During the heating season, leave shades and blinds open on sunny days, but close them at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows. Close shades and blinds during the summer or when the air conditioner is in use or will be in use later in the day.
* Set the thermostat on your water heater at 120 degrees. Lower temperatures can save more energy, but you might run out of hot water or end up using extra electricity to boost the hot water temperature in your dishwasher. If you run out of hot water, stop using so much!

4. Use Appliances Efficiently
* Set your refrigerator temperature at 38 to 42 degrees Fahrenheit; your freezer should be set between 0 and 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Use the power-save switch if your fridge has one, and make sure the door seals tightly. You can check this by making sure that a dollar bill closed in between the door gaskets is difficult to pull out. If it slides easily between the gaskets, replace them.
* Don't preheat or "peek" inside the oven more than necessary. Check the seal on the oven door, and use a microwave oven for cooking or reheating small items.
* Wash only full loads in your dishwasher, using short cycles for all but the dirtiest dishes. This saves water and the energy used to pump and heat it. Air-drying, if you have the time, can also reduce energy use.
* In your clothes washer, set the appropriate water level for the size of the load; wash in cold water when practical, and always rinse in cold.
* Clean the lint filter in the dryer after each use. Dry heavy and light fabrics separately and don't add wet items to a load that's already partly dry. If available, use the moisture sensor setting. (A clothesline is the most energy-efficient clothes dryer of all!)

5. Turn Out the Lights
* Don't forget to flick the switch when you leave a room.
* Remember this at the office, too. Turn out or dim the lights in unused conference rooms, and when you step out for lunch. Work by daylight when possible. A typical commercial building uses more energy for lighting than anything else.

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