Saving Home Energy and Heating Costs

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Saving Home Energy and Heating Costs

• Easy Ways to Help Yourself
• Part 2

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Save energy now

• Energy saving methods
• Low initial cost/no cost
• Moderate initial cost

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Human Thermal Comfort

• is determined by six variables
• air temperature
• air velocity
• relative humidity
• clothing
• metabolic rate (activity level)
• mean radiant temperature
• Fanger, P.O., Thermal Comfort, McGraw Hill C.,
  1972, pag 256.

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No cost ways to save energy

• Personal attitude behavior
• Wear layered warm clothes indoors during winter
• Take short showers instead of baths
• Close windows doors (train family)

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No Cost Low Cost

• Reducing heating costs
• Turn down thermostat
• Programmable thermostat can do it for you
• Unblock and clean heating ducts and return air
  vents
• Place reflectors behind radiators
• Leave south-facing window curtains open in winter
  and closed in summer to collect or prevent solar
  heat gain.

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No Cost Low Cost

• More Keeping Warm Tips
• Clean and inspect furnace or boiler annually
• Use foil tape to repair heating ducts
• Use ceiling fans to circulate warm air
• Check hot air furnace filters every 1 to 3 months
• Close off unused rooms
• Caution with baseboard heating systems

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Checking for Drafts

• Turn on a bathroom or kitchen exhaust fan
• Attach a 6 piece of tissue paper to a pencil and
  hold next to a window or outlet.
• Observe the paper moving slightly to show areas
  that need to be insulated.

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Installing Outlet Insulators(on exterior walls)

1. Turn off power
2. Remove outlet cover
3. Gasket to be installed

• Install gasket
• Replace cover

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Weatherize Against Infiltration

• Caulk at any joint or penetration to the exterior
  - wiring, pipes duct penetrations in the attic,
  under floor through walls
• Caulk where dissimilar materials meet
• Weatherstrip doors, windows, sills
• Vapor barriers
• 20 Gallons per day of moisture evaporates from
  crawl space into air of 1400 sq. ft. home
• Install 4-6 mil plastic on warm-in-winter
• side of the living space

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Caulking Weather Stripping
Caulking and Weatherstripping will payback in one
year and make you more comfortable
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Storm Windows Banking House

• Plastic sheeting
• Tar paper
• Bags of leaves
• Bales of straw or hay
• Solid foam board

• Combination Windows
• Glass Storm Windows
• Plastic Storm Windows (outside or inside)

Caution Do not cover propane clothes dryer
vent, or other gas fired appliance vents with
banking material
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Insulating the Perimeter of House
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Effect of Window Treatments
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Using Window Treatments

• Heavy Drapes
• Roman Shades
• Insulation Boards

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Door Draft Stoppers Window Draft Snakes

• Fill with
• Foam pipe insulation
• Sand
• Plastic bags

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No Cost Low Cost Water Heating

• Turn down temperature on hot water heater to 120o
  F
• Drain a few gallons from the bottom of your hot
  water heating tank
• If leaving for more than two days, turn off water
  heater

• Install low flow showerheads and aerators in your
  faucets
• Repair all leaking faucets
• Insulate your water heater and supply pipes
• not recommended to insulate gas water heaters

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Low Cost No Cost

• Kill-A-Watt Meter
• Use power strip for computer, television, VCR,
  recorders, satellite, etc. to turn them off
  completely when not in use.

• Keep lights clean
• Shut off when not in use
• Compact florescent bulbs
• Timers

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Lighting

• CFLs great investment to replace incandescent,
  last 10x longer, saves 1/month/socket

• Watt amount of energy used
• Lumen amount of light produced

Incandescent watts Fluorescent watts Light Output lumens
40 10 450
75 20 1100
150 28 2600
http//www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?ccfls.pr_cfls
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Holiday LightingLight Emitting Diode (LED)
Bulb Type No. Feet Used Energy Usage (watts) Av. Operating Cost
C7 500 3500 134
C7 LED 500 116 4
Mini Incandescent 500 900 35
LED Mini 500 67 3

• typical amount of lighting used on the exterior
  and interior for one holiday season.
• Assuming 240 hours of use (6 hours of use for
  40 days) at an electric rate of 0.16.kWh)

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Refrigerator / Freezer

• Remove frost from freezer
• Replace worn gaskets
• Keep freezers full
• Clean the coils
• Consider replacing appliances that are over 20
  years old and/or in need of major repairs with
  ENERGY STAR models

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Energy Costs of Various Methods of Cooking
APPLIANCE TEMP. TIME ENERGY COST
Electric Oven 350o 1 hr. 2.0 kwh 19
Convection Oven (Elec.) 325o 45 min. 1.4 kwh 13
Gas Oven 350o 1 hr. 0.11 therm 13
Frying Pan 420o 1 hr. 0.9 kwh 9
Toaster Oven 425o 50 min. 0.95 kwh 9
Crockpot 200o 7 hr. 0.7 kwh 7
Microwave Oven High 15 min. 0.36 kwh 3
Amann, J. T, A. Wilson, K. Ackerly, Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, 9th edition, 2007. Amann, J. T, A. Wilson, K. Ackerly, Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, 9th edition, 2007. Amann, J. T, A. Wilson, K. Ackerly, Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, 9th edition, 2007. Amann, J. T, A. Wilson, K. Ackerly, Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, 9th edition, 2007. Amann, J. T, A. Wilson, K. Ackerly, Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, 9th edition, 2007.
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Save Energy in the Kitchen

• Match pan size to burner size
• When cooking small meal, use microwave, crock pot
  or toaster oven
• Use the smallest pan necessary for the job
• Keep the lid on to hold in heat
• Reduce cooking time by defrosting food in
  refrigerator first
• Avoid looking in the oven as you cook!
• SourceYou Can Do It! Low Cost No Cost Saving
  Tips, Slide Notes, North Carolina Cooperative
  Extension

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Save energy while doing dishes

• Use energy saving cycles
• Use no-heat dry cycle
• Dont pre-rinse
• Wash full loads
• Load dishes according to manufacturers
  instructions
• If washing dishes by hand, turn water on only to
  rinse

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Save energy in the laundry room

• Use lower temperature settings
• Wash in cold water whenever possible
• Load the washer to capacity
• Dont over dry clothes
• Dry two or more loads in a row
• Clean dryer filter after each use
• Dry full loads
• Clean exhaust vents
• Hang clothes outside!
• Source You Can Do It! Low Cost No Cost Saving
  Tips, Slide Notes, North Carolina Cooperative
  Extension

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Fireplaces

• Put tight-fitting doors on open fireplaces
• Insert inflatable pillows into fireplace to
  block off chimney but use caution
• Use caution when planning to use the fireplace
  since wildlife may have plugged the chimney

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Programmable Thermostats More convenient and
accurate than manual thermostats and

• Improve comfort
• Contain no mercury
• Save energy and money on utility bills

Save 1 annually for each degree setback for 8
hours per day
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Repair Ductwork Ducts might need repair and
sealing when

• Rooms are too warm or too cold
• High summer and winter utility bills
• Little or no air flow from registers in some
  rooms
• Air filters gets dirty quickly

• Streaks of dust at registers or duct connections
• No insulation on visible ducts (attic or crawl
  space)
• Flexible ducts are tangled or kinked

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Cost / Benefit of Attic Insulation
Cost R-27 Cost R-47
Fuel Costs (15 estimate savings) 2,408 2,268
Insulation (40 packs of loose fill cellulose _at_ 8.88) 355
Savings estimate 140 per year
Time to pay back insulation costs 2.5 years
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Importance of Insulation Video If it doesnt
play please go to http//extension.umaine.edu/ene
rgy/videos/index.htm
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Insulation with ventilationto reduce ice dams

• Ventilation Requirements- Roof
• 1 square foot of ventilation opening per each 150
  square foot of roof area
• ½ at eave ½ at roof edge or higher area of roof
  is ideal

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Rating Systems

• Doors and Windows
• National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC)
  Labeling
• Furnace or boiler
• Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE)
• Water Heater
• EER is a measurement of the efficiency of the
  water heater based on 64 gallons of hot water per
  day

• Air Conditioner
• Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER)
• Appliances
• Energy Star

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Dollar Savings per 100 of Annual Fuel Cost
AFUE of new System AFUE of new System AFUE of new System AFUE of new System AFUE of new System
80 85 90 95
50 38 41 44 47
55 31 35 39 42
60 25 29 33 37
65 19 24 28 32
70 13 18 22 26
75 6 12 17 21
80 6 11 16
85 6 11
Amann, J. T, A. Wilson, K. Ackerly, Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, 9th edition, 2007. Amann, J. T, A. Wilson, K. Ackerly, Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, 9th edition, 2007. Amann, J. T, A. Wilson, K. Ackerly, Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, 9th edition, 2007. Amann, J. T, A. Wilson, K. Ackerly, Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, 9th edition, 2007. Amann, J. T, A. Wilson, K. Ackerly, Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, 9th edition, 2007.
AFUE of Existing System
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Return on Investment (ROI)
Old System (65 eff.) New System (90 eff.)
Current Annual Fuel Costs 3,800
Cost of installing a new system 5,000
Annual Savings per 100 fuel costs 28 38 1,064
ROI Annual Savings/Cost of New System 1,064/5,000 0.21 or 21 ROI Payback period is 5 years. ROI Annual Savings/Cost of New System 1,064/5,000 0.21 or 21 ROI Payback period is 5 years. ROI Annual Savings/Cost of New System 1,064/5,000 0.21 or 21 ROI Payback period is 5 years.
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Financial Incentives

• Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credit
• Improve efficiencies and/or replacements
  including stoves that use biomass.
• Amount of credit is 30 of cost for all
  technologies placed in service in 2009 and 2010
  combined up to 1,500
• www.irs.gov

• Home Energy Loan Program (HELP)
• Low income home owners
• Improve efficiencies /or replacements
• 3.95 loan up to 30,000
• www.mainehousing.org
• For all energy incentives
• www.dsireusa.org

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Energy Resources

• University of Maine Cooperative Extension Energy
  Information
• http//extension.umaine.edu/energy
• Efficiency Maine
• http//www.efficiencymaine.com/
• U. S. Department of Energy
• http//www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/

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Acknowledgement

• Developed by University of Maine Cooperative
  Extension Associate Extension Professors Donna
  Coffin and Kathy Hopkins
• Reviewed by Joy Adamson and Richard Bacon,
  Efficiency Maine Program Managers, Maine Public
  Utilities Commission