Energy Saving Devices

Archive for the ‘insulation’ Category

There are 5 simple ways to lower your water heating bills, try one or more of these energy-saving strategies:

1. Reduce your hot water use

Wash most your clothes in cold water;
install low-flow fixture;
purchase energy efficient washer and dish washer;
fix any faucet leaks.

2. Lower your water heating temperature

You don’t need any temperature higher than 120ºF.

3. Insulate your water heater tank

Use pre-cut blankets to insulating your storage water heater tank. The cost is less than $25.

4. Insulate hot water pipes

Use quality pipe insulation wrap, or neatly tape strips of fiberglass insulation around the pipes, especially within 3 feet of the water heater.

5. Install heat traps on a water heater tank
Heat traps allow water to flow into the water heater tank but prevent unwanted hot-water flow out of the tank. The cost is about $30-40.

Source: EERE

Ventilation is the least expensive and most energy-efficient way to cool buildings. Ventilation works best when combined with methods to avoid heat buildup in your home. In some cases, natural ventilation will suffice for cooling, although it usually needs to be supplemented with spot ventilation, ceiling fans and window fans. For large homes, homeowners might want to investigate whole house fans.

Ventilation is ineffective in hot, humid climates where temperature swings between day and night are small. In these climates, attic ventilation can help to reduce your use of air conditioning. Ventilating your attic greatly reduces the amount of accumulated heat, which eventually works its way into the main part of your house. Ventilated attics are about 30°F (16°C) cooler than unventilated attics. Properly sized and placed louvers and roof vents help prevent moisture buildup and overheating in your attic.

Source: EERE

Insulate your home when:

• You have an older home and haven’t added insulation. Only 20% of homes built before 1980 are well insulated.
• You are uncomfortably cold in the winter or hot in the summer—adding insulation creates a more uniform temperature and increases comfort.
• You build a new home, addition, or install new siding or roofing.
• You pay high energy bills.
• You are bothered by noise from outside—insulation muffles sound.

Source: EERE, U.S. Department of Energy

Properly insulating your slab-on-grade floors not only will help you save on energy bills, but also will improve your home’s comfort. Cold concrete slabs can be a source of discomfort in a home. An insulated slab reduces heat loss, making it easier to heat. This reduction in heat loss helps moderate indoor temperatures.

Annual Energy Savings and Payback

Slabs lose energy primarily as a result of heat conducted outward and through the perimeter of the slab. Therefore, in most parts of the United States, insulating the exterior edge of the slab can reduce heating bills by 10%–20%. In climates with mild winters, slab insulation in a typical 1,800 square-foot home would save $50–$60 annually. Slab insulation with an R-value of R-10 for an 1,800 square-foot home typically could cost $300–$600 to install. Thus, the insulation would pay for itself in 5 to 10 years.

The investment in slab insulation is also economical as part of a mortgage. An insulation cost of $450 would add about $38 to the annual mortgage. However, the insulation would save over $50 annually in energy bills. Therefore, the savings exceed the additional mortgage cost from the beginning, resulting in an immediate payback.

Source: EERE, U.S. Department of Energy

1. During the early phases of construction, the builder should inform all subcontractors (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc.) that they need to keep the space between the floor joists as clear as possible. Run drain lines, electrical wiring, and ductwork below the bottom of the insulation so that a continuous layer of insulation can be installed. For freeze protection, supply plumbing may be located within the insulation. The best approach is to run supply plumbing together in a few joist spaces. The insulation can be split and run around the plumbing.
2. Seal all air leaks between the conditioned area of the home and the crawl space. High-priority leaks include holes around bathtub drains and other drain lines, plenums for ductwork, and penetrations for electrical wiring, plumbing, and ductwork (including duct boot connections at the floor).
3. Insulation batts with an attached vapor barrier are typically used to insulate framed floors. Obtain insulation with the proper width for the joist spacing of the floor being insulated. Complete coverage is essential. Leave no insulation voids. The batts should be installed flush against the subfloor to eliminate any gaps, which may serve as passageways for cold airflow between the insulation and subfloor. The batts also should be cut to the full length of the joist being insulated and slit to fit around wiring and plumbing.
4. Insulate the band joist area between the air ducts and the floor as space permits. Use insulation hangers (wire staves) spaced every 12-18 inches to hold the floor insulation in place without compressing the insulation more than 1 inch.
5. The orientation of the vapor barrier depends on the home’s location or climate. In most of the country, the vapor barrier should face upward. However, in certain regions of the Gulf states and other areas with mild winters and hot summers, it should face downward.
6. Insulate all ductwork in the crawl space.
7. Insulate all hot and cold water lines in the crawl space unless they are located within the insulation.
8. Close crawl space vents after ensuring that the crawl space and all the construction materials are dry.

For insulating truss floor systems, it’s better to install netting or foam board insulation to the underside of the floor trusses. Then, fill the space created between the netting or insulation and subfloor with loose-fill insulation.

Source: EERE, U.S. Department of Energy

If you have or will have an unventilated crawl space, then your best approach is to seal and insulate the foundation walls rather than the subfloor. The advantages of insulating the crawl space are as follows:

* You can avoid the problems associated with ventilating a crawl space.
* Less insulation is required (around 400 square feet for a 1,000-square-foot crawl space with 3-foot walls.)
* Piping and ductwork are within the conditioned volume of the house so they don’t require insulation for energy efficiency or protection against freezing.
* Air sealing between the house and the crawl space is less critical.

The disadvantages of insulating a crawl space include the following:

* The insulation may be damaged by rodents, pests, or water.
* A radon mitigation system will require ventilation of the crawl space to the exterior. Not planning for radon-resistant construction may necessitate air sealing the floor to mitigate the radon through ventilation.
* The crawl space must be built airtight, and the air barrier must be maintained.
* The access door to the crawl space must be located inside the home through the subfloor unless an airtight, insulated access door in the perimeter wall is built and maintained.

Source: EERE, U.S. Department of Energy