Energy Saving Devices

Posts Tagged ‘energy savers’

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

Older space conditioning systems (more than 10 years old) are often unreliable and much less efficient than a modern system. When it’s time for a new replacement, choosing one of the correct size (heating and/or cooling output) is critical to getting the best efficiency, comfort, and lowest maintenance and operating costs over the life of the new system. Some national surveys have determined that well over half of all HVAC contractors do not size heating and cooling systems correctly.

The most common sizing mistake is in oversizing. This not only makes the new system more expensive to install, but also forces it to operate inefficiently, break down more often, and cost more to operate. Oversized heating equipment also often creates uncomfortable and large temperature swings in the house. Oversized air conditioners (and heat pumps) do not run long enough to dehumidify the air, which results in the “clammy” feeling and unhealthy mold growth in many air-conditioned houses.

Source: EERE, Department of Energy

When replacing an existing heating and cooling system, it’s important to first consider the limitations imposed by your current system. Of course, it is possible to install virtually any heating and cooling system in any house, but the cost and aesthetic impacts may be unacceptable for you. When selecting a heating and cooling system for a new house, your options are generally much wider, although your builder or developer may place limitations on your choices.

For both new and existing homes, it’s important to first maximize the energy efficiency of your home. This is the most cost-effective means of keeping your home comfortable, no matter what climate you live in. After doing so, be sure to do what you can to make use of passive solar heating in your home and consider whether ventilation can keep your house cool on warm days, or if you really need artificial cooling. Only after exploring these topics should you decide on the type of system you want and work with a contractor to figure out the optimum size for it.

Source: EERE, U.S. Department of Energy

Saving energy is great for the environment and using energy responsibly is a way to save the earth. Here are a few tips for saving energy. Choose windows that have double glazing and coatings to reduce heat from getting trapped in the house. This will decrease the need to blast the Air conditioner. Always buy appliances that have the energy star label on them. Seal any air leaks and check insulation around the house. Plant trees and shrubs to shade the outside A/C’s. Air dry dishes instead of using the dishwasher’s drying cycle. Clean lint filters in the dryer after each use, this improves the air circulation. Dry clothes on a clothes line or a drying rack. Use laptop computers instead of desktop computers, because desktop computer use more energy than laptops. If you need anew A/C get an energy efficient model with an energy star label on it. Always check for the energy saver way of doing things.

Saving energy is something we all need to think about. Not only is it good for the pocketbook (which is important in the tough economic times) but it also helps the environment by reducing the need to produce greater amounts of electricity and fossil fuels.

Start with reducing the amount you drive. Fuel costs are expensive, both for the consumer and the earth. Plan your errands and activities so that you can reduce the number of trips you make in your car. If you are picking up a child from dance class, stop on the way for grocery items for dinner, rather than making two separate trips.

Don’t move your car to do separate errands that are within a block or two of each other. Walk from one to the next, and consider this part of your exercise plan … two birds with one stone. Make these few simple changes and you will immediately notice a reduction in your fuels costs.

Before deciding on how to air seal your house, you need to understand how the air escapes. Air comes into and out of your home through every possible holes and cracks. You can find out your home’s air tightness by letting in smoke from a smoke pen placed outside of your windows and doors on a windy day.

Once you see where the air is coming and going, then you can decide a plan to caulk and seal the cracks and holes.

Make sure to caulk all the tiny cracks around plumbing, ducting, and wires.

If you only have single-pane windows, consider investing in double-pane ones.

In most cases, a basement with insulation installed in the exterior basement walls should be considered a conditioned space. Even in a house with an unconditioned basement, the basement is more connected to other living spaces than to the outside. This connection makes basement wall insulation preferable to insulating the basement ceiling.

Compared to insulating the basement ceiling, insulating basement walls has the following advantages:

• Requires less insulation (1,350 square feet of wall insulation for a 36 x 48-foot basement with 8-foot walls, compared with 1,725 ceiling)
• More easily achieves continuous thermal and air leakage boundaries because basement ceilings typically include electrical wiring, plumbing, and ductwork.
• Requires little, if any, increase in the size of the heating and cooling equipment. The heat loss and air leakage through the basement ceiling is similar to that through the exterior walls of the basement.

These are some other advantages of insulation on exterior basement walls:

• Minimizes thermal bridging and reducing heat loss through the foundation
• Protects the damp-proof coating from damage during backfilling
• Serves as a capillary break to moisture intrusion
• Protects the foundation from the effects of the freeze-thaw cycle in extreme climates
• Reduces the potential for condensation on surfaces in the basement
• Conserves room area, relative to installing insulation on the interior.

The disadvantages of basement wall insulation include the following:

• Costs may exceed those for insulating the basement ceiling, depending on materials and approach selected
• Installation is expensive for an existing building unless a perimeter drainage system is also being installed
• Many exterior insulation materials are susceptible to insect infestation
• Some contractors are unfamiliar with proper detailing procedures that are critical to performance
• If surrounding soil contains radon gas, the house will require a mitigation system underneath the basement floor.

Adding insulation to the interior of the foundation is often more cost effective for an existing building. Interior insulation has the following advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages:

• Interior insulation is much less expensive to install than exterior insulation for existing buildings
• Almost any insulation type can be used, giving a wider selection of materials
• The threat of insect infestation is eliminated
• The space is isolated from the colder earth more effectively than when using exterior methods

Disadvantages:

• Many insulation types require a fire-rated covering since they release toxic gases when ignited
• Interior insulation reduces usable interior space by a few inches
• It doesn’t protect the damp-proof coating like the exterior insulation
• If the perimeter drainage is poor, the insulation may become saturated by moisture weeping through the foundation walls
• Superior air-sealing details and vapor diffusion retarders are important for adequate performance

Source: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy

A properly insulated basement can help reduce your energy costs. However, basement walls are one of the most controversial areas of a house to insulate and seal. You need to carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages, not to mention moisture control.

Annual Energy Savings

The energy cost savings of basement wall insulation vary depending on the local climate, type of heating system, fuel cost, and occupant lifestyle. Typical annual cost savings by R-value in a few U.S. cities are provided in the table to the right for a 1,500 square-foot home with a conditioned basement heated by natural gas ($0.72/therm).

An attic hatch or scuttle hole is simply a removable portion of the ceiling that allows entry to the attic. A scuttle hole is often located in a closet or main hallway.

For air sealing, weatherstripping can be installed either on the hatch itself or on the inside of the trim or base where the hatch rests. Adding a latch bolt will help ensure a tighter seal.

After the trim or base is aligned to seal properly, insulation should be added to the attic side of the hatch. Rigid insulated sheathing is recommended. Cut the insulated sheathing 1/4 inch smaller than the hatch size to allow for clearance when moving the access panel. Apply 3 or 4 inches of insulation to the hatch with construction adhesive and screws.

As an added measure, glue the kraft-paper side of batt insulation to the top of the last layer of rigid insulation. Try to achieve the recommended R-value.

Adequately insulating and air sealing the access to an attic— especially to unconditioned attics—will help lower your heating and cooling bills.

A home’s attic access, which could be an attic hatch, pull-down stairs, or a knee-wall door, often goes uninsulated. This gap in the attic insulation increases heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer.

These accesses also often aren’t sealed properly. A 1/4-inch gap around the perimeter of an attic access can potentially leak the same amount of air supplied by a typical bedroom heating duct.

Before insulating your attic access, you should first determine the recommended insulation R-value for your area and climate.
Attic Access Location

If you are constructing a new home or remodeling an existing home, carefully consider the location of an attic access. The location will affect how or whether the attic access should be insulated. If possible, locate the access in an unconditioned part of the house, such as a garage, covered patio, or porch. A garage location, where the vented attic is uninsulated, can eliminate the need for air sealing and insulation.