Ways to Save on Home Energy Bills Part 2

Last week we covered harnessing the sun’s power to lower energy bills. Considering the recent performance (or lack thereof) of the stock market, it looks like we could all use a few additional tips on lowering bills. In this blog, we focus on keeping the warm air in and Old Man Winter out.

Pink and Fuzzy

That cotton candy-looking material spread around your attic is not there to make the space look like the Carnival grounds. It’s insulation, of course, providing a continuous thermal barrier minimizing heat flow through the walls, ceiling, and floor. But do you have enough? Measure the depth of existing insulation using a ruler. If there is less than R-22 (7 inches of fiber glass or rock wool or 6 inches of cellulose), you could probably benefit by adding more. Most homes should have between R-22 and R-49 insulation in the attic. (R-Value is a measure of insulation’s ability to resist heat traveling through it. The higher the R-Value the better the thermal performance of the insulation.)
Insulating ceilings, walls, attics, floors, crawl spaces and basements to recommended standards could reduce heating and cooling costs by 5 to 25 percent.

If your attic has ample insulation and your home still feels drafty and cold in the winter or too warm in the summer, chances are you need to add insulation to the exterior walls. Wall insulation usually requires a contractor, but it may be worth the cost.

Blowing Hot Air

Fireplace inserts are recommended for fireplaces that are regularly used as they dramatically improve efficiency by blowing heat from the fire into the room and limiting the amount of heat and conditioned air lost up the chimney. An insert is a wood stove designed to fit into a conventional open fireplace. Like wood stoves, new inserts must be EPA certified, making them clean burning and highly efficient.

Inserts are made from plate steel or cast iron and most have glass doors so you can see the flames. These appliances fit into the opening of the fireplace, with some models protruding onto the hearth.

A good quality fireplace insert usually costs between $1,200 and $2,200. This price may be higher if you need to purchase extra accessories such as a blower, brass or gold door, and extra trimmings. Installation runs from $400 for a direct connection to as high as $2,000 plus for a complete relining.
Inserts are used with the doors closed, so if you’re a “let’s roast marshmallows over an open fire” type, this product may not be for you.

Energy Is the Star

If you’re looking for new heating equipment or household products, consider ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR rating. They meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and US Department of Energy.

Old furnaces cost more to operate per year than new ENERGY STAR qualified models that are 15 percent more efficient than standard models.
An ENERGY STAR qualified geothermal heat pump is 30 percent more efficient than comparable new equipment and can save you as much as $200 annually. A qualified electric heat pump is 20 percent more efficient and can save you about $130 annually.
A qualified boiler uses features like electric ignition and new combustion technologies that extract more heat from the same amount of fuel, and are 10 percent more efficient than a new, standard model. Go to energystar.gov for more information about the benefits of ENERGY STAR.

What a Pane

Install high-efficiency windows, which are 40 percent more efficient than standard windows. Consider replacing single-pane windows with double-pane windows that are gas-filled with high performance glass.

This blog was put together with expert knowledge from: Carolyn Okay, Tash Properties/Vintage Home Restoration (914) 630-4081; cbokay@verizon.net <http://cbokay@verizon.net/> . Also a real estate agent for Sotheby’s International Realty in Larchmont (914) 833-5952.

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Oct 2, 2008 06:36 pm

Posted by Anonymous

How To Reduce Your Energy Bills / Energy Conservation Begins at Home

Imagine leaving a window open all winter long -- the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan or AC Return, a fireplace or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day.

These often overlooked sources of heat loss and air leakage can cause heat to pour out and the cold outside air to rush in -- costing you higher heating bills.

Air leaks are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home. Air leaks occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. Most homeowners are well aware of the benefits caulk and weatherstripping provide to minimize heat loss and cold drafts.

But what can you do about the four largest “holes” in your home -- the folding attic stair, the whole house fan or AC return, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques that can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes.

Attic Stairs

When attic stairs are installed, a large hole (approximately 10 square feet) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed, leaving only a thin, unsealed, sheet of plywood.

Your attic space is ventilated directly to the outdoors. In the winter, the attic space can be very cold, and in the summer it can be very hot. And what is separating your conditioned house from your unconditioned attic? That thin sheet of plywood.

Often a gap can be observed around the perimeter of the door. Try this yourself: at night, turn on the attic light and shut the attic stairway door -- do you see any light coming through? These are gaps add up to a large opening where your heated/cooled air leaks out 24 hours a day. This is like leaving a window open all year round.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add an attic stair cover. An attic stair cover provides an air seal, reducing the air leaks. Add the desired amount of insulation over the cover to restore the insulation removed from the ceiling.

Whole House Fans and AC Returns

Much like attic stairs above, when whole house fans are installed, a large hole (up to 16 square feet or larger) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed, leaving only leaky ceiling shutter between the house and the outdoors.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a whole house fan cover. Installed from the attic side, the whole house fan cover is invisible. Cover the fan to reduce heating and air-conditioning loss, remove it when use of the fan is desired.

If attic access is inconvenient, or for AC returns, a ceiling shutter cover is another option for reducing heat loss through the ceiling shutter and AC return. Made from R-8, textured, thin, white flexible insulation, and installed from the house side over the ceiling shutter with Velcro, a whole house fan shutter cover is easily installed and removed.

Fireplaces

Sixty-five percent, or approximately 100 million homes, in North America are constructed with wood or gas burning fireplaces. Unfortunately there are negative side effects that the fireplace brings to a home especially during the winter home-heating season. Fireplaces are energy losers.

Researchers have studied this to determine the amount of heat loss through a fireplace, and the results are amazing. One research study showed that an open damper on an unused fireplace in a well-insulated house can raise overall heating-energy consumption by 30 percent.

A recent study showed that for many consumers, their heating bills may be more than $500 higher per winter due to the air leakage and wasted energy caused by fireplaces.

Why does a home with a fireplace have higher heating bills? Hot air rises. Your heated air leaks out any exit it can find, and when warm heated air is drawn out of your home, cold outside air is drawn in to make up for it. The fireplace is like a giant straw sucking the heated air from your house.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a fireplace draftstopper. Available from Battic Door, a company known for their energy conservation products, a fireplace draftstopper is an inflatable pillow that seals the damper, eliminating any air leaks. The pillow is removed whenever the fireplace is used, then reinserted after.

Clothes Dryer Exhaust Ducts

In many homes, the room with the clothes dryer is the coldest room in the house. Your clothes dryer is connected to an exhaust duct that is open to the outdoors. In the winter, cold air leaks in through the duct, through your dryer and into your house.

Dryer vents use a sheet-metal flapper to try to reduce this air leakage. This is very primitive technology that does not provide a positive seal to stop the air leakage. Compounding the problem is that over time, lint clogs the flapper valve causing it to stay open.

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a dryer vent seal. This will reduce unwanted air infiltration, and keep out pests, bees and rodents as well. The vent will remain closed unless the dryer is in use. When the dryer is in use, a floating shuttle rises to allow warm air, lint and moisture to escape.

If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan, an AC return, a fireplace, and/or a clothes dryer, you can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes.

Mark D. Tyrol is a Professional Engineer specializing in cause and origin of construction defects. He developed several residential energy conservation products including an attic stair cover, an attic access door, and is the U.S. distributor of the fireplace draftstopper. To learn more visit www.batticdoor.com

Oct 3, 2008 09:25 am

Posted by spottieottiedopealicious

^^^

wow!

longest comment ever

Oct 3, 2008 11:57 am

Posted by Chappaquanian

That was a GREAT comment, regardless of how long it is! I learned as much from that comment as I did from the article, and will definitely be making some changes in my house before the winter sets in. Thank you, "Anonymous"!