Conclusion

Compare and contrast, do analysis on the costs of heating/cooling using oil, natural gas, or electricity.

To keep you thinking along these tracks, consider a recent illustration in the New York Times, provided by BASF to illustrate how energy-efficiency can be brought ‘HOME’.



This is but one example of some of the things to consider, that you might not even have contemplated or considered. As you continue on your own personal journey, to evaluate, upgrade, improve and optimize your home, from an energy perspective and savings some hard-earned cash, putting it back in your pocket, lowering your utility bills, heating and cooling costs, we wish you luck and may different paths of success all help us to get the results we want!

In closing, here are some MORE simple actions you can take to reduce energy costs, improve comfort, and reduce air pollution in your home:


- Control indoor air pressure to help prevent a variety of comfort, safety and health problems.
- Eliminate the need for air leakage through your home's building envelope by using mechanical ventilation to supply as much fresh filtered air as you want.
- Insulate the walls and attic as much, or more than, recommended for your local climate.
- Seal air leaks in the building's envelope to block entry of microbes, allergens, toxins, irritants, insects, and cold drafts.
- These actions will make your home a safer shelter if an accident, or a terrorist, releases chemical, biological or radiological substances upwind of your home.
- Use a powered exhaust system on any device that burns fuel indoors.

For more information on zero-energy, energy independence, solar and geo-thermal options:

ORNLBuildings Technology Center
www.ornl.gov/btc

Building America
www.buildingamerica.gov


Appliances Energy Star
(888) 782-7937
www.energystar.gov


Windows Andersen Windows
(888) 888-7020
www.andersenwindows.com


Cool Roof ATAS International
(800) 468-1441
www.atas.com/dutchseam


Heating and Cooling Lennox Heat Pump HPX19
(800) 953-6669
www.lennox.com

American Geothermal (800) 776-8039
www.amgeo.com

Solar Electric System BP Solar
(866) 277-6527
www.bpsolar.com

Sharp multi-crystalline silicon modules
(800) 237-4277
www.solar.sharpusa.com

Xantrex/Trace Sun Tie inverter
(800) 670-0707
www.xantrex.com

Big Frog Mountain (equipment installers)
(877) 232-1580
www.bigfrogmountain.com


Walls and SIPs Insulspan
(517) 486-4844
www.insulspan.com

FischerSIPS (800) 792-7477
www.fischersips.com

Winter Panel
(802) 254-3435
www.winterpanel.com

Dow Styrofoam T-Mass System
(800) 232-2436
www.t-mass.com

DuPont Tyvek Envelope Weatherization
(800) 448-9835
www.tyvek.com

Water Heating
ECR International WatterSaver
(800) 228-9364
www.ecrinternational.com/
prod_wattersaver.asp

If you are in the market for a new home or just moving into an older one, renovating or inspecting your conventional home, regardless of design or age, check for energy efficiencies like:

- Check for and ensure sealed ductwork
- Condition of the roof
- Effective insulation
- Ensure that exterior and interior of the house are without gaps or cracks, holes and crevices
- High-efficiency heating and cooling equipment
- High-performance windows (such as low-E (low emissive) windows)
- Tight construction and outer shell, firm robust, strong and durable structure

As a proud home-owner, do everything in your power to optimize what the market has to offer you, that can assist you in these processes and undertakings to save money and energy, make your home more efficient.

Empower, enable and educate yourself regarding, understanding issues related to energy-efficient housing, issues, concerns, actions, products and pre-cautions to take that will help lower costs, cut utility bills, consumption and waste.
Take your time to explore energy-efficient housing in all its intricacies and complexities and see how you can find practical solutions to some of the challenges and realities, opportunities, obstacles, promise and potential YOUR OWN home and family has to offer, on both smaller and larger scales.

For a home to be deemed ENERGY EFFICIENT use criteria like construction, heating and cooling with reduced energy optimized in mind, for both conventional and traditional, older homes, and newer building wonders and architecturally sound, even zero-energy homes.

You can benefit and take advantages on numerous fronts by making some of these changes, considering some of these options, finding solutions that work for you, your home and your budget. Benefits like cost, comfort, ecology, fuel conservation, and climatic conditions, contribution to the environment and future generations all figure into these decisions (consciously or sub-consciously!)

Sources of energy and fuels and their potential usefulness, applications and contributions to your overall goal of lowering cost, being more energy efficient homes, consider natural gas, propane, gas, electricity, hot water, fossil fuels, wood and coal, even alternative fuel sources like hydroelectric power, solar power, geothermal energy.

Find some great ways to address the biggest guzzler of energy – heating and cooling of your home and running appliances:

Homes can be heated conventionally using:

- Natural gas
- Electricity
- Wood

OR unconventional heat sources using:

- Solar
- Ground heat
- Ground water
- Wind generation
- Straw
- Heat pumps

** Note: economic and environmental costs have to be considered in these cases

Here are some more checklist items for you to use and consider as you ‘evaluate’ or inspect your home for energy efficiencies:

- Window shutters
- Use of sunrooms or skylights
- Type of glass used in windows and patio doors
- Thermostat control
- Style of furnace and fireplaces
- Storm windows
- Site orientation and landscaping, land and structure
- Shape of the home (square, L shape, T shape)
- Porches
- Number of levels in the house (main, top, basement)
- Location of largest windows
- Insulation (quality and amount)
- Frequently used rooms grouped together in the same part of the house
- Exposure or orientation of the house on the lot for wind control and exposure to sunlight
- Entry ways with storm doors
- Color of the roof and size of the roof
- Closets on the coldest side of the house
- Ceiling height
- Amount of roof overhang to west and south.
- Air lock

Always ask yourself how each factor that you consider can and will affect the EE (energy efficiency) of YOUR HOME.

You could also consider retrofitting your home for energy efficiency. Consider as priorities potentially:

- Weather stripping
- Ventilation
- Vapor barrier
- The use of plastic, styro-foam, and tinfoil on windows
- Storm doors
- Programmable thermostats
- Low E windows
- Insulation
- Heat exchanger
- Energy-efficient appliances
- Caulking

Unplugged

You don’t need to buy new appliances to make a difference. Look around your home. Do you need all those appliances and electrical devices? Do they always need to be plugged in? Once you unplug various items, you may notice how little you actually use them.
Many electrical devices consumepower even when switched off, sometimes as much power as when turned on! A large number of electrical products - from air conditioners to VCRs — can’t be completely switched off without unplugging the device. These products draw power 24 hours a day, often without our knowledge. Plug these devices into power-bars, and turn them off when not in use. You can stop the electrical leak!

Washers and Dryers

Energy Star designated washers are a wise investmentfor several reasons: They clean clothes using 50 per cent less energy than standard machines; Full-sized Energy Star washers use 72-100 liters of water per load, while their standard counterparts use 160 liters; and Energy Star washers extract more water from clothes during spin cycles, reducing drying time and saving energy and wear-and-tear on your clothes.

Front-loading tumble washers, use an average 104 liters of water per load, while top-loaders use 160 liters. Front-loading machines also use a third less water, a third less heat energy and a third less detergent!
· Clothes washers are more efficient when operated with full loads.
· Wash clothes in cold water – yes, they will still get clean!
· Use environmentally safe detergents and whiteners that are kind to aquatic life and your clothes.

Clothes dryers don’t have Energy Guide labels on them because the energy efficiency of different models are essentially the same. But not all clothes dryers are created equally. Learn more about dryers.
Look for clothes dryers with moisture sensors that automatically stop drying when they sensea load is dry enough.

More efficient appliance tips:
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_index
http://www.greenhome.com/learn/energy/Guide.shtml

To view the top-rated appliances for 2002-2003 visit: http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/mostenef.htm



For energy-smart tips on home lighting, visit:
http://homeenergy.org/hewebsite/consumerinfo/lighting/
http://homeenergy.org/archive/hem.dis.anl.gov/eehem/94/941116.html

Dishwashers

· Energy Star approved dishwashers use 25 per cent less energy than other new models! Here are some other energy-saving tips:
· Always run your dishwasher with a full load. Most of the energy used by a dishwasher is spent heating water, and since you can’t decrease the amount of water used per cycle, filling your machine is more effective than running half-loads.
· Use the air-dry option instead of the heat-dry, rinse-hold and pre-rinse features. If your dishwasher doesn’t have this option, prop the door open after the final rinsecycle to dry your dishes.

Refrigerators

Refrigerators use the most energy of any home appliance Here are some tips for efficient refrigerator use:

· Place refrigerators out of direct sunlight and away from the stove and other heat-producing appliances.
· Decide what features you really need and use. Through-the-door features like cold water or automatic ice dispensers can increase electricity usage by as much as 20 per cent compared to similar models without these extras.
· Buy an Energy Star approved refrigerator. A 2002 Energy Star refrigerator uses less than half the electricity of a standard 10-year-old model!
· If you buy a new refrigerator, unplug your old one. There is no energy efficiency in continuing to use your energy guzzler.
· Find cold storage spaces tostore fresh foods safely without using any electricity.

Here are some more trends and ways you can take advantage of some of the building and technology advances out there to deal with energy demands of liv

- Homes that
incorporate the best energy-efficient strategies and renewable-energy systems
- Homes that generate what they consume
- Homes getting way less electricity only when they need it from resources other than the solar panels *cloudy days/nighttime
- Home designs geared and customized to regional climates.
- Electricity produced by rooftop solar panels
- Currently more than one third of all our energy use is actually for heating/cooling our homes and for running appliances and electric devices
- Energy independence does not have to be expensive and for a select few – it is increasingly becoming within easy reach of every household budget
- Many states offer incentives for green building and renewable energy.
- Solar home developments are presently not limited to the East and West coast states anymore (where electricity use, demand and need is typically higher/highest!). They are also popping up in Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Texas
- There is a steady decline in the once costly price-tag for energy-efficiency and solar technology.
- Sensors that monitor electricity consumption, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and hot-water usage
- Data-collection for electricity flow from appliances such as refrigerators, air handler units, water heaters, compressors and inverters.
- Airtight envelopes
- Energy Star appliances
- Compact fluorescent light bulbs
- HVAC distribution systems
- Low-emissive windows
- Passive-solar principles
- 70 percent of windows on the south-facing side of a house
- Extended overhangs above the south-facing windows to block light (hot summer)
- Structural insulated panels
- Pre-cast concrete walls to keep houses cool in the summer months and warmer in the winter months
- Superior insulation value and are tightly joined, to form an airtight building envelope (for maximum energy efficiency). The houses all have a relatively simple ventilation system that maintains indoor air-quality to the high standards recently mandated by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. These ventilation systems filter outside air into the houses throughout the day and condition
it in response to interior carbon dioxide, humidity and temperature measurements.

- Innovative roofing technology and heat reflection
- Measures to bring more natural light into your home
- Geothermal heating and cooling
- Market-ready solar home kit
- Best-tested features and appliances
- Whole home packages and upgrades
- Airtight construction, panelization
- Mechanical ventilation
- Dehumidification
- Utility meters, smart meters and monitoring equipment
- Energy-intensive chores in off-peak hours or optimal, cheapest time-periods
- Mindful of energy efficiency
- Prudent practice in everyday habits, changes necessary to see results and success in savings and energy consumption lowered
- CHANGE YOUR OWN CONSUMER AND FAMILY BEHAVIOR when it comes to electricity, energy use, consumption and waste

Our electrical appliances aren’t just connected to a socket on the wall - they're also connected to the natural world.

By choosing energy-efficient homes and appliances, we can help conserve nature and reduce our energy bills.

Dr. David Suzuki, Environmentalist


Knowledge is POWER! (Again pardon the pun!), most of our electricity is still coming from sources that are costly to operate and to the environment we live and thrive in.


- Burning fossil fuels
- Hydro-electric dams
- Nuclear power plants
- Air pollution
- Global warming
- Waste

These are added costs that we, our kids and future generations are having and will be coping with in years to come. Is it not time for us to rather do something more positive in how we spend our money, make our decisions about energy efficiencies?


We can all do our part, every day in our routines and homes to advocate, practice, promote and ensure energy-efficient cost-effective homes and habits. This is a role and calling for every homeowner.


Here are some more very PRACTICAL suggestions from online sources on what to do with regards to small changes in and around your home, to improve energy efficiency and capitalize on lowerutility bills and other cost savings: