Without Sacrifice

10 Ways To Cool A House

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 21:45:00 -0600

Sleeping on the front porch after a hot summer day was a straight out necessity. The upstairs of the 1940’s farm house had turned into a sauna and sleeping in the upstairs bedrooms was not possible. Even after the sun went down, the upstairs seemed to get hotter. Let's look at some ways to cool a house without air conditioning?

Now that I spend time trying to figure out how a home can be more energy efficient, I think back to those hot summer days and wonder two things:

1. Where was the air conditioner?

I have seen several articles floating around that talk about air conditioning as being an unnecessary appliance. That people have gotten soft, and if people would just handle the heat like a caveman, they wouldn’t need those energy wasting air conditioners.

Growing up in that Northwest farm house, air conditioning was not expected. Sleeping on the front porch a few times a year was. The air conditioner was only for city folks that were not lucky enough to live on a farm.

Where was the air conditioner? It was still in the J.C. Penny catalog.

2. Why did the upstairs get so hot in the evening?

When you’re sleeping on the front porch and your 10 years old, you don’t really care why the upstairs is so hot. It’s not something you try to figure out before you find yourself sleeping on the porch again. You like sleeping on the porch.

If the upstairs is too hot for sleeping and you would rather not risk sleeping on the porch, or anywhere else outside, then considering why the upstairs and the whole house is so hot in the evening becomes an important issue to solve.

Air conditioners are fairly energy efficient appliances, but they’re not free to operate. With the constant grinding of the A/C and the power bill increasing by the hour, a person has a tendency to think about why the upstairs is so hot and ways to cool a house.

Years Later:

The old farm house was being moved to a new location and I had a chance to look in the attic while part of the roof was removed. Instead of the attic being the dark, spooky cave of my childhood, it was an inviting place to explore with plenty of natural light.

I was surprised to see that the attic had nothing in it. No old magazines, no old socks or toys, no old carcasses of rats or cats. Of course, there was no insulation either and I could look down the chimney chase from the attic clear to the basement. This is a good place to start to answer the question of ways to cool a house.

The roof had no attic ventilation at the roof peak or the eves. The only ventilation was provided by two gable vents, one at each end of the attic. The roof shingles were always a dark color.

I understand very well now why the upstairs of this old house was so darn hot after a hot summer day. The attic collected the heat all day and then shared it with the downstairs all evening.

How to keep the attic from overheating and ruining a good night sleep.

Here's 10 ways to cool a house before you add air conditioning. These will help your attempt to keep the home livable in the evenings - try these retrofits and improvements.

1. Solar powered attic fan

A solar powered attic fan works very well and is a one time investment in the amount of $450 to $800. When installed on your roof, the self-contained solar unit exhausts hot air from the attic whenever the sun hits the solar array with enough bright direct sunlight to operate the fan.

Best operation occurs when attic ventilation is added along the eve’s and the roof peak ventilation is limited.

2. Roof sprinkler system

Well, it works on flat commercial buildings, might work on homes too. Anything that will cool the roof surface will help keep heat from radiating into the attic space. Unfortunately, this may increase your water bill substantially. Sprinkler and hose, $20. Water bill around $300.

3. Really big trees

Shade the roof and you have a cooler attic and a cooler home. If you have a two story home and you’re just getting around to planting shade trees, this solution may take a while to materialize. One redwood tree 12 inches tall, $4.95. Expect shade in 40 years.

4. Air sealing the attic floor

Especially before adding insulation - don’t add insulation to the attic floor without air sealing the air holes and penetrations first. Best process, good drop light, knee pads, and a can of Great Stuff spray foam insulation. Material cost, $30.

5. Adding Additional roof ventilation

Ways to cool a house starts with attic ventilation. Most older homes simply do not have enough attic ventilation. Ventilation should allow air flow from the eve’s to the peak. Take out solid bird blocking and add screened vents at the eve’s. Add manufactured metal or plastic roof vents near the peak. During the installation of new roofing is the best time to add attic ventilation. Eve Soffit vents, $8.50. Roof peak vents about $12

6. Adding insulation

After air sealing, install insulation. Insulation will help slow the transfer of heat from the attic to the living space below. The more insulation the merrier. Building codes keep adding insulation, in some of the colder parts of the country, insulating to R-49 is code. That’s about 16 inches of insulation.

Don’t worry, this could be a do-it-yourself project. The big building supply stores have the material and the equipment you need to do the job.

Add insulation in the colder climates to keep warm, add insulation in the warmer climates to keep cool. Add 12 inches of blown fiberglass insulation for about $1.25 to $1.75 a square foot of attic floor space.

Seal the Knee Wall Floor Connection

7. Sealing the knee wall floor connection.

Many older, two story homes have knee wall attic space. This is the space along the walls of an upstairs room that has reduced headroom along the sides of the room. You know, your standing upstairs and you must be careful to stand in the middle of the room to keep from bumping your head.

The problem is the knee wall attic is often open to the space between the floor of the upstairs room and the ceiling of the downstairs room. This means the hot air in the knee wall attic can travel right under the upstairs floor and help heat the whole house.

Stuff some insulation in a plastic bag and stuff a bag between every floor joist opening in the knee wall attic. This will keep the hot air from traveling between the floor and ceiling. Sealing these floor joist openings is important during the cooling season and the heating season. Plastic bags $.50, insulation, $1.00 a bag.

8. Sealing chimney chase

In older balloon framed homes, the chimney chase is often open and allows heat and cold transfer between all floors, clear from the attic to the basement. For effective cooling and heating, these chase corridors should be sealed off. Spray foam insulation, $7.00 a can.

9. Place Fans in Upstairs Windows

Place one or more big box fans in upstairs windows. Install them so they are blowing out the window. Close all other windows and exterior doors but leave the interior doors open all the way to the basement. Draw the cooler basement air up through the house and out the upstairs windows.

Basements are always cooler and can help cool the rest of the home. Hopefully, you don’t have a smelly tank of stove oil in the basement! A good box fan about $30.

10. Install solar panels

Usually when you install solar panels on a roof, the panels are placed on a racking system that holds the panels off the roof about 3 inches. The panels keep the suns rays from hitting the roof surface and slow heat transfer to the attic space.

One of the advantages of solar panels on a hot day is the shading they provide the roof. Maybe not as good for shade as a big redwood, but it’s still shade.

Most power companies will help you install solar panels. They know that when the weather gets hot and all those air conditioners start up, they need all the help they can get with ways to cool a house.

Wish I still had that old farmhouse with the big front porch and the big yard. I would have a few tricks ready for those hot summer evenings when the upstairs got so darn hot. After air sealing and insulating the attic, I would install a solar attic fan, mount some solar panels on the roof, place a couple box fans in the upstairs windows and roll out my sleeping bag on the front porch.

These are ways to cool a house, but you can still get a good night sleep on the front porch. Of course, these days it would take a better air mattress than it used to.

Thank you for stopping by detectenergy.com, hope you will stop by again real soon, but I won't leave a light on for you...

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My Original List Had 75 Energy Saving Tips, Now the List Has Grown to 106.

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 23:27:00 -0600

I am all excited today, Bryan Gabriel took advantage of my invitation to send me more energy saving tips to add to my list. Thank you Bryan. Now that Bryan has broken the ice ( so to speak ) maybe you would like to add an energy saving tip or two. Just email your tips to don@detectenergy.com, and I will add them to the list.

Here are the 30 tips that Bryan sent me to add to the energy saving list. Since my original list contained tips numbered 1 through 75, this list will start at number 76. My original list is published on detectenergy.com, check out the original list and then add these to the end. If you would like to download the whole list of 106 tips, go to detectenergy.com and click on "Free Guides" that is on the menu bar. You will find the article saving title "106 to Saving Energy and Lower Power Bills" listed as a Free Download.

Adding Energy Saving Tips

76. If you need to run the faucet or shower before you get the hot water, save the water in a watering can and use the water for your indoor and outdoor plants.

77. At night close all the curtains and blinds to slow heat transfer.

78. Talk to your family about saving energy and these tips, Ask for their suggestions.

79. Try to charge your cell phone in the car while you are driving instead of using home electricity.

80. Make sure your bathroom fan has a damper in it so the exhaust duct is closed when not in use. Same for the clothes dryer exhaust duct.

81. When you are done drinking coffee in the morning, turn off the coffee maker manually before it turns itself off.

82. If you rinse or presoak dishes before washing, try and reuse the soapy water over and over. Pour the soapy water from the bowl into the cup and from the cup onto the plate.

83. If you rinse recyclable containers before placing them in the recycle container, try to reuse that water over and over. Pour the water from the first bottle into the second and so on.

84. Paint interior walls and ceiling white or light colors to reflect more light all around the room, perhaps one CFL will light the room instead of two.

85. Outside around your A/C compressor or heat pump, make sure there is nothing like plants ( or your yard stuff ) blocking the free flow of air through the coils. Allow three feet of clearance on all sides.

86. In warmer climates, if you replace your roofing, install roof ridge vents to improve your attic ventilation.

87. Turn off TV's, stereos, lights, etc., when not in a bedroom, such as when eating dinner in the kitchen.

88. Use a "smart" power strip with a control outlet and dependant outlets to control computers and peripherals. Stop vampire energy use.

89. Get a solar water heater for our pool or spa (really affordable and cost effective ).

90. Air seal attic top plates where every penetration exists (framing joints, electrical/TV/telephone wiring, water pipes). Use expanding foam spray.

91. Remove the heating registers and seal with caulk any gap between the metal register boot and the drywall or floor.

92. Inspect the exterior of your houses for cracks that could allow air (and insects, yikes!) to enter your home. Seal with caulk, expanding foam, or other appropriate measures.

93. Many bonus rooms are built over garages. Make sure there is insulation in the bonus room floor (garage ceiling).

94. Sometimes, laundry or utility rooms are added on after original construction, or converted from other spaces. Make sure these rooms are insulated or use weatherstripping to air seal the doors..

95. Check weatherstripping on decorative storm doors. It's nice to have the main door open for light, but not if the storm door leaks like a sieve.

96. Check seals and gaskets on oven doors, keep that heat in the oven.

97. Use a small toaster oven instead of the big oven. Yes, you can bake in them! Great for just a few cookies at a time.

98. Weatherstrip doors leading to attics and basements, or other unconditioned spaces.

99. On a day when you are alone at home, turn off all water faucets, showers, etc. and look at your water meter. If the small dial or needle is moving, you have a water leak to find and repair.

100. If you need a small nightlight (like in a bathroom or child's room) use an LED light that uses 0.5 Watts instead of the older incandescent ones that are about 4 Watts.

101. If your child is watching too much TV, turn it off and have ask them about their day.

102. If you have hardwood floors that feel cold against bare feet, put down a throw rug.

103. If your furnace and blower fan are located in a hall closet, make sure the access door is air sealed with weather stripping. Also, make sure there is adequate ventilation for the unit to work properly. You may need to contact an licensed HVAC contractor.

104. Check your attic and/or crawl space for HVAC ducts that have come loose.

105. If you are replacing exterior siding, consider adding some more insulation. (blue foam is only about 3/4")

106. Consider installing a vestibule or mud room to help regulate air exchanges when entering and leaving your home. Plus, you get a bit more storage space.

Wow, 106 energy saving tips - I will see my power bill going down now for sure.

To see all 106 energy saving tips, follow this link. Hope this list of home power saving tips keeps you on your way to being a great Energy Spy.

Please feel free to share additional power saving tips that have worked for you and your home. I will add them to the list. Email your tips to don@detectenergy.com, use the subject, “More Monster Saving Tips.”

Thank you sharing Bryan Gabriel, Bryan emailed me the energy saving tips from number 76 to 106. Do you have some energy saving tips you would like to add to the list?

Thank you for stopping by detectenergy.com, please come back soon, but I won't leave the light on for you...

Heat Pump Inspected by Raccoon?s, Pronounced Dead

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:41:00 -0600

Usually I will drive a long ways in 90 plus temperatures with the windows down before I give into the air conditioner. Today was not one of those days. Yes, it was 90 plus degrees, and I gave in to the A.C. about 5 miles down the road.

The home I am visiting today is a double wide manufactured home constructed in 1974. Just by driving by this home, with the A.C. on in the car, I can guess the age of the home. There are certain construction materials that give away the age of a manufactured home built in the 70’s.

If it has the following, it is a manufactured home constructed in the 70”s:

Metal siding running vertically up and down the exterior walls.
Hundreds of screw heads visible as they attempt to hold the siding on.
Tall narrow louvre windows marking the location of the bathrooms.
Metal entrance door barely tall enough for a elf.
Metal skirting around the foundation that looks like it has seen duty in WWII

Add everything up, and you have a 1970’s manufactured home. Fortunately, someone has taken fairly good care of this home over the years.

Here again, there is a couple things that you can even spot from the street that indicates the home has had some TLC upgrades.

1. The roof is covered with newer metal roofing.

This update is very important to any home, but particularly important to a manufactured home. Allow moisture in the walls or the roof cavity and you are going to have a big job saving the structure of the home.

2. Some of the louvre windows have been replaced with newer vinyl windows. Louver windows crank open and look cool, but they are real energy wasters. Just try air sealing a louver window.

As I step up on the front porch, the CDX plywood sags and bounces like a trampoline. This plywood is the wrong material in the wrong place. It was not meant to be exposed to the weather. The whole porch is weather damaged way passed its lifetime and needs to be replaced before someone falls through. My guess is someone got a real good deal on some plywood.

There is a wood stove in the corner of the living room. A really nice wood stove, very efficient as wood stoves go. Looks like it was professionally installed because of the chimney box that goes up through the roof and the hearth pad and setbacks look correct.

The homeowner indicates they have heated the home with the wood stove the last 5 years. A couple electric space heaters sit in the back bedrooms as the wood heat does not travel into the bedrooms well. The electric furnace and heat pump have not been used in 5 years.

Wood for the stove is getting harder to get without paying the rising costs for the wood, so the homeowner is interested in using the heat pump again. This heat pump is one of the oldest ones I’ve seen in a while, it’s round with a smaller round cap sitting on top. Seems a raccoon has help himself to some of the wiring and most of the refrigerant line insulation.

A heating contractor has already visited this heat pump and declared it deceased. The unit is old and the electrical panel has had the cover panel removed and left for the further inspection of vermin. I hear raccoons like exploring heat pumps. Considering the old refrigerant it has in the lines, it would be a real challenge to get it going again.

The home has a Coleman furnace in a closet in the hallway - this I could have guessed. The furnace filter has not been changed in about 6 years and it definitely looks like it. Even though the furnace has not been working in 5 years, it still has a multi-year buildup of dust and lint on the filter. The heat pump coil in the furnace looks pretty good, not too dirty, fins are straight. With the installation of a new heat pump, the inside coil will need to be replaced also.

The trouble with firing up a furnace that has not worked in a number of years, is the gross problem of the dust, dirt, spiders, webs, and critter droppings that have collected in the heating ducts. Start the furnace up and the home will fill with dust like a gravel road ran down the middle of the home.

With the help of the homeowners, I put a list together of repair and replacement items that will make the home safer, more energy efficient, and add years to its life.

1. Windows:

Replace the remaining louvre windows and single pane metal windows with vinyl double pane windows will make the home more airtight and add insulation value. Use windows with a casing flange around the outside so you don’t have to see the 60 or so screwheads that hold the window in if the window flange is visible.

Two of the vinyl windows have broken glass - one was a rock from the lawnmower. For these windows, just the glass will be changed. 7 windows $2,800.

2. Front Porch:

The rotten plywood has to go. The porch will be replaced with pressure treated lumber and duradeck. The porch deck is only 22 inches off the ground, so it doesn’t need handrails. The porch is 9 x 18, 162 sq.ft. about $2,916.

3. Heat Pump:

Remove existing heat pump and give to museum. Install a new heat pump with a capacity of 2.5 tons of air with a Seer efficiency of 14. Replace the thermostat with a digital, programmable model. Heat pump and thermostat about $3,200.

4. Heating Ducts

Often times the Heating Contractor will have duct cleaning equipment and will be able to clean the ducts along with installing a new heat pump. If the Heating Contractor does not have the equipment, chances are they know a duct cleaning contractor that they have worked with before and can make the arrangements. Duct cleaing, $400.

Total cost of this project will be around $9,316. The home will have energy efficient windows, an energy efficient heating and cooling system, a deck that will hold up for many years, and a clean duct system that won’t irritate a mild case of asthma.

All in all, the home has been upgraded, will be safer, easier to heat and cool, and will be more comfortable - sounds like a better place to grow old. It’s time to head home, I’m already in a sweat, no way I’m riding along with hot air blowing in my face. Roll the windows up and turn the A.C. on “get me cool.”

Thank you for stopping by detectenergy.com, hope you enjoyed visiting this home, please come back soon, but I won’t leave the light on for you...

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Will the Green Button Report Real Time Power Usage?

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:02:00 -0600

When I think about real time power usage data, I am thinking about data that is being made available that very second. Data that is being reported in real time is like watching a football game live. You know that the running back just added 10 yards on to his total because you just saw the run on the T.V. That's real time.

It is being reported that the Green Button program being offered my many power companies allows customers with a Smart Meter to see their power usage in real time, like a live football game. By signing up for the program with your power provider, you can have access to real time power usage data from the comfort of your own computer, iPad, smart phone, etc. I have new information that this may not be true.

On the website, ourenergypolicy.org, the news article states, "Utilities around the country have begun to sign on to the initiative and commit to provide their customers with real-time energy use data."

I find that most articles and news sources about the Green Button plainly state real time data.

I think I may have jumped to the wrong conclusion concerning the Green Button and real time power usage data. What I consider real time may not be what the Green Button considers real time. The Green Button and I may not be watching the same game, or at least, the Green Button is watching a taped delayed version.

In my article Pushing This Green Button Will Lower Your Power Bill, detectenergy.com, I made the assumption that the Green Button Program offered by power companies provided the customer with real time data. I my article under the heading, What does all this mean to the average consumer? I boldly stated," It means that if you sign up for the program, you will be able to get real time energy usage data on your computer or other connected device, iPod, smart phone, etc."

A couple sentences later I pronounce,"Click on the Green Button and the computer will take you to the pages that are displaying your energy usage right at that time of day."

After I posted my article on homeenergypros.lbl.gov, I began receiving some comments - which is one reason a person like myself would post to an energy website in the first place.

A comment by Kevin Strong pointed out that I might be using the wrong definition of real time. This is important, not only do I want my articles to be accurate, I want the Green Button to be real time like my football definition, not like the energy policy news reported above.

Kevin comments,"Green Button data is NOT real time. It is typically at least a day old, and is hourly interval data. Here in California, the residential smart meters have one reading taken per hour, and then these are typically only uploaded over the smart grid to the utility in batches. I think every 8 hours at minimum, if not only once per day, and then only made available to customers the day after. My understanding is that this is the way most smart meters will work nationwide. The smart grid is not designed for real-time data coming from smart meters."

The more I think about it, in order to have real time energy use data, the data would have to never leave your house. It would have to go directly from your smart meter or electrical panel to your computer or other monitor. Power monitors like FIDO by EcoDog retain their advantage by providing actual real time usage data.

Information found on the PG&E website does not identify the Green Button as providing real time usage data, PG&E states that, "Customers can designate up to 13 months of data to be delivered in a single file. If the customer has not had a Smart Meter connected to the network for that long, then the customer can only download the amount of interval data since the transition."

PG&E goes on to say,"Making detailed energy usage information available in a standardized file format encourages awareness of energy use as well as innovation among third parties for new customer-focused applications." The information from PG&E talks about detailed energy use data, but does not mention a word about real time.

I think the most people, myself included, have incorrectly assumed that the Green Button was going to provide real time energy usage data. Thanks to Kevin, I think I have found an error in my assumption.

I am going to follow up on this Green button, real time problem - get the straight information, reconsider the implications concerning conserving energy and get back to you. There appears to be an importance difference between real time energy usage and detailed energy usage. Stay tuned to detectenergy.com for future, detailed updates.

Thank you for stopping by detectenergy.com, hope you come back in real time, but I won't leave the light on for you..

Pushing This Green Button Will Lower Your Power Bill

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:56:00 -0600

by Don Ames, visit detectenergy.com and register for my free e-Newsletter, the Energy Spy Insider

Let's take a closer look at the Green Button and see if it is more than just an adult toy. According to Obama and other government supporters, the Green button is going viral. Ya, right, I don't believe it.

There has been several efforts in previous years to get power companies to "sign on" to programs that allow electric and gas customers to see how much energy they are using right there and then. The theory is that households that have energy usage data readily available will use that information to conserve energy.

Even Google, with a program they called Google Powermeter, entered the real time energy usage arena and tried to get power companies to sign up. Power companies were slow to accept the powermeter program and Google cancelled the program back in 2011.

Now, with the help of former White House CTO ( Chief Technology Office ) Aneesh Chopra, the Green Button is trying to standardize the technology for reporting real time energy usage to power company customers. This means one program across the US with the same technology.

So far, the Green Button program has signed up some big power companies. Most of the companies in California are on board and more recently American Electric Power, Austin Energy, Baltimore Gas and Electric, CenterPoint Energy, Commonwealth Edison, NSTAR, PECO, Reliant and Virginia Dominion Power. With a total service area of over 27 million households, the Green Button is getting a good initiation.

With the common technical platform, third party entrepreneurs are being encouraged to develop innovative applications as though the Button was a cell phone or iPod.

What does all this mean to the average consumer?

Must have a smart meter first

1. It means that you need a smart meter first. No smart meter, no green button.

2. It means that if your electric company sees enough benefit in the Green Button for them, they may go ahead and sign up.

3. It means that if your electric company signs up, they may offer the Green Button Program to you.

4. It means that if you sign up for the program, you will be able to get real time energy usage data on your computer or other connected device, iPod, smart phone, etc.

5. It also means, that as time goes by, third party applications will become available and you will be encouraged by those companies to purchase their app's. Now that sounds like a smart phone for sure.

6. It also means that you can compare electric companies, rate plans, and time-of-use data more effectively. There maybe a better power company for you.

Could Spread Nationwide

Rep. Ed Markey ( D-MA ) has written legislation that he is calling e-Know. This legislation ( Electric Consumers Right to Know Act ) would require all electric providers to make electrical data available to their customers. Markey said,

"But energy information shouldn't be something that only a small portion of American households have access to. All Americans should have the right to access their energy data so that they can better reduce energy waste and shrink their bills. That's why I will soon be introducing legislation that would require all electricity companies to make this information available to their customers."

The App's Are Going to be Good

Green Button and an Energy Saving Contest

The green Button is so excited about third party applications being developed that the Energy Department is sponsoring a contest. The contest begun in April and is offering a $100,000 prize to the winner. If you had a Green Button app that link your iPhone to your clothes dryer and you could set the dryer to run when electric power was the cheapest, that would really be an app that could lower a power bill.

How Does Green Button Energy Savings Work for You and Me?

So, if the Green button program is available to you and you have registered with your power company to take part in the program, you can log into your electrical account with your power company and there will actually be a green button on the screen. Click on the Green Button and the computer will take you to the pages that are displaying your energy usage right at that time of day.

The you will be able to compare the current usage with other days and other times during the day.

Now you have some choices to make , for example.

1. Should you turn the thermostat up a few degrees because it appears the air conditioner is using a lot of power right now?

2. Should you call home and ask the kids why the electric oven has been on for 20 minutes?

3. Should you really concentrate on saving power between 5 PM and 8 PM because those are your highest usage times that cost you the most per kilowatt hour?

4. Should you consider installing that heat pump you've always wanted because every time the electric furnace kicks on the usage goes through the roof?

5. After watching the furnace cycle on and off 40 times a day, should you reconsider air sealing the attic and adding insulation?

Looking for Green Button App

It is true I believe, that the Green Button program does provide an opportunity to conserve power. It may well be true that knowledge is power and in this case, the knowledge of real time power usage provides the power to save power.

Of course, the success of the Green Button will depend on how much the button is actually used. Will it be a situation like so many others that the newness and excitement wears off in a hurry. How many hot tubs have been installed only to be used a few times and then drained for winter and never refilled.

How many water beds were set up and enjoyed as the best thing in beds ever and then after a year of rolling around and two water leaks later, were drained and stored in the garage.

I think the Green Button on your power company website will go the way of the waterbed and hot tub - a good idea, exciting and useful for awhile, but not an everyday, usable advantage.

The applications for the Green Button program that will involve iPhones, iPods and kindles, is another story. The advantages of being on the go and monitoring and adjusting the energy efficiency of your home is more than an adult toy and more than a passing fancy.

Do you have a Smart meter installed at you home? If you do, call your power company and ask them where the Green Button is. As soon as you can, sign up for the green Button program and then wait for the app's that will change your idea of home energy efficiency forever.

Thank you for stopping by detectenergy.com, hope there is a green button in your future, but I won't leave the lights on for you...

4 Mini-Splits and Heat Pump Efficiency, Will it Work?

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 13:24:00 -0600

Yes, I drive tractors too. Along with the home energy audit work, I’m a farmer at heart. I received a call from a gentlemen that needs some help backfilling and leveling out the dirt around the foundation of his homes new addition.

Now that the ground is dry enough, I load up my 24 horsepower Kabota tractor with bucket, attach the tiller and head over to his place. I find an old original house that was constructed shortly after the wagon trains arrived. Attached to the side is the new addition that really stands out and looks great.

Out front, facing the road, is the new two car garage. It is unmistakable a new garage. The new siding, paint and the gargoyles over the garage entrance update the structure. What you don’t see from the street is the hobby room, three bedrooms and two baths behind the garage. I was lucky enough to get a tour of the new digs after I got through with the outside dirt moving.

I got a new surprise when I turned the corner on the back side of the addition. I have never seen this before and it took me a few minutes to realize what I was looking at. Coming out of the concrete foundation, just above dirt line, were four sets of insulated copper lines and four sets of 1/2 inch PVC pipe. Could this be future heat pump efficiency?

I could be wrong, but it looks like this guy is going to install four heat pumps behind his house!

Why Four Heat Pumps?

About this time, the homeowner and I got into a little discussion concerning how he was planning on heating and cooling this addition. Come to find out, he has it all planned out and, it seems to me, he has a great, energy efficient plan.

Here are the major points to his energy saving plan and heat pump efficiency.

1. During construction, while the interior and exterior walls were open, he had four mini-split heat pump units installed and the refrigerant lines put in place. Since the walls and underfloor areas were accessible, he could mount the units on interior walls. One in each bedroom and one in the hobby room.

2. Each heat pump unit will have its own outside coil, compressor, indoor coil, and air handler. Each room also has it’s own wireless thermostat control.

3. The three bedrooms and the hobby room are heated and cooled separate from the other rooms. One room could be 60 degrees and another room could be 70 degrees.

4. The four heat pump units were purchased by the homeowner on Amazon. No doubt there was free shipping. The heat pumps were being installed by a local heating contractor.

5. The two bathrooms are heated by electric radiant floor heat under nice tile flooring. As an addition to control moisture and increase energy efficiency, the ceiling exhaust fans in the bathrooms are 130 CFM, variable speed, .6 Sones, motion activated with timers. These are great exhaust fans, we will have to talk more about them in another article.

More About the Heat Pumps:

The heat pumps have Evergreen Products written on the front, they are made by Soleus. They are rated at 9,000 btu and are connected to 115 volts with a 15 amp fuse. Cooling Seer is 13.5 and the heating Hspf is 9.0. Operating, they draw 7.3 amps.

I asked the homeowner what he thought the impact on his electric bill was going to be considering he had four heat pumps. He said he expected it not to rise too much more than it was already. Come to find out, his electric bill for the month of June was a few cents over $15.

Now, that’s a little hard to believe, unless you take into consideration the 12 or so solar panels neatly mounted on the roof. Now I am really beginning to like this guy. Heat pump efficiency and solar electric power.

Let’s take a closer look at energy efficiency and how this home is performing.

1. He has Solar Electric panels on the roof generating all the electricity he needs in the sunny summer months.

2. He has constructed an addition where he installed an inch of spray foam insulation on the inside of the exterior walls before he install dense pack cellulose.

3. Individual rooms are being heated and cooled with just about the most efficient heating source known to man, the minisplit ductless heat pump.

4. Radiant floor heat and performance ceiling fans make using and maintaining the bathrooms a snap. Even the kids can get the bathrooms to function right.

5. The heat pumps were purchased online during a closeout, super deal sale. I don’t know what he paid for them, but you can buy the same units online today for $460.

Just look at the comfort and energy efficiency involved with this addition.

Heat and cool with ductless heat pump efficiency. When you heat and cool this way, no heating ducts, you never have to worry about the heating ducts leaking.
Individual room heating and cooling systems. You only spent dollars on heating or cooling the rooms you need.
Spray foam insulation air seals the exterior walls before the cellulose goes in.
Solar Electric array provides clean renewable energy which then offsets the power needed to operate the heat pumps.
The bathroom ceiling fans can be set to run at a low CFM ( cubic feet per minute ) rate that freshens the house and provides needed air changes if the house is too air tight because of the heat pumps, no heating ducts, air sealing, and spray foam insulation.
The ceiling fans ramp up to 130 CFM the second someone enters the bathroom. The ramped up fan maintains that CFM rating until the room is without motion for a set number of minutes.

The sun was going down and the temperature cooling off a little by the time I completed the backfill work. I told the homeowner that I was planning to drop by in a couple months and see how the addition is looking and how it is performing.

I like it when I use the word “performance”. Seems to me, we really need to start teaching our homes to perform instead of us, the inhabitants, always doing the performing. You know, like the performance we’re required to do when we put on a sweater or when we wash the mold off the bathroom wall, or how well we perform when we are writing our power providers name on a payment check. Teach your home to perform with heat pump efficiency.

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4 Things to Check Before Installing a New, High Efficient Heating System.

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 23:24:00 -0600

by Don Ames, www.detectenergy.com

I had just completed a home energy audit and learned that insulation levels and air sealing measures were up-to-speed. After crawling into the attic, performing a duct blaster, checking the temperature of the hot water, and a bunch of other things, I had come to the educated conclusion that this home’s best chance for improved energy efficiency and lower energy bills while heating the house would include replacing the heating source.

The 80% gas furnace is in the garage right next to the gas water heater. The home is built on a sloping hillside so the ceiling in the garage is about 16 feet up. The furnace sits out-of-the-way under the stairs. It’s a down draft furnace with an Electric Air Cleaner sitting in the return air plenum over the furnace.

The Electric Air Cleaner has not worked in several years and the metal plates have been removed and replaced with 4 inch thick media filters. The door to the Air Cleaner opens facing the side wall of the garage. The wall is so close that the media filter must be cut into two pieces to manage the opening.

Removing this 26 year old furnace and installing a 96%, two stage, variable speed gas furnace should produce noticeable energy savings and lower heating and cooling bills. To get the most out of the $3,800 that the new furnace and installation will cost, there are a few things to check first before you start heating the house.

Number One - Heating Duct Air Leakage

Before installing the new furnace and allowing the new efficiently heated air to escape unused, the heating duct system should be checked for air leakage and then sealed as needed.

Numerous test homes have shown that sealing heating ducts is the most cost effective, energy saving, retrofit you can install. Do you need to have a pro with a Duct Blaster test your ducts and then have a duct sealing company seal them? Well, no, not exactly.

If your brother-in-law is an energy auditor with a duct blaster, invite him over. If your Power Company, gas or electric, has a duct sealing program, sign up. Your power provider may test your heating ducts for free. Otherwise, I suggest you handle the possible leaky duct system this way: Don’t test, just seal them. They probably need it anyway, and the more duct mastic the better.

If you have insulated flexible vinyl ducts, go ahead and check the connections where the flex ducts attach to the metal plenum or the metal register boots. Seal all the joints in the metal plenum and seal the boots to the floor. To seal the boots to the floor, you might need to have a hammer and some medium sized nails.

If you have metal ducts, whether they are round or rectangular, seal all the joints and connections with duct mastic. Remember, duct mastic can be applied with a gloved hand and works best when it’s applied nickel thick.

Duct sealing goes for both the supply and return air ducts. This means that you may need to spend some time in both the attic and the crawl space.

Remember, sealing the supply and return heating ducts is one of the most cost effective and successful retrofits you can do to your home that will save energy and lower energy bills.

Number Two - Room Air Balancing

Well, here’s a good one you might not of heard of before. The heating system is simply more efficient when it operates as a balanced system. That means, when the interior doors are closed, like they often are, the air pressure in each room should stay about the same.

If you have a bedroom door closed and the furnace comes on to warm the home and the warm air is forced into the room by the heating ducts and the air cannot get out of the room as fast as the heating duct is supplying the air, then you have a room with increased air pressure and you have a home that has lost energy efficiency.

The air that comes out of a heat register needs to find its way back to the return air duct system without having to squeeze through too many restricted channels.

As the pressure builds up in the room, the air you just spent money to heat up may find its way through the small draft hole between the wall and the window and end up being lost to the great outdoors. The higher the pressure, the more air is forced through the hole.

You can get a pretty good idea concerning air pressure in a room by conducting this do-it-yourself test.

Turn on the furnace or turn just the furnace fan on - if your thermostat will turn just the fan on.
Close the door to the room in question.
Light a stick of your favorite smelling incense.
Crack open the door until you can just peek into the room.
Hold the stick in front of the opening.

If the smoke blows back into your face like a Mack Truck just went by, you have a serious problem. If the smoke floats gentle back towards your face, you have a small, perhaps insignificant problem.

There is several good fixes that will add balance to the room air pressure. Consider one of the following:

Remove the door
Cut the bottom of the door off so there is a larger air passage between the door and the floor.
Install a pass through vent by cutting a rectangular hole through the wall over the door and installing a heating register over the hole on both sides of the wall.
Install an additional return air duct and register in the ceiling of the room and connect it to the return air plenum.

Anyway, if you’re installing a new high efficiency furnace and your rooms are not pressure balanced, you will lose some of that desired efficiency.

Number Three - Furnace Filter

Since the heating contractor will be making adjustments to the duct system that connects to the furnace, now is a great time to address the furnace filter.

Servicing the furnace filter is an important part of energy efficiency. Once the filter begins to restrict the flow of air, the furnace must work harder to accomplish the same heating and cooling results.

To have a filter that is in a location that is easy to get to is very important for ongoing maintenance. It is also important that the cabinet or plenum that holds the filter is easy to open and close.

Since you have scheduled the installation of a new high efficiency heating source, talk to the Heating Contractor about the filter and addressing any concerns at the same time. A good contractor may even throw in a little filter work for free.

Number Four - The Air Conditioner Heat Exchanger

If you have a gas furnace with whole house air conditioning, you have a heat exchanger sitting in the furnace duct work somewhere that connects to the outside air conditioning unit. It would make sense to me to have this heat exchanger accessible like the filter is, but most often, the exchanger is hidden away behind inaccessible sheet metal.

The heat exchanger looks a little like the radiator on a car. Thin, closely mounted fins, transfer the cool temperature to the passing air. The problem is the small channels of the heat exchanger can become clogged and then restrict the air from passing through.

Similar to a clogged filter, when the heat exchanger becomes clogged, energy efficiency is reduced. The furnace ends up working harder and longer.

While the Contractor has the old furnace removed and the plenum opened up, be sure the heat exchanger gets cleaned. If your heating system is 20 years old, I will guarantee you the exchanger needs cleaning.

Getting the most out of your new high efficient furnace is important if you are going to realize the energy and cost savings that are possible. To insure the efficiency you’re looking for, before you fire up the new furnace, check these four system items that affect how the new furnace will perform.

Check for heating duct leakage and seal up those leaks.
clean the air conditioner heat exchanger.
make adjustments to the filter and the filter cabinet.
add passages for return air that will balance the room pressure.

In the home that I spoke of at the beginning of the article that is getting the 96% efficient gas furnace, the filter cabinet was turned 90 degrees to increase accessibility, the heat exchanger was cleaned, the heating ducts were tested and found that leakage-to-the-outside was less than 200 CFM, and a new return air register was installed in the ceiling of the family room addition. With the new efficient furnace ready, it is now time to start heating the house.

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15 Energy Saving Tips Your Home Would Like to Tell You

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 22:29:00 -0600

You bought the home and now you’re living in it. Here’s 15 things your home would have liked to tell you about energy efficiency at home before you moved in. If only homes could talk, they would share some energy efficiency details that you might really like to know.

In the future, I know homes will contain technology that will allow them to become increasingly smart and automated. Someday, your home will be able to tell you when the water heater has been automatically adjusted for temperature and when there are air leaks in the attic that need to be sealed.

Your home will automatically close the drapes on the sunny side of the home in the summer and your home will automatically turn off the TV and the lights when everyone leaves the family room.

Until then, let’s just pretend your home can talk and let’s also pretend that you, as an energy conscious inhabitant, are willing to listen.

15 Things about Energy Efficiency at Home, Your Home Would Like to Tell You

1. The ceiling insulation is turning black everywhere the air pushes through it from air leaks in the ceiling. Remember, air seal and then insulate.

2. Recessed lights look good, but they’re a real energy problem when their not air sealed.

3. The gas fireplace looks comforting, but there is a pilot light burning 24 hours a day.

4. There is a 2 inch round air hole in the floor behind the water heater in the bedroom closet. Seems the plumber drilled more holes than he needed. By the way, this is how the mice are getting in so they can leave little presents here and there.

5. The dishwasher has been leaking for years, look under the floor, the floor is rotten and the insulation is falling down. Pretty soon the kitchen floor will begin to swell and then get mushy.

6. The electrician drilled holes in the top plate of the walls to run the outlet and lighting wires. The holes were not air sealed and they are now allowing air leakage right through the outlets and switches directly into the attic.

7. The reason the floor register in the master bedroom has very little air coming through it is because the heating duct has become disconnected. The duct is now heating the crawl space instead of the bedroom.

8. The previous owner fixed the exterior siding by painting over the moisture damage. The thermal barrier has been compromised.

9. The electric water heater is producing water that is too hot. There are two thermostats on the water heater, one for each heating element - the top thermostat is set for 145 degrees and the lower element is set for 125 degrees.

10. The furnace actually has two filters. The furnace filter you found has been changed within the last year - the one you don’t know about has not been changed since the house was new.

11. The air conditioner was serviced and given a clean bill of health, but the HVAC technician decided the inside heat exchanger was too hard to get to, so it has never been cleaned.

12. The contractor that remodeled the bathroom and added 52 square feet forgot to add insulation in the ceiling - or he thought you wouldn’t notice.

13. The new jetted tub required an even larger hole in the floor to make room for the drain. The hole is still there. That’s why when you stand next to the tub your feet get cold.

14. The 3rd bedroom keeps growing mold along the exterior wall where the ceiling and wall meet. That’s because the insulation in the ceiling has blown back away from the exterior wall leaving a cold spot all along the wall. Yes, this is where the west wind hits the home the hardest.

15. The refrigerator in the garage has been there since the first owners. Just keeps getting sold with the home. Was one of the first refrigerators manufactured with an ice maker - still works. Problem is that hand-me-down refrigerator is costing you $550 per year for the convenience of having a few ice cubes in the garage.

Perhaps your home knows better than anyone how it can save energy, so even if your home can’t talk to you, if you’ll just pay close attention, maybe your home is using sign language about energy efficiency at home.

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How To Reduce Energy at Home

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:06:00 -0600

by Don Ames, www.detectenergy.com

How to reduce energy at home has gradually become a household desire as a result of high definition T.V.'s and homes the size of a castle. Throw in a struggling economy and the melt down of a nuclear plant and becoming more energy efficient seems like a great idea.

Our power bills rise as a result of increasing power costs and the need for more and more power to operate are power hungry homes and our power dependent lifestyles. Becoming energy smart and working to control energy usage and energy waste is our defense against those hefty power bills.

Here are 9 steps you can take to answer the question, How to Reduce Energy at Home.

1. Hang on to Your Power Bill.

Your power bill has a lot of information on it that you need to have to assess your homes power usage. You don't have to worry about how you're going to monitor the power you use throughout the year, your power company already has that information available. Your power bill tells you how many therms of Natural Gas and how many kilowatt hours of electricity you used last month and how it compares to the same month a year earlier.

Some households will need to hold onto the power bills that come in the mail and some can access that information from their power company on-line. It is important as household energy reduction programs are undertaken, that a years record of power consumption is available.

Tip: Ask your power company if they are participating in the Green Button program. The Green Button program allows people to access their energy usage on-line.

2. Welcome a Change in Lifestyle.

You can no longer conduct yourself in your home like you did when electricity was 3 cents a kilowatt hour and the only electric appliance you had in your home, other than the Frigidaire, was a light bulb.

Lifestyle changes are necessary to reduce energy consumption and to avoid wasting energy. It will take a greening of the mind and a conscious effort to follow desired energy saving practices.

Tip: Start with something simple like turning off lighting when not needed and setting back the thermostat at night and when your away at work.

3. Conduct an Energy Audit. You'll Learn How to Reduce Energy at Home

An energy audit of your home will help guide energy saving measures. A home energy audit will identify areas of energy waste and what measures you should address first to save the most energy on a cost-effect bases.

To start the home energy audit process, have your home assessed on-line. It's free and it will offer valuable information. There is a number of web-sites that have home energy audit calculators that you can use. The first place to look for an on-line assessment program is your power companies website.

Tip: Your power company may have an on-line audit program or they may even offer a free home visit from an energy auditor. Give your power company a call.

4. Weatherization is Cost Effective. Now This is How to Reduce Energy at Home.

Usually, the most cost-effective method of reducing energy usage and lowering power bills is through weatherization measures. Whether you live in a cold climate and need to keep the cold weather outside or you live in a warm climate and need to keep the hot weather outside, weatherization measures offer the help you need.

Air Sealing:

Your home has more holes in it than you know. Air sealing these holes offers the air barrier you need to separate the outdoor climate from the indoor climate.

Insulation:

Adding insulation to your homes building shell - the ceiling, floor, and walls, - strengthens your homes thermal barrier and offers defense against heat loss or heat gain because of radiation, conduction, and convection.

Tip: Low-income households can get weatherization help through Community Action Programs. Ask your power company if there is a home weatherization, Community Action Program in your area.

5. Heating & Cooling Efficiency.

Upgrading your heating and cooling system to a more energy efficient source can save energy for years to come. There is no reason for any home to have a $400 dollar electric bill anymore. Air source and ground source heat pumps have greatly increased energy efficient in the last ten years. Ductless heat pumps provide heating and cooling for a fraction of the cost of baseboard heaters, resistant ceiling heat, or electric wall heaters.

The 70% efficient gas furnace of the 1970's has been updated to the 95% efficient gas furnaces available today. Heating and Cooling Contractors are available to visit your home and discuss the options available that best fit your home and your needs.

Tip: Before upgrading central heating or cooling equipment, have the supply and return ducts sealed against air leakage. No use wasting all that efficiently conditioned air through ducts that leak.

6. Water Heater, too Often Forgotten

The only time we pay attention to our water heater is right after a cold shower. After all, the water heater is often located in a mostly hidden location, it doesn't make any noise, and it doesn't have any bells and whistles. The water heater is often the #2 energy user in our homes and therefore, when we're attempting to reduce energy use, needs to have some attention directed it's way.

If your water heater is leaking water from the tank, replace it right away and pay attention to the energy efficiency rating of the new water heater. If your water heater is not leaking, do these two energy saving measures:

Adjust water temperature:

The most energy efficient water temperature is 120 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a gas water heater, adjusting the temperature is easy with the dial on the water heater gas valve. If your water heater is electric, you will need to remove the element covers to adjust the temperature. It is best to turn the electricity off at the circuit panel before attempting this adjustment.

Water Heater Blanket:

Your water heater maybe insulated already, but additional insulation blanket around the outside will save energy. Read the owners manual for your water heater and follow the directions. Water heater blankets are available at most building stores, the blanket will also contain written instructions for it's installation.

7. Appliance Upgrades Save Energy

Microwaves heat food more efficiently than a range. New refrigerators use less energy than ones manufactured 10 years ago. New clothes washing machines use less energy and less water. Clothes dryers with moisture sensors, turn off when clothes are dry. New surge protector power strips can stop phantom power loss.

When replacing an old appliance or shopping for a new one, remember to look for the Energy Star Label.

8. Lighting Technology

You will be surprised at the number of light bulbs you have in your home. Take a guess at the number and then go around yur home and count each one. Most people are surprised to realize how many light bulbs their home actually has.

For those lighting fixtures you use the most and are left on the longest, compact fluorescent bulbs and LED bulbs can save significant energy. There is a CFL bulb designed for every light fixture in the home.

9. Renewable Energy

Homes with renewable energy sources like solar electric and wind turbines, not only produce energy but also save more energy. There seems to be a connection between the desire to produce renewable energy and the awareness to reduce energy use. So, one good way to save energy is to produce the energy your saving.

If your considering a renewable energy system, the first thing you will want to do is contact your power company. Your power company knows more about renewable energy than you might think.

These are the 9 steps on How to Reduce Energy at Home. Reducing energy use does not require large sacrifices nor a degree in electrical engineering, it simply requires energy use awareness and a power bill that has the ability to open your eyes.

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Home Energy Audit 111 Years Old

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 23:21:00 -0600

By Don Ames, www.detectenergy.com

I gathered up my auditing equipment and headed off to a neighboring community to perform a home energy audit that was constructed in 1901. Before I head out of the office and leave the comfort of my desk computer, I look up the home through County Records to determine about what year the home was constructed, about how big the home is, and if records show any remodel years.

When records indicate construction in 1901, I know that I will be dealing with a very old home that has had some degree of care over the years or it wouldn't even be standing. I know that the home was originally heated with a wood fireplace or two and that some sort of up-dated heating source has been added. Also, I'm guessing if the foundation has not been replaced, the foundation is going to be a little shaky.

This home energy audit was a team effort. We took two vehicles, my partner would carry the equipment in one rig and I would meet him there in another rig. This way, since it is Friday afternoon, I can take a short cut home after the audit.

Why is it that I like my own unruly dog, but I don't have much use for other peoples unruly dog. After greeting the lady of the house and her 3 year old son at the front door, I have to fight my way into the house past the offensive nose of a big dog. I must have some real interesting smells on me, the dog won't let up.

About this time, the dog owner see's I'm being treated like a sniff-and-scratch and, with raised voice, commands the dog to get back and go lie down - which the dog pays no attention to and just goes right on vacuuming my denim.

The husband has taken off work early to be here during the home energy audit. The gentleman of the house arrives and my partner finally shows up with the equipment. The first order of business is to ask the homeowner to take us on a tour of the house.

No floor insulation under addition

1. Remodel and additions:

The homeowner does not know for sure, but I suspect this home has been added onto twice. Looks like a back porch area was added as living space at some point and then an addition with a master bedroom and bath was added on behind the porch.

The whole interior of the house has under gone major upgrades. Standing in the kitchen on the wood laminate flooring, looking at the granite counter tops and all stainless steel appliances, one would not suspect this home has been here for 111 years.

The interior walls have been replaced with drywall and freshly painted. The exterior walls have been replaced with t1-11 and also freshly painted.

2. Electrical system:

The attic still has signs of the original knob and tube electrical wiring. Today, the electrical system has all been upgraded to romex wiring and a grounded, 200 amp circuit breaker panel. All electric outlets, light switches, and fixtures have been replaced.

3. Plumbing System:

Water fixtures and faucets have all been upgraded recently. The old iron pipes remain and seem to carry plenty of water pressure. A modern gas water heater sits in the utility room closet next to the furnace.

Metal Heating Ducts Wrapped in Asbestos

4. Heating system:

In the old part of the house, both supply and return heating ducts are in the floor. In the master bedroom addition, both are in the ceiling. A 90% efficient gas furnace sits with the water heater in the utility room closet. There is no air conditioning.

5. Insulation:

The underfloor of the main house has black visqueen attached to the bottom of the floor joist. However, only about 50% of the floor has fiberglass batt insulation. The newer addition with the master bedroom and bath has no floor insulation.

R-13 batt insulation was added to the exterior walls when the exterior siding was replaced. The infrared camera tells me there is a few small areas that were missed.

The upstairs has two unfinished rooms - at least they are unfinished at this time and the roof trusses are exposed. The homeowner tells us that this was his bedroom when he was growing up. The homeowner is in the process of remodeling the upstairs and has removed all the interior wall covering. Insulation was never added to this part of the home.

6. Windows and Doors.

Doors and windows have been replaced. The front door is metal with 1/2 glass and a storm door. The utility room door is metal and the master bedroom has a vinyl framed, double glass, sliding door.

All the windows have been upgraded to vinyl framed, double glass units. I suspect U-35 with some Low-E glazing.

Inside Floor Joist Framed Heating Duct

Homeowner Concerns and Wish List

The homeowner would like to use their available weatherization funds to help insulate the upstairs remodeling project. By using the funds to install the insulation, their remodeling budget can be spent on drywall and floor coverings.

Also of concern to the homeowners is the cool spots in the living room and the warm spot in the master bedroom. The living room has two supply registers located near interior walls and two return registers located under the living room windows. They find that there is noticeable cool air that comes out of the return registers, so they have placed the dogs sleeping mat over on of them and a fluffy pillow over the other.

Because of the cool air that rises from the return registers, they have effectively closed them off. The only working return air register is in the master bedroom. I asked them why the return air grill in the ceiling of the bedroom was dented and was informed that the register would rattle when the furnace was on so he struck it with his hand until it stopped rattling.

The Blower Door and Air Infiltration

1. First blower door test is with all interior doors open.

Blower door was set up in the front door opening and the house was prepared for the test. With all interior doors open, the air leakage was 4,100 CFM ( cubic feet per minute ). I believe for this home, this represents around 9 air changes per hour.

2. Second test is with the door at the top of the stairs taped off. This takes the upstairs air leakage out of the equation. However, there is leakage from the recessed lights in the kitchen, bathroom, and hallway which means the downstairs is still connected, air leakage wise, to the upstairs. Second leakage test was 3,200 CFM.

3. Third test was done after the ducts were taped off in preparation for the duct blaster. This should eliminate duct leakage from the overall house air leakage figure - this reduced the house leakage to 2,300 CFM.

By eliminating both the upstairs and the heating ducts from the air leakage, the home is at about 4.5 air changes per hour.

Lift the Register, See the Hole

The Duct Blaster and Heating Duct Leakage

The duct blaster fan is placed over one of the return air grills in the living room and the rest of the supply and return registers are taped off. The fan is cranked up and air is forced into the ducts. In this case, air leaks out of the ducts as fast as the fan can put air in. The ducts are so leaky, no reading is possible.

More About This Home Energy Audit and Heating Ducts

A sign of things to come was visible while we were taping of the return air registers in the living room. The return air ducts were formed by attaching sheet metal to the bottom of the floor joists. By removing the register, you can see that the metal has become very rusty and has rusted through. I can look through the rusty hole and see the crawl space below. No wonder the duct leakage is so much.

There is decent head room in the crawl space. In the normal confusion of leaving the office, I have forgotten my coveralls, boots, masks, and head light. Oh well, the show must go on - at least I have a flashlight.

The heating ducts under the old part of the house.

1. The return air ducts.

As I mentioned earlier, the return ducts are formed by attaching sheet metal to the bottom of a couple floor joist. In several places, I can see where time and rust has caused the sheet metal to fail leaving very noticeable holes. The largest holes are directly under the floor registers.

2. The supply heating ducts.

The supply ducts are 6 inch round metal ducts wrapped in asbestos. They attach to a central metal plenum that is located directly under the furnace.

Need to Insulate Roof Rafters

How to decide on the best energy saving measures.

As we begin to remove the tape from the registers and put away the blower door, my partner and I begin to discuss with the homeowner how can you conserve energy in this 111 year old home.

It is always a discussion that centers on the several factors.

1. What is the most cost-effective energy saving measure?

2. How much money is available to spend on energy saving measures right now and how much might be available in the future?

3. Which energy saving measures need to be done by a contractor and what can be a do-it-yourself project?

4. Are any of the energy saving measure directly or indirectly connected to home safety.

5. Are some energy saving measures more connected to home comfort than others?

What should be done to save energy as a result of this home energy audit?

The audit of this home has provided valuable information concerning what needs to be done with this home to save energy. Without the audit and the data provided by the blower door and the duct blaster, the acute failure of the heating duct system would not of been realized by the homeowner.

1. Uncover return air supply registers:

Do not cover the two return air registers in the living room. This restricts the flow of air back to the furnace and causes the air flow to be out of balance. In affect, the furnace is starving for air which increases the energy needed to heat the home. No cost associated with removing the doggie bed from the top of the register.

2. Air seal heating supply and return plenum:

From underneath the home, open up the heating plenum that is under the furnace and air seal all connections and joints with duct mastic. Mastic, gloves and labor, $65

3. Install a new return air register and duct:

Increase the size of the supply register that is located next to the interior wall in the living room and make it a larger return air register. Connect this register to the return air plenum connected to the furnace.Now the return air register is located in the center of the home. Estimated cost $300

Underfloor, Visqueen & Heating Duct

4. Install two new supply registers:

The two return air registers that are located under the windows need to be connected as supply registers. To keep from cutting new holes in the floor, have a sheet metal contractor build two new supply boots to be placed in the current floor cutouts. Connect these new boots to the supply plenum that is located at the furnace. Estimated cost $600

5. Replace all supply ducts in the old part of the home.

Carefully remove and bag the asbestos covering that is around the old metal ducts. I believe the homeowner can do this himself, otherwise a licensed Asbestos Remediation Contractor will need to be used. Need to check your local jurisdiction concerning the procedures for removing asbestos.

Replace all old metal supply ducts with new duct material. Flex duct is good and so is appropriately air sealed metal ducts. If using round metal ducts, wrap with insulation according to local building codes. Estimated cost $800

6. Insulate the attic.

Install a 2x2 furring strip to the exposed 2x4 roof rafters. This will increase the depth of the rafter space and allow for the installation of high density fiberglass R-21 insulation batts. Before installing the insulation, air seal the cavities.

If funds are available, this is an ideal application for using spray foam insulation.

Estimated cost with fiberglass, including 2x2 furring, $1,800. Estimated cost using spray foam, $4,000.

7. Insulate the floor.

Remove the black visqueen from the bottom of the floor joists. Air seal the floor with insulating spray foam. Install high density R-25 fiberglass batts. Install an air barrier to the bottom of the floor joists like Typar or Tyvek house wrap.

Thanks for coming along on this home energy audit that is 111 years old. Please feel free to leave a comment or two concerning your thoughts on the success of this audit. Drop by Detect Energy again real soon, but I won't leave the light on for you...

More from Don Ames and Detect Energy at www.detectenergy.com

Three Steps to Get You Started on Do-it-Yourself Smart Home Automation.

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 21:08:00 -0600

Three Devices That Will Get You Closer to Saving Energy Through Smart Home Automation

by Don Ames, www.detectenergy.com

I have been enjoying the advertisement on the radio that goes something like this, "If your home was built in the 1950's, why would you expect it to perform better than a T.V. built in the 1950's?"

The point is well taken if you are interested in energy conservation. Homes built in the 1950's do not perform very well when it comes to energy efficiency and saving power. We have a tendency to upgrade the T.V. but not the home. I see it over and over again on my Energy Audit trips, the home has little insulation in the ceiling but a huge flat screen T.V. in the living room.

Things are changing, energy conservation is beginning to become more important as the world needs more and more energy at an increasing cost. The object is to combine the two worlds.

1950's Home and 2012 Electronics.

1. The first thing to do is recognize the old home is in need of a few energy conservation up-grades.

2. Make energy conservation up-grades so your home is no longer living in a time when T.V's were black & white with rabbit ears.

: Kill a Watt Meter

3. Then use the electronics available, like in a modern T.V., to help control the energy efficiency of your home through basic home automation.

Let's get Started With Some Home Automation.

Somewhere along the line, we need to start at the beginning. If you or I moved into a multimillion dollar automated home, we just might get lost in the touch screens and microchips. Since most of us had to mortgage the kids to get the flat screen T.V., it is probably a good idea to start out slow - more in the do-it-yourself, advance at a rate allowed by your wallet and credit card, speed.

1. First Step to home automation: Kill a Watt

For under $20 dollars you can purchase a Kill a Watt meter. The Kill a Watt meter will allow you to have some fun testing your appliances and devices to see just exactly how much electricity they use. If you test the pink refrigerator you purchased for $5 at the yard sell and find it is costing you $400 a year to operate, you might decide it would look better at the recycle depot than your garage.

: Phantom Protector

2. Second Step to Home Automation: Phantom Power

Power Strip and Surge protector. I got mine from my favorite hardware store. Make sure it is the kind that can recognize phantom power use and will turn circuits off completely. Now, when I turn off my T.V., the power strip automatically turns off all power to the satellite receiver, DVD player, game box, surround sound, and the old cassette player needed for old family video's.

If not turned off completely, electronic devices continue to use electricity. This continued use is called phantom power.

3. Third Step to Home Automation. Ceiling Exhaust Fan Timer

You know the bathroom ceiling exhaust fan. The fan you keep reminding your kids to turn on and off. The switch for the fan usually looks just like the light switch. Often times, the light switch and fan switch are placed on the wall side-by-side. To further your connection with home automation and a healthy, more efficient home, replace the fan switch with an electronic timer switch.

: Timer Switch

Under $20 bucks at the hardware store, the switch can be replaced by the basic do-it-yourselfer by reading the installation instructions that come with the switch. The kids will be more apt to turn the fan on since the switch looks like a video game and the switch will then automatically turn the fan off after a set amount of time. The fan then runs long enough to pull the moisture out of the bathroom, but doesn't run all day until someone wonders what that sound is.

There you have it, my suggestions to get you started on the road to home automation. After all, it would be nice to have a home that performs as well as your 2011 flat screen T.V. - 1950's performance just doesn't cut it any more.

Smart Home automation is growing at a rapid pace and has come along way since the first T.V. remote control. The ability of wireless technology and computers to control products and systems is about to amaze even the most avid gamer. Companies are competing to set the standard for energy conservation through Smart Home automation.

If you had trouble getting accustom to automatic transmissions and cordless phones, you had better hang on to your hat, your home is about to amaze you.

Thanks for stopping by Detect Energy, hope you will stop by again real soon, but I won't leave the light on for you...

Energy Audit: Hot tubs and Shortcut Return Air Ducts

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:20:00 -0600

Energy Audit: Now Recommendations for Energy Saving Up-dates

by Don Ames, www.detectenergy.com

Now that we have the hot tub and the hole-in-the-wall under control, it is time to go ahead with the rest of the energy audit. Like I pointed out in the previous article about this home, I have connected the old family freezer and the yard-sell green refrigerator to a Kill a Watt monitor. I will leave the monitor in place several days, I am looking forward to returning to the home so I can gather the data from the monitor about old appliance energy usage.

After dealing with the hot tub, the hole-in-the-wall, and two appliances, I have other things on my energy audit list to evaluate. The thing is, these folks have about $3,500 to spend on energy efficiency and I need to help them decide what up-grades and retrofits make the most sense.

Other Appliances:

I find that besides the freezer and green refrigerator they have in the entrance addition, they have 4 more major appliances.

1. The kitchen refrigerator

- appears fairly new. A sticker on the outside of the door and a sticker inside the door, both indicate that this refrigerator was Energy Star qualified when it was manufactured. It may not meet current Energy Star standards, but replacing it with a new refrigerator would not appear to increase energy efficiency by a significant amount. The refrigerator is safe, I can't recommend replacement.

: Efficient Washer & Dryer

2. The dishwasher

- is also Energy Star rated. I like the little Energy Star stickers. Dishwasher is safe, can't recommend replacement.

3. The Clothes washer

- is a front load, push button model with energy efficiency written all over it. I don't know what happened to the Energy Star sticker, but it should have been there somewhere. I write down the model number and go to the Energy Star website and find that it is listed as an approved Energy Star model. The clothes washer is safe.

4. The Clothes Dryer

- matches the clothes washer, they are a set. An electric clothes dryer has a couple options concerning energy efficiency that are important. One is the automatic drying cycle - so the dryer will shut itself off when the clothes are dry, and the other is the exhaust duct. If the exhaust duct becomes restricted, drying time increases and so does energy consumption.

I question the homeowner about drying times and using the auto-dry feature. I look behind the dryer to see if the dryer duct is pinched, damaged, or disconnected. I also go outside and inspect the exhaust hood for lint build up and flapper valve function. All seems well, the dryer is safe.

: DEA Was Here

The Blower Door Test:

I am getting pretty good at setting up the blower door, just takes me a few minutes. I like setting it up in the front door of a home that is in town, it looks like the DEA is performing a drug bust or something. People have told me later that the neighbors were real curious about what was going on.

Before turning on the fan and sucking air out of the house, I make sure the wood stove door is shut and secure, I close and latch all the windows and exterior doors, and open all interior doors. I turn the furnace off and pull the furnace filter out.

The blower door indicates the home is leaking at a rate of about 3.8 air changes per hour. I notice considerable draft coming from the floor heating registers. Since the recognized healthy rate concerning air changes per hour is 3.5, I realize that I cannot safely air seal the home and make it much tighter.

The air coming from the heating registers concerns me, next is the duct blaster test.

: Duct Blaster Tools

The Duct Blaster Test:

The duct blaster takes a little longer to set up since all the heating vents need to be taped or sealed. The heating vent that is under the two ton entertainment center is a challenge, I finally find a large heavy book and slide it over the top of the vent.

In this house, I don't want to forget about the short cut return air duct cut into the side of the wall. It will need to be sealed also. Cranking up the fan on the duct blaster I find that total duct leakage is 480 cubic feet per minute. The 480 CFM is gross leakage, what I really want is net leakage, or leakage to the outside of the home.

By using the blower door and the duct blaster together, I can separate the duct leakage into two parts. I am most interested in the amount of air that is leaking out of the heating ducts and is lost to the great outdoors.

I warn the homeowners that things are going to get a little noisy and a little breezy - I crank up both fans. The leakage to outside the home is 320 CFM. I like this figure, 320 CFM it is high enough that I have something to work with that can definitely same energy.

Final Recommendations:

After putting away all my equipment, I sit down with the homeowners, get out my paperwork, and discuss specific recommendations on how they can best use about $3,500 to make their home more energy efficient and more comfortable.

: Sealing heating Ducts

1. Seal the Heating Ducts

Fortunately, this home is serviced by a power company that provides incentives for duct sealing in manufactured homes. I will arrange for a certified duct sealing contractor to seal the ducts in this home and it won't cost the homeowner a penny. A good duct sealing contractor should be able to lower the duct leakage to under 100 CFM.

2. Insulation and Air Sealing

I will recommend that the floor in the two room addition is air sealed then insulated. There is good crawl space under the floor - I estimate this will cost about $650.

3. Addition of a Heat Pump

The lady of the house is having additional problems with asthma. When she has an attack, the wood stove is not used and the electric furnace takes over - this is happening more frequently. With aging, keeping the wood pile stocked is not as much fun as it used to be.

By installing a heat pump, they will have more efficient heating and they will have efficient, whole house cooling. I estimate that adding a heat pump to this home will cost about $2,800.

Well, I am going say goodbye to this house for now. I still look forward to checking the Kill a Watt meters in a few days to see how much electricity that freezer and green refrigerator is adding to the electric bill. The next step will be to schedule the duct sealing and to get a couple bids on installing a heat pump and having the underfloor area sealed and insulated. Feeling pretty good about what I have accomplished, I head on down the road.

Unfortunately, I have to drive through the wonderful recycling center on my way out. What a mess, both sides the road too.

Thank you for stopping by Detect Energy, hope you will come back soon, but I won't leave the light on for you... More from Don Ames and Detect Energy at www.detectenergy.com, Free eNewsletter, the Energy Spy Insider.

Home Energy Audit With a Hole in the Wall

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:26:00 -0600

Why is there a heating register 4 feet up on the wall?

by Don Ames, www.detectenergy.com

In my last article I spoke about a home energy audit and the hot tub on the back deck. Remember, it was a manufactured home with a great deck overlooking a roaring hillside stream. The neighbors were the countryside recyclers, at least I suppose that's what they might call themselves.

Personally, I think I would call them by a more descriptive term, like shameful polluting junk pile recycler's. Somebody, someday will need to clean up the mess, and I bet it will not be the people ( business ) that made it. Maybe the price of metal will skyrocket and the junk pile will actually be worth something besides demonstrating how pollution can leach into the ground.

Anyway, last time I wrote about this home, I get stuck on the hot tub. I think the reason the hot tub got my attention was because the homeowner was working on it after a thunderstorm had knocked out the control panel. This hot tub is a reminder that we should protect our home electronics during periods of lightening.

: Surge Protector & Kill a Watt

During lightening, electronic devices can experience an overload which can ruin the device. A surge protector is a great appliance and can protect electronic equipment against overload. Personally, I have a hard time trusting a surge protector and will unplug my electronics about the time the lightening hits the evening forecast.

Let me share a few thoughts ( energy related ) as I get acquainted with this manufactured home. This is a double wide home with a two room addition attached at the back door. You have to go through the addition to reach the backdoor to the home. There are a few signs that the homeowner's constructed the addition themselves.

A few things about Energy Conservation.

1. The Two Room Addition:

The two room addition is a great idea, but when it is homeowner constructed it is often not finished. I find that insulation, air sealing, and trim work is something that has been waiting to be finished. In this case, there is insulation in the ceiling area but not under the floor. It is a shame too, air sealing and insulating a floor is usually much easier during construction than afterwards.

: Two Little Energy Wasters

2. Two Little Cute Doggies:

Well, here's an indication of things to come. Hopefully, the presents of little dogs means there are little dogs and no big dogs. I don't trust big dogs in other peoples homes. The little dogs live inside most of the time, this means I can expect an abundance of animal hair in the heating ducts and on the furnace filter. I also expect to see the weatherstripping on exterior doors in less than sterling condition. At least their short legs will not allow the destruction of door weatherstripping too far up the door casing.

3. Grandma's Freezer and the Garage Sale Refrigerator:

One nice thing about a two room addition attached to the back door is now there is adequate room for the freezer you grew up with that you have inherited from your Mom's home and the nice blue refrigerator you picked up for $5 at a garage sale. I immediately get out me electric meter and attach one each to the two, less than new, appliances.

Experience tells me one or both of these appliances could be a real energy hog. I also know, that one or both could be really efficient and doing just fine. Only way to know for sure is to test them.

: Heat Register

4. Extra Hole in Living Room Wall:

Well, here's a new one. There is a floor register on an interior wall in the living room. It is on the wall at the start of the hallway. Down the hall is the thermostat, above the register is several family pictures. The register is a nice wood stained register with class. Perhaps to the untrained eye, it would not even seem out of place.

But to the trained, "energy auditor eye", this register needs some explanation, some good reason for being there, some connection to either energy efficiency or energy waste.

First, Some System Background information.

As with all manufactured homes, the furnace is located in the home, not in the garage. Usually in a utility room near the back door, the furnace shares a space with the washer & dryer, or perhaps the water heater. A manufacture home uses the home itself as a return air duct. All the conditioned air, distributed throughout the home by the underfloor duct system, finds it way back to the furnace without a return air duct.

In this case, warm air entering the master bathroom through the floor register, powered by the furnace fan, must travel from the bathroom through the bedroom and out into the hallway, down the hallway to the living room, through the living room and around the corner to the kitchen, through the kitchen to the utility room and then back to the furnace.

By the time conditioned air makes it's trip around a Manufactured Home, it at least might be getting a little dizzy.

: Wood Stove Hot Spot

Why is There a Heating Register on the Living Room Wall?

1. This home is often heated by a wood stove that sits in one corner of the living room along the outside wall. When used to heat the house, the wood stove creates a hot spot in one room.

2. The hole with the register is located on one side of the wall and the furnace cabinet is on the other side of the wall.

3. The register is a return air short cut. By turning the furnace fan on without turning the furnace on, the fan uses the short cut to better circulate the wood stove hot spot throughout the rest of the home.

4. The home has an electronic air cleaner installed just on top of the furnace cabinet, with the fan running, the wood stove cooking, and the short cut hole in the wall, the warm air gets to the furnace faster and still gets filtered and cleaned.

Mystery Solved.

It is more common in a stick built home with an attic space to install an additional return air register and duct in the ceiling above a wood stove. This moves the warm air that concentrates at the ceiling above a stove into the heating delivery system and on throughout the house. This is an appropriate and effective way to use the available heat produced by a stove to better heat the other rooms in the home.

With country folks having ready and economical access to firewood, this additional return air register becomes a great way to make the wood stove delivery system more effective. If the homeowner harvests his own firewood, heating costs are kept low.

If you heat with a stove, whether wood or natural gas, etc. I would encourage you to look into the possibility of arranging for a short cut return air system. Be sure to check with local building codes before you cut that hole in the wall or ceiling, there is probably a few important fire restrictions concerning how close the short cut can be to the heat source.

Look for my next article and I will discuss the results of the duct blaster and the blower door test. I will make specific recommendations to the homeowners about where to spend about $3,500 that will save them the most energy and provide a more comfortable and efficient home.

Thank you for stopping by Detect Energy, hope to see you again soon, but I won't leave the light on for you...

Energy Audit and 5 Hot Tub Energy Saving Tips

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:02:00 -0600

Hot Tub's Ready to Go, Using Power All Winter

by Don Ames, www.detectenergy.com

Finding a new address can be a little rough out here in the country. It doesn't help when the Google Map misses the important fact that a road is actually a dead end and it doesn't connect with another road like Google thinks. So I find two dead end roads instead of a nice continuous loop. And, as is always the case, I am on the wrong dead end. Oh well, Lewis and Clark probably had to do a little backtracking too.

The home I am auditing today is what I call an "unfortunate neighbor" home. On the way down the gravel road, I have the privilege of passing "through" the neighbors property. There is no doubt that this neighbor operates a recycling business in the front yard. Well, in the front yard, the side yard, the back yard and the hillside across the road.

When I see a budding business like this, two things come to mind. One is the amount of toxic fluids that gets released into the ground like oil, gas, antifreeze, brake fluid, transmission fluid, paint, grease, etc. The other thing I wonder about is who the lucky soul is going to be that gets to clean up this mess. Business enterprises like this tend to just go away someday leaving the business stockpile behind.

: Country Recycling

Despite the neighbors, the audit today is taking place at a well kept manufactured home that sits next to a beautiful stream. There are plenty of big rocks, big trees, and open space. The 2001 home is set on a block foundation with a large deck out back that over looks the stream. A very nice jetted hot tub sits off one end of the deck.

Hot Tub Power:

As I stood on the front deck listening to the cascading stream, I decided to take a look at the hot tub.

The homeowner has one of the maintenance doors open and is working on something inside. It seems a lightening storm has recently knocked out the power board. The Spa Guy, according to the homeowner, has installed a new board that is suppose to be a little smaller and offer some energy savings. The homeowner was just getting the tub up and running again.

Lightening Storms and Electronics:

Lightening storms can be hard on electronic devices. Whether you're in a lightening storm area or not, if you don't have a surge protector on your valuable electronics, I would suggest you get one connected before the day is out.

: Mother Board

A hot tub has an electronic dashboard that uses power continuously, a water pump that circulates the water through the filter and a stronger, larger pump that powers the water jets. And, of course, a hot tub has a water heater. Between the pumps, heaters and electronics, a hot tub can contribute significantly to a power bill.

I ask the homeowner if they use the hot tube often and I learn that they often use it several times a week, even through the winter. I visit many homes where the hot tub is kept warm and circulating all the time, yet never used. Many homeowners feel that keeping the ol' tub going keeps it from freezing and helps keep the water fresh by circulating the water cleaning chemicals.

I remind people that timers can be added to a hot tub so the tube is active only a couple times a day for an hour or two. The timer allows the hot tub to run often enough to keep the tub and water in good condition, but keeps the tub from using continuous power.

Here's how one happy tub owner has calculated the power usage.

"Your 310 kWh in 29 days represents slightly less than half a kilowatt per hour over that period, which is the energy necessary to compensate for a temperature drop of a bit under 1/2 degree per hour in a 400-gallon spa. Seems like a reasonable ballpark figure to me. (Back-of-the-envelope math: 400 gallons of water is about 3,300 pounds. It takes one BTU to heat a pound of water one degree F, and a kilowatt-hour is roughly equivalent to 3,400 BTU. Therefore it takes a tad under one kilowatt-hour of energy to raise the temperature one degree in a 400-gallon tub. 29 days = 696 hours. 310 divided by 696 = 0.45 kilowatts every hour, 24 hours per day, for 29 days, on average.)"

With the cost of electricity at 15 cents a kilowatt/hour, the hot tub is costing $46.50 a month or $558 per year.

: Insulation

Factors That Contribute to an Energy Efficient Hot Tub.

1. R-Value:

A hot tub has an R-value that represents the insulation in the shell and floor. The higher the R-Value, the slower heat passes through the shell to the outside.

2. Foam Insulation:

Look for a lot of foam insulation that retains heat and does not react to moisture. Icynene foam is a good product to insulate a hot tub.

3. The Hot Tub Cover:

Upgrading the cover can increase the insulation value and contribute to lower heating costs.

4. Circulating Pump:

A circulating pump should draw about 0.4 amps. Since this pump runs continuously, look for some efficiency here. The lower the amps, the less it costs to operate.

: Hot tub Sections

5. Standby Wattage:

Or, how much juice does the hot tub use when it is in standby mode? It's best not to make your final decision based on standby efficiency. A tub scores high with low usage here, may not score to well when you need some real hydrotherapy.

Other Energy Efficient Considerations:

A hot tub should not be purchased simply on the strength of it's energy efficiency. If you want a hot tub to soak in, look for low wattage, small pumps, and fewer gallons of water.

If you looking for hydrotherapy because the old body just doesn't want to get out of bed, Up the wattage a little and get some pumps that will make a dent in the skin.

How to Keep the Water Hot:

The actual energy usage to keep your spa hot depends on these three things.

1. Insulation

The amount and kind of insulation in the tub surround.

2. Cover

To keep the water hot, up-grade to a well insulated and sealed cover.

3. The outside temperature.

: Hot Tub as a Unit

The greater the difference in the temperature of the water and the outside air, the greater effort and energy the tub will need to go through to keep hot.

Well, so far, all this home energy audit has accomplished is to take a closer look at the hot tub. The reason it is important is because the hot tub can be a forgotten energy user, particularly through the winter months. You see it everyday, it has a cover over it, and it kind of gets forgotten.

If your not using it, wouldn't it be fun to unplug the power and drain the water. If you do that, don't forget to check your power bill and see if a little of the expense has drained from it also.

And, if you would like to pick up a hot tub on the second hand market, I know where there is a least a dozen of them at this great recycle place out in the county.

Next Up, a Hole in the wall:

When I walked through the living room I noticed a nice wood stove, I also noticed a heating register mounted about 4 feet up on the interior wall opposite the stove. Can't wait to take a closer look at that!

Thanks for stopping by Detect Energy, hope to see you again real soon, but I won't leave the light on for you...

More from Don Ames and Detect Energy at www.detectenergy.com, the Energy Spy Insider.

Is There a Smart Home in Your Future?

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:30:00 -0600

iPhone to Home: It's All About Communication and Home Automation.

by Don Ames, www.detectenergy.com

Right now, it's more of a joke than a reality. For some reason, even with an iPhone or Tablet in our hands, we fail to realize the fact that someday, in the near future, we will all be living in a Smart Home. Yes, for a while, it will probably be like coming to terms with our first iPod, we will need to have a teenager teach us how to unlock the garage door so we can get to work.

It won't matter whether you live in a gated community - overlooking the valley - or on the middle floor of a low-income apartment complex, you will live in a Smart Home. As a matter of fact, the people living in the apartment complex may experience Smart Home living before the tract home in the burbs. Apartment owners have an extra incentive.

What a neat tool it will be for the apartment owner to be able to visualize the energy it takes to operate the complex. The data a Smart Apartment will provide can go far in identifying energy waste and excessive energy use. Just the added control over time-of-use energy, has the potential to save thousands of kilowatts.

"Hey, you in apartment number 402, why do you leave your T.V. on all day, don't you know the Salmon are having a hard time getting up over the fish ladder at the hydroelectric dam?"

: Communication Connected

It's not all about energy savings.

The Smart Home is not just about saving the Salmon, it's also about security and the comforts offered by technology. How about this, you walk in the front door and the stereo starts playing your favorite music, the drapes open, and the desk top comes to life and displays your facebook page.

The touch screen monitor on the wall indicates all is well because your Smart Home has analyzed your security settings, your power settings, the appliance settings, the weather, and your evening schedule. It has your dinner menu and your grocery list because it knows exactly what's in your refrigerator.

It's easy, when you're away from home, your phone takes care of your home, when you're at home, your Smart Home takes care of you. Is it magic? No, it's all about communication and Home Automation.

Home Security.

The Smart Home will ride into everybody's lives on the back of home security. Home security and home automation will compliment each other. Not everyone is willing to pay the price of Smart Home technology for the privilege of turning your furnace down while sitting in line at the barber shop, but a whole lot of people will foot the bill to know that the creep from the garage sale just broke into your garage and swiped your new $1,200 barbecue.

By the time you get home, the creep will be behind bars and the barbecue will be on the list of items for the sheriffs benefit auction.

The Smart Home can have your dishwasher talking with your Smart Meter, but it can also have camera's, motion detectors, heat sensors, timers, and automatic locks.

: Communication Technology

Home On-line.

Anything that uses electricity can be put on your home network and at your digital control. The technology will check your desires and resulting commands and evaluate them for energy wise conservation.

Stop by the clothes dryer on your way in the house and push the start button. A moment or two later, your cell phone vibrates. You pull the cell phone from your pocket and activate the screen. The phone reminds you that if you start the clothes dryer now, you will be paying 19 cents a kilowatt hour to dry the clothes. But, if you wait until after 10:30 PM, you can dry the clothes for 10 cents per kilowatt hour.

By waiting until after 10:30, you save money and the power company saves money by not needing to spend money producing more power to meet peak demand at 5:30 in the afternoon.

The sun comes out and begins to warm up the large picture window on the south side of the home. Since your home is already warm enough, the Smart Home closes your drapes and then notifies you that the drapes have been closed. The Solar Heat Gain has been reduced, and the air conditioner remains at rest.

Each person that enters your home may someday be introduced to - and then recognized by your home. Kind of like your Lap Top recognizes the different internet signals of the places you go around town. As that person moves about the home, the lights will brighten ahead of them and dim behind them. The home, with time, will learn likes, dislikes, patterns and individual tendencies and react with comfort, accommodations, and energy conservation.

Smart Home Benefits

1. Have your home work for you instead of you working for your home.

2. Increase Security through the addition of technology that allows you to monitor your home while you're away.

3. Lower energy use with the ability to communicate energy savings with all appliances and other power users.

4. Maintain safety by monitoring the activity of youngsters and elderly persons.

5. Enjoy comfort through intelligent learning that anticipates your needs and likes.

: Smart Control

Getting Started.

To have a Smart Home that is as Smart as the home Bill Gates constructed, you may need to throw a couple million extra into the Smart Home budget. To provide your home with a more basic education level, you can start with several hundred dollars and work your way up.

The best place to start is with a whole house energy monitor. A system like FIDO from EcoDog monitoring would provide your home with an elite energy monitor that will be expandable in the future. With a thousand bucks, a screwdriver , and a little do-it-yourself pride, you can install the FIDO and start monitoring the energy use in your home and begin to see the places where you can start conserving energy and lowering your power bill.

Still a little steep for the old pocketbook, I know it is for mine, how about starting the Smart Home movement with one basic Kill-a-Watt Meter. For $19.99, you can monitor the actual power use of all the appliances in your home one at a time. How much does it cost to leave your computer on standby all night? Now you will know.

The Kill-a-Watt won't turn your stereo on or close the drapes, but it will provide you with the data to begin the process of making Smart Home decisions concerning energy use. There is a Meter on Amazon with your name on it.

Thanks for stopping by Detect Energy, please come back soon, but I won't leave the light on for you...

More from Don Ames and Detect Energy at www.detectenergy.com.