energy $ense saving on home energy bills - oct 2008

Cutting Home Energy Bills

Fred Schlicher

Program Manager

Mass Climate Action Network

Fred.Schlicher@MassClimateAction.net

Special Thanks

• Marc Breslow, Director of Transportation & Building Policy, Mass. Exec. Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs

• Michael Blasnik, M. Blasnik & Associates of Boston, Mass.

U.S. Energy Use by Sector 2003

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

residential commercial industrial transportation

Per

cen

t o

f to

tal

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

space heating

electric air-cond.

water heating

refrigerators

appliances, lighting

% of residential BTU use, New England 2001

Four Basic Approaches

• Behavioral – Lifestyle changes you can make

• Appliances – Items you can buy

• Weatherization Investments – Home improvements

• Education – Reliable sources of information to help you become an educated consumer

Structure & Objective

• Behavior– www.massclimateaction.net Low Carbon Living – www.empowermentinstitute.net Low Carbon Diet

• Appliance– www.energystar.gov Products– www.masssave.com Rebates– www.consumerreports.org Appliances (fee)

• Weatherization– www.energyratings.org HERS raters for Mass.– www.masssave.com Guide to Energy Savings

BehavioralLifestyle changes you can make

• Hot water use

• Heating & cooling

• Lighting

• Electric use reductions

Hot Water Use

• Adjusting hot water heater

• Insulate heater• Shorter showers• Hand dish washing• Wear clothes longer• Washing with cold

water

Additional Hot Water Tips

• When replacing a water heater, buy the most efficient one available, and don’t buy more capacity than you need.

• Put “cut-off” switch on your

Shower head, and reduce flow when

full pressure is not needed.

Heating & Cooling

• Turn down thermostat

• Change A/C filter frequently

• Regular tune up of furnace or heat pump

• Seal windows and doors

Air Sealing

• Rope caulk along edges of windows• Clear plastic on windows• Weather stripping on edges of doors• Plug holes in ceilings, floors, walls with

caulk, fiberglass, plastic, etc.• Foam inserts for power sockets &

switches

Lighting

• CLF’s use ¼ the electricity for same amount of light, blub lasts 7 to10 times as long

• Turn lights off when no one in room

Electric Reductions

• Phantom load reduction with power strips

• Determine power eaters with “Kill A Watt” meter and economize use

• Energy appliance purchases

Energy Star Appliance Purchaseswww.energystar.gov

• New hot water heater $350

• New dish washer $450

• New washer and dryer

• New refrigerator $550

Additional Appliance Tips

• DON’T buy a plasma TV

• Buy a gas-fired clothes dryer

• Buy a front-loading, high-speed

washing machine (the clothes

come out much dryer, reducing

dryer time)

• Turn computers & other electronics off when not in use

Heating & Cooling Purchases

• New programmable thermostat $35.

• New furnace or heat pump $3500.

Additional Heating & Cooling Tips

• Boiler – efficient, well-tuned & cleaned

• Insulation, windows – don’t let heat escape through roof, walls, windows, basement

• Don’t waste heat – use thermostat to provide heat only when needed

Lighting

• Installation of additional CFL fixtures • Motion detector for security

lighting

Weatherization Major Home Improvement Investments

• Sealing air leaks– Attic– Basement– Plumbing stacks, walls without top plates, etc.

• Insulation installation– Empty walls– Empty attic

Air Leakage Paths• Attics & basements

usually 50%-75% of leakage– plumbing stacks– walls without top

plates– ceiling height

changes– chimneys– soffits– recessed lights– foundation walls

• Windows and doors typically 10%-15%

Blower Door Air Leakage Analysis

• Measure leakage– before & after

• Help find big leaks

• Assess ventilation

• Requires training

• works well with infra-red camera

Infra-red Camera

• Assess current level of insulation in walls and spot gaps

• Check results of contractor work and if additional remedial work is needed to complete job

GEMS Table - savings per residential measure on heating costs

Lifestyle strategies

Thermostat setback (2 to 8 degrees for 16 hours/day 1-4%Thermostat setting (reduce 2 to 6 degrees) 10-26%

Building Strategies (air sealing and insulation)Air sealing 6-16%Attic insulation (starting from nothing) 15-17%Increase attic insulation 2-3%Wall insulation 16-20%Windows (no storm windows before) 13%Windows (storm windows before) 8%Floor insulation (unheated basement) 7-8%

Heating System StrategiesReplace heating system (depends on efficiency of old and new systems) 6-22%Insulate heating ducts 7%Insulate heating pipes 4%

Energy Saving Actions: PrioritiesAction Priorities, when applicable

Action Annual Savings

Setback Heat 8°F, 8 hrs/day $75-$140

Turning Off Appliances vs. 24x7 operation

- 2nd fridge get rid of / unplug $125-$400

- Freezer get rid of / unplug $100-$250

- Computer off when not used vs. screen saver $40-$100

- Furnace Fan if set ON all year, change to AUTO $600-$800

- TV off when not used (vs. background noise) $100-$200

- Stereo off when not used $80-$160

- Waterbed use quilted pad, no heat $150-$200

- Humidifier unplug – shouldn’t be needed in tight home $10-$30

- Fans off when room is empty in summer $5-$20

Energy Retrofit PrioritiesHigh Priority Treatments when applicable

Retrofit Cost Annual Savings

Insulate empty walls dense pack, 1000 ft² $1,200 $350

Insulate empty attic bypass seal, 1000 ft² $1,000 $350

Insulate attic: some existing bypass seal $800 $100

Air Seal using blower door $400-$800 $75-$250

- w/Strategic Dense Pack in tricky homes $500-$1,000 $100-$400

Replace old (pre-93) fridge $500+ $75-$200

Replace old Clothes Washer 1 load/day $500+ $75-$175 +$100 H2O

Replace old furnace w/92% if heat >1200 th $3,200 $500+

Replace 15 most used bulbs with CFLs $15-$100 $75-$150

Security Lighting: motion detector $15-$100 $40-$150

Very low flow showerhead <1.8 gpm $5-$50 $10-$40

Fix hot water leak $5-$150 $50-$200

Energy Retrofits: Lower PrioritiesLower Priority Treatments

Retrofit Cost Annual Savings

Insulate attic: some existing no seal $700 $30-$60

Replace old furnace w/92+% avg. use $3,200 $300+

Replace old dishwasher $400+ $25-$45

Caulk/Weatherstrip Windows/Doors $50-$600 $10-$40

Insulate basement ceiling 1000 ft² $1,200 $30-$100

Seal basement ducts $50-$600 $0-$50

Tankless Gas Water Heater $2,000 $50-$100

Replace 15 old windows $10,000? $50-$150

Cool Roof (white roof coating on flat) $1,000 $10

Tune Up Gas Furnace (annual) $150 $0

Windows

• Longer payback than other measures• Estimate 13% savings from new

windows if no storms before, 8% if storms

• Standard double-glazed windows only R-3, versus R-12 for cellulose in walls, cost $300-$500 per window.

• Buy triple-glazed, R-5, $460 and up per window.

• Good installation important – fill cavities with loose insulation

Window Quilts

Educational Resources

• Behavior– www.massclimateaction.net Low Carbon Living – www.empowermentinstitute.net Low Carbon Diet

• Appliance– www.energystar.gov Products– www.masssave.com Rebates– www.consumerreports.org Appliances (fee)

• Weatherization– www.energyratings.org HERS raters for Mass.– www.masssave.com Guide to Energy Savings

Buy Clean Power

• Support renewable energy in Massachusetts

• Sign up for National Grid’s GreenUp Program – A Clean Energy Choice at: www.cleanenergychoice.org

Look for the post card in your next bill!