Are you too cold when you sit inyour den to watch TV at night ortoo hot when you head upstairs

to sleep in the summer? An uncomfortablehome is the first sign that your house maynot be energy efficient. Fortunately, thereare several steps you can take to correctthese issues, conserve energy and savemoney when it comes to your home utilitycosts. Some of these solutions can alsohelp to make your home “greener” andreduce your home’s carbon footprint.

Finding problem areasA top-to-bottom assessment of your homecan help determine where your house islosing the most energy and where youneed to concentrate your energy-savingefforts.

“It’s important to look at your houseas a whole when [trying] to make yourhome more energy efficient,” says Ed Bau-mann, head of the Home Performance De-partment at Bovio, an HVAC contractorand home energy auditor.

“Homeowners need to look at theirutility bills to determine how much energythey’re using, discuss their family’s habitsand needs and identify any comfort issuesin the home. Too often, homeowners aretrying to overcome comfort issues withoutaddressing why those issues are occurring.

It’s important to look at insulation in thehome, identify areas where leakage couldbe occurring, evaluate the efficiency of thehome’s heater and/or air conditioner andwater heater, look at the condition and ef-ficiency of windows, and assess any moistureor air quality issues,” he explains.

“At least 42 percent of your home’senergy loss is through the attic and base-ment,” says Peter Burley, CEO of HomeEnergy Upgrades USA. “When we’re lookingfor ways to help homeowners save moneyand conserve energy, we typically start byassessing how well their attic and basementare insulated. One of the ways in which todo this is through an energy audit.”

An energy audit or assessment is oftenthe first line of defense in identifying yourhome’s energy efficiency. “The audit looksat all of the systems in your home to deter-mine why energy bills are high and whatneeds to be addressed to reduce those costs.Areas of concern include leaks arounddoors and windows, poorly insulated atticsand walls, inefficient heating and air con-ditioning systems and water heaters, andoutdated appliances,” says Burley.

“An energy audit provides a roadmapof how to make your home safe, efficientand comfortable,” says Donald Powell,owner of Powell Energy & Solar. “Theaudit typically consists of a general in-spection of the home, including identifyingsafety and performance concerns and look-ing for opportunities for insulation andair sealing to address leaks; HVAC com-bustion testing to assess the condition of

ENERGY

by MINDY TORAN

Energy-EfficientEscapes

HOUSE & HOME APRIL 201550

Solutions that will save money and energy around the home

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the heater, air conditioner, hotwater heater, stove or oven,clothes dryer and other appli-ances; and a blower door testto determine areas of air leakagearound windows and doors,in addition to attics, ducts andcrawlspaces. Once the audit iscomplete, we can make rec-ommendations for improve-ments, repairs and/or service.”

In many states, includingNew Jersey, residential auditsare government subsidized andtax credits and rebates are avail-able for energy-efficient homeimprovements.

“The New Jersey Board ofPublic Utilities, under its CleanEnergy Program, offers a varietyof programs to help offset thecosts of making your homemore energy efficient, includingrebates of up to $5,000 andinterest-free financing for 10years for up to $10,000 tocomplete energy-efficient up-grades throughout your home,”says Powell.

In Pennsylvania, PECO En-ergy offers various rebates forhomeowners looking to upgradeolder, inefficient appliances andheating and cooling equipmentin their homes. In addition, thePECO Smart House Call pro-gram provides residential electriccustomers with both energy as-sessments and energy auditsthat can help homeowners iden-tify areas where their home islosing energy and costing themmore money, in addition toproviding solutions on how tofix these problems.

Dutch Schwertner, presi-dent/owner of Green Stone En-ergy, LLC, an approved PECOSmart House Call contractor,assists homeowners in identi-fying areas of their homes thatrequire energy efficiency im-provements. “The comfort levelof your home is the No. 1 in-dicator of energy efficiency

problems,” says Schwertner.“We look at what measures ahomeowner can take to weath-erize their home and make itmore comfortable, includingcaulking and weather-strippingaround windows and doors,adding insulation and air sealingin the attic, installing replace-ment windows where old oneshave deteriorated, and sealingpipes and wire penetrations inthe basement or crawlspace.”

Upgrading for efficiencyIn addition to adding curb ap-peal to your home, upgradesto energy-efficient roofing, win-dows and siding can also in-crease your energy savings.

“New windows can signif-icantly reduce your energy bills,”says Adam Parnes, vice presidentof marketing at Global HomeImprovement. “The replacementwindows available today arefar more efficient than the alu-minum windows of the past oreven the vinyl windows of afew years ago. Window tech-nology continues to improve,and new ratings going intoeffect for 2016 will create evenhigher standards for energy ef-ficiency. The fiberglass windowswe are using today are rapidlyrising in popularity due to theirincredible energy efficiency andrequire far less energy to pro-duce than vinyl. In addition,Low-E II glass reflects heataway from the home, keepingit cool and comfortable.”

Larry Landes, owner of Re-newal by Andersen of MetroNew York/New Jersey, LongIsland, San Francisco, OrangeCounty and Los Angeles, says,“Comfort is one of the manyreasons why people upgradetheir windows and doors. Low-end vinyl windows are just notsuitable for this geographicarea.” Renewal by Andersen,the replacement window divi-

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“The comfort level of your homeis the No. 1 indicator of energy

efficiency problems.”—Dutch Schwertner, president/owner of Green Stone Energy, LLC

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sion of Andersen Windows,provides homeowners with Fi-brex composite material win-dows designed to be more en-ergy efficient, strong, durableand aesthetically appealing.

Another aesthetically ap-pealing, energy-efficient solutionavailable to homeowners todayis the metal roof. “Metal roofingis designed to reflect heat in the

summer and retain heat in thewinter,” says Parnes. “On ahot day, an energy efficient or‘cool roof’ can lower the tem-perature of your roof by up to100 degrees Fahrenheit, whilereducing peak cooling demandsby 10 to 15 percent. A metalroof can keep your home morecomfortable by reflecting in-coming solar radiation and de-creasing the amount of heattransferred into your home andattic.”

When it comes to energy-efficient ways to cool your attic,one environmentally friendlyway to do so is with a solar-powered attic fan.

“These fans are run by thepower of the sun, as opposedto electricity, which saves energy

and costs nothing to run,” saysTammy Vargo, customer servicerepresentative at Solar Reflec-tions. “Solar-powered attic fansare healthy for the environmentbecause they reduce pollutionand the carbon footprint. Similarto electric attic fans, they circu-late air in the attic to reduceheat build-up in the summerand prevent damaging conden-sation from forming in the atticduring the winter. An activeventilation system keeps yourattic cool and dry, which pro-longs the life of your roof, keepsyou home interior comfortableand saves money and energy.”

Solar power is also catchingon when it comes to makingyour home more energy effi-cient. “By installing solar panels

on your roof you can signifi-cantly offset the cost of electricityyou purchase from your utilitycompany, in addition to gener-ating cleaner, more affordableenergy,” says Powell. “In ad-dition, utility companies pur-chase solar renewable energycredits (SRECs) from home-owners to offset their non-re-newable energy production,which actually generates incomefor the homeowner. The upfrontcost of a solar system can alsobe offset by a 30 percent, dol-lar-for-dollar federal tax creditfor residential systems installedby Dec. 31, 2016.”

Another “green” way tomake your home more energyefficient is to install a high-effi-ciency or geothermal heat pump.“A high-efficiency heat pumpcan save homeowners up to$150 a month in energy bills,while a geothermal system cansave around $200 a month,”says Marc Holden, a sales rep-resentative for Peirce-PhelpsInc., the HVAC distributor forR&D Heating & Cooling.

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“Comfort is one of the many reasonswhy people upgrade their windows

and doors.”—Larry Landes, Owner of Renewal by Andersen

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The most common type ofheat pump is an air-sourceheat pump, which transfersheat between your house andthe outside air. An air-sourceheat pump can reduce theamount of electricity you useby as much as 30 to 40 percentand can also dehumidify betterthan standard air conditioners,which results in less energyusage and more cooling com-fort in the summer.

A geothermal heat pump,also referred to as a ground-source or water-source heatpump, achieves higher effi-ciency by transferring heatbetween your house and theground or a nearby watersource. While the cost of ageothermal heat pump is sig-nificantly higher than an air-source heat pump, ground-source heat pumps have loweroperating costs because theytake advantage of the rela-tively constant ground or wa-ter temperatures.

“Geothermal heat pumpsoffer the most efficient, greenoption for homeowners, de-spite their high upfront costs,”says Holden. According tothe U.S. Department of En-ergy, ground-source heatpumps use up to 72 percentless energy per year, comparedto electric resistance heatingwith standard air conditioningand provide efficiencies of300 to 600 percent on thecoldest winter nights, com-pared to 175 to 250 percentefficiency for standard air-source heat pumps.

“When considering a ge-othermal or high efficiencyheat pump, it’s important tolook at your energy consump-tion for heating and cooling,particularly focusing on yourheating costs, budget and howlong you expect to remain inyour home,” says Holden.“Both systems provide a vi-able way to save money andimprove your home’s energyefficiency. Air-source heatpumps provide high efficiencyfor about half the cost of ge-othermal systems. If you’regoing to be in your home formore than 10 years and you

have the budget for it, a ge-othermal system is a cost-ef-fective, long-term solution.In addition, a federal taxcredit of 15 percent is avail-able to homeowners who in-stall geothermal systems byDecember 2015.”

Whether you’re lookingto go green or simply savemoney on your utility bills,these energy-saving solutionsare sure to make your homemore comfortable for yearsto come.

RESOURCESBovioSicklerville, N.J.(856) 340-4341Bovio.com

Global Home ImprovementFeasterville, Pa.(877) 711-9850GlobalHomeInc.com

Green Stone EnergyFrazer, Pa.(866) 274-9389GreenStoneEnergy.com

Home EnergyUpgrades USAMountainside, N.J.(908) 228-9300HomeEnergyUpgradesUSA.com

Powell Energy & SolarMoorestown, N.J.(856) 380-0709PowellEnergyAndSolar.com

R&D Heating & CoolingKennett Square, Pa.(610) 444-6421RDHVAC.com

Renewal by Andersenof Metro New York/New Jersey, Long Island,San Francisco, OrangeCounty & Los AngelesNew York, N.Y.(866) 586-6455RenewalByAnderson.com

Solar ReflectionsChalfont, Pa.(215) 997-5901SolarReflections.net

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