Energy Conservation and Going Green

Joe Boisvert

September 25, 2009 Session 1

http://www.thinkgreen.com/home

Many New Green Technologies Needed in the Future –

Starting Now

$5 Billion in Stimulus Cash to Help US Cut Back on the A/C

An unusually large share of the money in Florida will be spent not on keeping cold air out but on keeping cold air in.

US to Cut Back on the A/C

As a result of a political compromise with Sun Belt lawmakers last decade the enormous expansion of the weatherization program will invoke a rarely used formula that will devote 31 percent of the moneynearly double the old share of 16 percent, to help states in hot climates, like Florida, save on air-conditioning.

Investment in Green Tech in Millions

First Step Should Begin at Home Energy Audit - Gathering Information

Determine the square footage of the home being audited.

Number of Floors, Cathedral Ceilings, Full Basement, insulation, comfort level of rooms?

Ask the fuel type or types being used? Type of Furnace, Fuel Costs? Type of Water heater?

Also Look for Safety Issues

Hot Water Scalding Potential Gas Leaks, Mercaptain smells indicate leaks Lack of smoke, CO and gas alarms at heater and

outside bedrooms. Alarms disconnected or broken. Non Functioning GFI’s and bad grounds or no

grounds No locks on outside doors Lose treads and lose or no railings

– Check filters for Gas or Propane forced hot air

– Check tag on furnace determine last inspection and date of last cleaning.

– Look on tag for combustion efficiency data and when the combustion test was performed

– Look at the age and condition of the furnace examine piping in and out and in cases of forced hot air visually inspect ducting

– Record size of furnace in terms of BTU/ hour generated, – Calculate if furnace is correct size for the home.

Change Filter Every 30 Days

Forced Air Gas Burner

Ducts Can be the Problem for No or Little Heat to Some Rooms

Dust can be Problem.Ducts Need to be Cleaned Important

You Need to Install CO and Combustion GasAlarms in BasementAnd on each FloorWith Bedrooms

Change all Filters in Forced Hot Air System during Heating and AC Season

Date each filter, vacuum registers, Forced Hot Air is Dusty

Propane or Gas Hot Water

Heater with Power Vent

Check Vents,

check temperature of domestic water

Gas and Electric Water Heaters

Diagrams of Typical Hot Water Heaters

Potential DANGER Domestic Hot Water

Check the water temperatures in every sink, basin and bath or Shower.

If you have a Dish Washer the temperature should be around 120 F

For showers and washing 110 F Note: Temperatures above 125 F can present a

scalding threat. It is illegal to provide tenants with H20 > 125 F Note - stand alone units can be adjusted at hot

water tank.

Insulation Facts

It’s a fact: more than 80% of homes built prior to 2000 lack adequate ceiling insulation.

Any house without sufficient insulation can lose up to 40% of heated or cooled air.

Adding insulation is one of the most effective ways to save on your energy usage.

Ridge Vents, Improved Ventilation, R49 in Attic, Tighter House

Check that the home has insulation in the perimeter headers.

Check the insulation levels in your attic, exterior and basement walls, ceilings, floors, and crawl spaces.Check foundation and outside perimeter walls for obvious holes, cracks or gaps... In attic you need to check type and amount of insulation and check for complete coverage Make sure that soffit vents are not covered by insulation

Insulation Audit

Soffits for Ventilation

New Energy Efficient Homes

Insulation:– You need to imagine that a house is like a bucket of

water that is turned over and you are trying to keep in the heated air in the winter and cooled air in the summer.

– This should be your visual image as you inspect the attic. Thus the majority of the effort needs to concentrate on the ceiling (the floor in our bucket scenario). Any penetration from the floor below represents a heat loss. (see section 4. gaps)

– Note the biggest mistake made when insulating to cover eaves blocking air flow creating moisture. The air chutes take away the moisture keeping the roof cold.

Common Places for Heat Lost

R-49 Batt Rolled Insulation and Air Chutes

Normal R-19 between rafters

Roll additional R30 on Top

Air Chutes between Rafters

Programmable Thermostats

Thermostats: You can cut fuel cost 20% by properly using programmable thermostat

Reducing the house temperature by 5 degrees at night and by ten degrees during the day when everyone is out.

Keeping the house at lower temperatures (winter) higher temperatures for (summer) significantly reduces fuel costs.

Change Out Old Incandescent Bulbs

Problem Heat Registers all Blocked

Frequently Attic Access Hard to Get to and not Insulated, Normal attic R-19 at Best

The End – The Beginning

Perform an Energy Audit

Prioritize Problem Areas in home

Prioritize by saving and by initial costs

Get the top items on the list done

Keep track of Energy Spending