How to Make Your Home Energy Efficient
Here’s expert advice to help you slash your utility bills.
October/November 2008
By Dan Chiras
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Energy-efficient windows play a big role in reducing home energy consumption.
ISTOCKPHOTO/OLEG PRIKHODKO
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A few years ago, one of my neighbors said, “I really admire what you do, Dan, but I couldn’t live like that.” She was referring to my superefficient home powered by wind, sun and wood. Many other individuals I’ve met have reacted similarly, thinking that living on home-based renewable energy necessarily means doing without.
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But the fact is, my children and I enjoy virtually all the amenities of modern life, including two televisions, a stereo, a microwave oven, a blender, a computer, power tools and more. We don’t leave lights on day and night, but we live well using only a fraction of the energy most households use. You can, too.
Energy conservation doesn’t mean living an austere life. It means eliminating massive amounts of waste in our homes and lifestyles. It means staying warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Energy conservation will slash your energy bills and help create a sustainable lifestyle. Not only that, but if you are seriously thinking about installing a solar or wind system in your home, energy conservation needs to be your first step. You’ll be able to buy a smaller renewable energy system, which would be much less expensive and integrate more easily with your existing home.
Be Frugal and Efficient
Energy conservation entails two separate but complementary strategies: frugality and efficiency. Frugality involves behaviors or actions that reduce energy use — turning off lights, televisions and stereos in unoccupied rooms and taking shorter showers to reduce hot water use are good examples.
The efficiency principle, on the other hand, calls on us to wring as much useful energy as possible from our energy supplies; examples include adding insulation to our attics or purchasing energy-efficient appliances. The savings can be quite significant.
Some utilities offer financial incentives to customers for energy efficiency measures they undertake. Why? Because by reducing the demand for electricity, local utilities can reduce their need for additional capacity. They may even avoid the need to build expensive new power plants.
Homes account for about one-fifth of the United States’ total annual energy demand. Heating and cooling the interior of our homes consumes the largest portion of residential energy — about 44 percent. Lighting, cooking and appliances (other than the refrigerator) consume one-third of our energy. Water heating consumes 14 percent and the refrigerator about 9 percent. Although each home is different, this data alerts us to the big energy consumers, and can help us target the greatest potential savings.
Evaluate Your Energy Use
Retrofitting a home for energy efficiency will save you money. However, it will require some effort on your part. You should start with an energy audit. First, do a simple visual inspection to locate the most obvious leaks — gaps between doors and door frames, or large openings in the building envelope that let cold air in when the wind’s blowing and hot air out when the furnace is running. These can be sealed immediately and will often yield enormous benefits. Then, on a windy day, perform a search-and-destroy mission for smaller, less obvious leaks. Use incense, a smoke stick or simply your hand to detect drafts.
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