8 Easy Projects for Instant Energy Savings
(Page 3 of 9)
February/March 2008
By Gary Reysa
Energy savings/year | 1,779 kWh |
Initial cost | $20 |
DIY labor | 1 hour |
CO2 reduction | 3,557 pounds |
$s saved/year | $178 |
Energy source | Electricity |
1st year return | 890 percent |
10 year savings | $2,834 |
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2. Install Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Throughout the House
We decided to replace all of our existing incandescent lights with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). There is a much larger variety of CFLs out there now than there were just a few years ago. You can find them for most situations, including for lights with dimmer switches and decorative bulbs. We spent about $50 on new light bulbs, after you factor in some rebates from our utility. Many utilities offer rebates on CFLs, so check to see whether yours does.
Energy savings/year | 1,168 kWh |
Initial cost | $50 |
DIY labor | 2 hours |
CO2 reduction | 2,336 pounds |
$s saved/year | $117 |
Energy source | Electricity |
1st year return | 234 percent |
10 year savings | $1,861 |
3. Seal and Insulate Heating Ducts
We sealed the exposed heating duct joints with duct mastic and insulated all the ducts that were not already insulated in the attic and the crawl space. That wasn’t many in my case, but it’s still worth doing.
The cost for sealing ducts is minimal — a can of duct mastic costs about $5. The cost for insulating ducts is also low — about 25 cents per linear foot of typical ducting. I figured it cost about $20 total, because most of my ducts were already insulated.
Unless you pay to have the ducts tested professionally before and after you insulate them, estimating the savings is a guess at best. Good sources say that duct losses are typically high — 15 percent to 30 percent on average of your heated air from the furnace is lost through cracks and openings at the duct joints. But in general, you can’t get at a lot of the ducting that runs through walls on an existing house. I focused my efforts on the ones I could get to in the attic, crawl space and basement.
I estimated the fuel savings for my house at a conservative 3 percent. However, a man I know who has sealed many duct systems and then measured them says he can get measured leakages down to 5 percent. In other words, this project made sense for my home, but it might save you much more than the figures listed below, depending on how well sealed your home already is. Just put it on your list of “must do” things. It may or may not bring you huge savings, but it’s easy and cheap to do.
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