8 Easy Projects for Instant Energy Savings

(Page 4 of 9)

February/March 2008
By Gary Reysa 
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 Energy savings/year  

 940 kWh

 Initial cost

 $20

 DIY labor 

 4 hours

 CO2 reduction 

 479 pounds

 $s saved/year 

 $75

 Energy source

 Propane

 1st year return

 375 percent

 10 year savings

 $1,195

4. Reduce Infiltration Losses (Seal Your Home’s Air Leaks)

Most homes have many places where air leaks in and out, including around doors and windows, but especially around plumbing, wiring and light fixtures that penetrate into the attic or crawl space. We decided to caulk around all the windows, and seal wiring and plumbing penetrations from the living space to the attic. For this project, I bought a few tubes of caulking and some polyurethane foam in cans, which cost a total of about $50.

You can find the obvious air leaks yourself because you’ll feel the drafts, but you might be surprised at some of the places your home is losing heat. The best way to find these spots is through a professional inspection, including a blower door test. If your utility offers this service, you should definitely take advantage of it. Then take every opportunity during the test to identify infiltration locations, so you can fix them later.

Again, the savings for this project are hard to estimate unless you’re willing to pay for a professional test. I guessed that infiltration was cut down by 0.1 ACH (Air Change per Hour). This would amount to about 10 percent air leak reduction on a typical house having a 1.0 ACH, or 20 percent on a well built and tight new house.

I estimate this reduction would be equal to 6,100,000 Btu/year, which is equivalent to 73 gallons of propane burned in a 90 percent efficient furnace, or 1,980 kWh. Again, the cost is so low and the potential savings are so high that this project is a must-do.

 Energy savings/year  

 1,980 kWh

 Initial cost

 $50

 DIY labor

 8 hours

 CO2 reduction

 1,009 pounds

 $s saved/year

 $156

 Energy source

 Propane

 1st year return 

 312 percent

 10 year savings

 $2,485

 5. Vent Dryer Inside During Winter

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