To find the biggest energy hogs in a home, start by taking a hard look at your energy habits. The biggest energy hog may be a member of your family.
When you rely solely on renewable energy, how do you get rid of “energy hogs?”
Jon
Ohio
When you’re totally off-grid, every kilowatt of energy your home uses matters. You plan when you use your energy – and have backups to your solar-and-battery systems ready. Most importantly, you don’t waste energy! In my book The Aggie ‘n Arkie OTG Energy Guide, I list what we call in the industry “low-hanging fruit”: upgrades that have a huge impact on energy use without a lot of effort or expense.
Start by taking a hard look at your energy habits (the biggest energy hog may be a member of your family). Walk around your home during different times of day, each season, and various weather events to note:
- Lights left on in empty rooms.
- Doors or windows to the outside left ajar or open.
- Refrigerator doors kept open too long (this happens when your refrigerator is disorganized, and it takes you a while to find anything).
- Showers that last longer than 10 minutes.
- Washing many small batches of clothes rather than fewer large loads.
Heating and cooling likely tops your list of energy users. I learned much about energy conservation when my family and I were stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska. I couldn’t believe they had mobile homes up there until I realized they aren’t the same type I was used to in Arkansas. These homes have 8-inch-thick walls and are heavily sealed on all sides, top, and bottom. Homes feature an “Arctic entry,” or an added porch-type structure or mudroom that’s also heavily insulated to act as an air lock against the frigid outdoors.
When I built my own Arctic entry between my garage and house, I built the walls from 2×6 lumber, put in thick fiberglass insulation, and added half-SIPs (structural insulated panels with decking on only one side) on the garage sides. I wrapped the inside of the entry with heavy poly sheeting that completely sealed the area, and then added an insulated, exterior metal door leading into the mudroom from the garage. The area was so well-sealed that it took effort to open and close the doors, so I put in ventilation louvers between the mudroom and the house. As an added touch, I bolted the walls to the concrete floor, used decking screws instead of nails to tie everything together, and used plumber’s tape to secure the walls to the rafters and floor. Now, the area doubles as a storm shelter.
Garages are often uninsulated and poorly sealed. Beyond building a mudroom, you can install insulated garage doors that snug up against the door frames, and see about insulating the garage walls and ceiling. A rule of thumb is: If you’re getting critters in your garage, it isn’t sealed well enough.
Add more insulation in your attic, seal windows and doors (or replace them with better ones), and install louvers in the attic that can be opened or closed. Roof vents are necessary to keep moisture from building up, but louvers can be closed off when the north wind is howling.
Finally, assess household appliances and equipment. In time, everything wears out and needs to be replaced, so look for energy-efficient (such as ENERGY STAR-rated) replacements for your furnace or heaters, air conditioning, water heater, washing machine, clothes dryer, dishwasher, oven and cooktop, and so forth.
If you have a larger home or a two-story, consider dividing heating and air conditioning into separate zones. Our home has both a split system and individual zone controls, and our electric bill is typically one-third of our neighbors’. If you can’t afford to replace equipment, look at ways to conserve energy by using it less. In terms of optimizing efficiency and comfort, many people keep their temperature too cold in summer and too warm in winter. Consider a good indoor summer temperature to be 78 degrees F and winter to be 72 degrees (or lower). Fans are cheaper to run than air conditioning. In winter, wear warm layers of clothing.
In short, change your habits first. Then, improve your home’s energy efficiency over time.
Send Us Your Power-Full Questions
We’ll do our best to answer your questions on energy in upcoming issues. Email them to Letters@MotherEarthNews.com with “Energy Q&A” in the subject line.
May all your days be filled with sunshine – even when it rains!
Hoss Boyd is founder, president, and CEO of TeraVolt Energy and a recognized solar and energy-storage expert. Learn more about TeraVolt Energy at http://TVNRG.com.
