Green Building: Top 5 Misconceptions About Home Energy Retrofits

Home energy retrofits are becoming increasingly common, but as the market spreads, so do misconceptions about the best way to generate savings. While some marketers have attempted to advertise “silver bullet” strategies, in reality, says Matt Golden of Sustainable Spaces, no one solution is right for every house every time. One of the best ways to figure out which retrofits work for your home is to have a professional energy audit, and in the meantime, watch out for these five misconceptions about home energy efficiency.

Myths:

1.   You should install solar PV as a first step: Solar systems may be flashy but there are many less showy measures that give you significantly more energy saving bang for your buck. More cost-efficient steps include insulation, sealing ducts, adding CFLs, and ENERGY STAR appliances to name a few.

2.   All insulation is equal: While fiberglass batts are common, small gaps can lead to dramatic efficiency reductions. Blown-in, or loose-fill, fiberglass orcellulose insulation is generally far more effective for retrofits.

3.   Double paned windows are always beneficial: In the U.S., window manufacturers aren’t required to report testing data on air leakage which means that some double-paned brands may actually leak a lot of air. Also windows with a low emissivity reflective film, may help in the summer but will hinder heat gain in the winter. The bottom line is that if you are buying new windows be sure to do your research on the manufacturer and consider your heating and cooling needs carefully.

4.   You need a tankless water heater: These systems do not necessarily save energy for larger families. Generally, if a household uses more than one tank worth of hot water per day, then a conventional system may be more efficient.Water heater tips >>

5.   Zeroing your electric bill means you’re using no energy: While cutting electricity is crucial, natural gas is also used in many homes for space and water heating, and it is important to cut back on natural gas use as well.

• Read background: “Top 5 Misconceptions About Home Energy Performance,” by Justin Moresco, earth2tech (8/13/09)
• Visit our Upgrade Your Home page to see our top energy saving recommendations
• Schedule a professional energy audit by calling the California Building Performance Contractors Association at 888-352-2722 (in Northern California) or 888-357-1777 (in Southern California) to find a qualified contractor

Turn off the A/C, go for passive cooling.

Highlights

ENERGY STAR® qualified ceiling fans move a greater volume of air with less power by taking advantage of advanced motor features and design. Some models also incorporate CFLs for even greater energy savings.

Over the summer you get a breeze. With air flow over your skin, you feel as comfortable at 75 degrees as in air that is still at 70 degrees. By setting the air conditioner thermostat higher, the electricity savings can be as high as 25- 40% in summer. As well you save up to 10% on heating bills in the winter by setting the fan on low speed and gently circulating the warm air down that has risen tot he ceiling.

The ROI Calculation is based on two rooms with multi-speed reversible fans, and savings of $5 per month over the course of the year.

10 Ways to Reuse a Plastic Bag.

We’ve all been sucked in. We’ve all given into that one little impulse buy. The reusable bag. However, forgetting to bring the bag to the grocery store is almost inevitable for most of us … go on, admit it; you feel good about buying it, use it once and always forget to bring it with you – either leaving it in the car or at home, right?

For those of you who strive to take that extra step to save the environment, but rarely remember to bring your reusable grocery bag, there are still ways you can go green. Here are 10 ways you can recycle your plastic bag and feel better about forgetting to bring your reusable bag to the store:

1. We all have them. Tiny trash cans. Instead of spending four bucks on tiny trash bags, use your plastic bags.
2. Use a plastic bag to pack your toiletries and guard your belongings from unwanted liquids.
3. Sending something? Use plastic bags as packing material – they’re light, so you won’t add weight
4. Use a plastic bag for tomorrow’s lunch bag.
5. Hey, dog-lovers! This is an obvious one. Recycle your plastic bags by bringing them along when you take your furry friend for a walk.
6. Bring along a plastic bag when you go on a road trip. No one likes a trash-filled car.
7. Ease your kid’s boredom by using a plastic bag as a kite. Tie a string around the handles, wait for a windy day and Voila!
8. Use a plastic bag to separate your dry laundry from your soggy laundry after a day at the beach.
9. Headache? Use a plastic bag as an ice pack.
10. If you’ve got a cat, use a plastic bag as a kitty litter liner.

3R’s Goes a Long Way!

3R’s …

Reduce.  Reuse.  Recycle.

You may have seen this before when it comes to things all around you in your everyday life.  Have you ever gotten tired of the bedroom, kitchen or dining set because you’ve thought … it’s looking a bit dated, old and just plain “tired?”  I know the feeling.  I recently had that same feeling about our dining set which we bought it when we first got married – that was almost 20 years ago!  Back then, white-washed (or pickled) finish was “in” at the time.  I didn’t want to just toss the old set (I actually didn’t want to spend over $3000 for a new set).  The style is fine, just the color was bothering me … so, over the next few weeks, I sanded it down, picked a dark espresso color stain and voila!  updated dining set.  As you can see, I Reduced my consumption, Reused something I already had and basically recycled a would-be destined perfectly good dining set to the landfill.

It was much easier than I thought it was going to be.

So, the next time you’re looking to buy something, give it the 3R Test and ask yourself … is there a way that I can reduce my consumption of “it,” can I reuse it in another way … if not, how can I recycle it?  At all cost (at the very least), re-purposing it is much better than simple trashing it and sending it to the landfill.

energy efficiency

smart ideas for home improvement

This is the first of a four part series that talks about energy efficiency and what you can do to increase your comfort in the home, cut down on energy bills, and staying green at the same time.

heating & cooling

We’ll start off by the highest energy consumer in the entire house … your heating & cooling system. As you can see, almost 50% of your total energy usage comes from this system; the first thing to note is the orientation of your home – obviously, this is something that cannot easily be changed but is worth pointing out a few things.

South facing: preferable orientation for windows w/a roof eave or awning. During winter, the sun is

Allergies?

I recently got over a sinus allergy infection that last almost 2 months. Last month we, in the SF Bay Area, experienced an interesting weather pattern where some days were in the 70s and others in the low 50s with evenings into the 40s. I noticed my sinuses acting up on the days our heat came on (central heating). I sought help from my trusty ENT (ear nose throat doctor) to address my infection and hired a local company to clean out our air ducts …

duct cleaning

… they came out the following Saturday and spent almost 3 hours basically vacuuming out the air ducts.

negatives

From my research, it is important that negative pressure is applied to the system. They do this by hooking up a large hose to your furnace and their system (in their truck) that creates a reverse suction – all of your vents are covered to aid in better suction. Then, from each vent an air pressured agitator whips inside the duct (from vent to register) to help break-up any dust that may being sticking to the ducts – all the while under this negative pressure. 

blown away

After each vent is “scrubbed,” the return is cleaned, and most importantly, the furnace blower is washed and cleaned.As a bonus, they also cleaned our clothes dryer duct that collects lint from use. Since the cleaning, the heater has triggered several times and I haven’t had any sinus reactions! And, I’ve noticed that the air seems to be blowing out with more pressure too!

do you?

• have sinus allergy flare ups, asthma, or other respiratory problems?
• suffer from headaches, nasal congestion?
• lack of airflow in your system?
• notice dust on your furniture shortly after vacuuming or cleaning?
• have pets?
• know when your last duct cleaning was?

If you have answered “yes” to any of the above question, you should seriously consider doing it for your overall health. The cost is minimal and well worth doing. Do you have all your ducts in a row?

plastics demystified

are you confused still confused?

Ok, you just guzzled down a bottle of water or you’ve just finished off a container of food, you look underneath this container and you see a number 6 inside the little triangle … what to do next? Where does it go? In the trash? In the recycle bin? Below is a quick chart that will help you understand what to do.

 

ol’ Tannenbaum

Now that News Years Day is just around the corner, you’re probably getting ready to ditch the Christmas Tree, right?  With over 25 million trees sold each year, disposing them properly is the right thing to do. Check you local Waste Management to see they have tree pick-up dates – my neighborhood has two pick-ups for the follow two trash days. 

Also, you can check the National Christmas Tree Association for recycling tips … yes, there is such an organization!

Better yet, invest in a nice synthetic tree that will last for many years to come. Nowadays, there are some that look pretty real … they cost more, but you’ll probably spend at least $50 – $75 each year, right? Payback is within five years going this route. I found mine at Costco and I love it – no hauling home or messy clean-up … just fold it up and pack it away in a box for next year!

brrrr … it’s cold in here!

In search of windows ...

discovery

Yes, it’s been cold outside lately – in the 30s and 40s. In some parts of the country that’s considered warm for this time of year, but here in the SF Bay Area, that’s pretty cold for us. Anyhow, whilst enjoying a hot cup o’tea, chatting and Facebookin’, I felt this stream of cool … no … c-o-l-d  air behind me; My back was cool to the touch. I discovered that the windows (although shut) behind me were letting in the outside air. We moved into this home (new construction) about 12 years ago and I never really paid attention to how much these contractor-grade window encasements were leaking! (The picture to the right isn’t my home … I just borrowed it from the web)

inspection

Like the infamous Inspector Clueseau (Pink Panther movies), I went around the house with a smoldering inscent stick and discovered window leaks in almost every one I checked.

action

My next step now is to do some homework on the type of windows that I need to install to keep the warm in and the cold out during these winter months ahead. look out for my next posting as I seek out the best type of window (for the price).

Are you ready to join me or have suggestions?  I’d love to hear about your experiences with this …

beautiful glass tiling

beauty

Beautiful tiling doesn’t have to be expensive. Whilest searching for glass tiling for my own home, I ran across this company that has a product that is both competitively priced, great looking, and sustainable to boot! Made from 86% recycled content, you can achieve just about any look in any room throughout your home. It’s a company called Oceanside Glass Tile.

customizable

The best thing … you’re not locked into their color schemes. You can create your own mix of colors, patterns, and textures with a click of a mouse … try it out … it’s easy! Just go to: Oceanside Glass Tile  to create your custom tile palette right now. so, once you’re finished with your creation, what do you do with it? simply email your tile mix to yourself. What then you ask? Just print it out and bring it to your local Home Depot Expo store to get it ordered, made, and send to you. Can it get any easier than that?