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Stories from the NFCCA Newsletter, the “Northwood News” |
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Stories from the NFCCA Newsletter, the “Northwood News” |
A few weeks ago I attended the first planning meeting of the Northwood Solar Co-op. I am a Takoma Park resident but I had heard about the Northwood Group through the Save Our Sky Corn Co-op, a cooperative that uses corn and other biomass for home heating purposes. One of the key issues discussed at the meeting was the need to reduce electrical consumption through improvements in efficiency in order to correctly “size” the solar system needed and, thus, reduce the length of time it takes for the system to pay for itself (the payback time).
Several years ago, when I was trying to make the switch to renewable energy, I benefited from some good advice from solar contractors. Before installing solar panels, any reputable contractor will advise you to improve your energy efficiency first. When you do this, you stand a fighting chance at becoming energy independent (or nearly so).
My house has been my laboratory and my electric and gas bills the “data” I needed to determine what works. I was never a good candidate for solar because my 90-year-old, four-bedroom house is situated under huge American beech and oak trees. Nevertheless, I was able to reduce my average electrical use by 66 percent from baseline. I currently use about 250 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity in spring, fall, and winter and 500 kWh during the hottest summer months when I need the air conditioner. That translates to about $35 a month for the cooler months and $80 a month for three summer months, and that is with a higher rate for 100 percent wind power purchased through the Montgomery County Clean Rewards Program. In this article, I will summarize the lessons I have learned from my own (ongoing) journey to reduce my carbon footprint and my electric bill. My favorite online websites for gadgetry and energy efficient products are provided at the end of the article.
One hears a lot of talk about lighting, perhaps because it is the easiest place to start. Your incandescent bulbs and halogen lamps need to find their way to Value Village. Anything that burns hot to the touch is enormously inefficient. Replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) or bulbs made of light emitting diodes (LEDs). They now make these bulbs to fit any fixture, even recessed (can) lights, chandeliers, track lights, lights for art and china cabinets, spotlights for outdoor security lights, refrigerator lights, and under the kitchen cabinet lights. Strosnider’s and Home Depot carry a range of sizes and shapes of CFLs and models that work with dimmer switches. LEDs are more difficult to find but can be purchased online.
You can also purchase powerful solar landscaping and security lighting online. Home Depot also carries a model of security light with a motion sensor. For outdoor areas that get little sun, consider a battery-operated, high-intensity light with a motion sensor. I have several of these positioned in places where I need a bit of task lighting for short periods and where I need extra security lighting.
Obviously, turn off lights in rooms when not in use. If you cannot manage this, consider installing motion sensors that switch off the light after a certain period of time when no movement in the room is detected. Some motion sensors screw into the fixture and the bulb directly into the sensor.
“Phantom loads” are those household appliances that burn electricity even when they are off. These include the usual suspects: televisions, stereo equipment, and computers, printers, and other peripherals. They also include smoke detectors, doorbells, microwave ovens, MP3 players, cell phone chargers, power tool chargers, cordless telephones, security systems, and alarm clocks. Anything with a black box adaptor plug (such as a cell phone charger) or a little indicator light is running up your electric bill even when not in use. Unfortunately, we Americans have been convinced by the companies that want us to buy all these gadgets that the amount of energy use is infinitesimal. However, when you add it all up, the power they use is significant. Add it up across all households in Silver Spring — you get my drift.
Here is what you do:
Hot water heater tanks need to be wrapped in an insulating blanket. These are available at Strosnider’s and Home Depot for about $10. Turn the electricity or gas down to the lowest setting that allows your family members to have a comfortable shower without having to turn on the cold water. Usually 120 degrees works for most people and it is much safer if you have little kids in the house.
Install a programmable thermostat for your central AC and heat. They cost about $50 or less and are quite easy to install. Set the AC to 85 degrees when people are out during the day. About a half hour before the evening hour when people start returning from work or school, set the thermostat for 78 degrees to return the house to a comfortable temperature. During the winter, set the thermostat for 68 degrees when people are home and 50 degrees when they are out. If you have animals, you might want to keep the house a little warmer. If you have a corn or wood stove for heat, you probably turn the boiler or furnace down much lower.
For those who like to really ratchet down electrical use, consider going back to non-electrical lighting and appliances. Lehman’s hardware — which caters to the Amish community — sells non-electrical floor sweepers, food choppers and processors, cake beaters, waffle irons, oil lamps, clotheslines, and a host of other products that can help you live free of fossil fuel. I realize this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but do consider the added benefits of energy independence, especially in power outages.
Most people are not concerned about little air leaks. But some houses have so many tiny air leaks that they add up to the equivalent of leaving a window or door open to the outside. You need to seal the conditioned space of your home from the unconditioned space to reduce air leakage. Get a case of clear silicon or caulk and plug up any obvious holes where plumbing and electrical lines come into the house. Seal around windows, doors, and baseboards. Seal around duct work and use foam insulation gaskets (available at Home Depot) behind electrical switchplates. Outlets should be plugged with baby safety plug-ins to avoid air leaks through the electrical outlets. Go outside and seal the space underneath the siding and the foundation of the house. Go into the basement and seal the space between the rim joists and the foundation (this in older homes may be so great you can see daylight; if that is the case, then use spray foam). You may also benefit from insulating the space in the basement around rim/ribbon joists.
Make sure you are not losing heat up the chimney of your fireplace. Plug it with a balloon device for that purpose.
Be sure you have adequate weather-stripping around doors and windows. After fussing for years with the products available at local stores, I found a product online that I like much better. Be sure to install door sweeps to prevent air leaking in from the bottom of exterior doors. Also effective are insulating curtains and blinds.
Insulation was one of the best investments I ever made. Nowadays there are lots of “green” choices such as water-based foam, recycled blue jeans, fiberglass (John Mansfield is the only fiberglass product that does not off-gas formaldehyde), blown-in cellulose (recycled newspaper treated with boric acid as a fire retardant), and reflective insulation made from aluminum and plastic air bubble paper. I use all but the recycled blue jean insulation in my home.
Insulate your hot water pipes and air conditioner duct work. Make sure to seal any leaks in duct work, as this can greatly reduce the efficiency of your system. Also, be sure to clean the filter once a month when in use. Dirty filters make the system run inefficiently.
Replacement windows are great but, like everything else, you probably should think about how they factor into your long-range plan and do the low-cost stuff with a quick payback time first. Do not believe the hype about window replacements. The motto is “buyer beware.” First, not all replacement windows are Energy Star rated. Get the ones that are Energy Star rated, have at least a 15-year guarantee, and have a good Consumer Report rating. Second, replacement windows will probably not pay for themselves. However, you may get a tax break for installing them if they have an Energy Star rating.
Many people can benefit from a home energy audit using a blower door test. Alternatively, you can often locate the source of air leaks by walking around your house on a windy day with a stick of incense. Think carefully before shelling out the money for an infrared test (an infrared photograph of the outside of your home to determine where heat is escaping). It isn’t cheap and it will not surprise you that you are losing heat through windows, around doors, and up the chimney!
Below is a list of websites you will find helpful:
© 2008 NFCCA [Source: https://nfcca.org/news/nn200810k.html]