Whole House Conservation

Did you know that the average U.S. family spends close to $1,300 a year on their home electric bills? Unfortunately, a large part of that energy is wasted. The good news, though, is that a few inexpensive energy-saving measures can cut your home energy bills by 10 to 50 percent.

The key to achieving these savings is a whole-house energy efficiency plan. To take a whole-house approach, view your home as an energy system with interdependent parts. For example, your heating system is not just a furnace -- it's a heat-delivery system that starts at the furnace and delivers heat through a network of ducts. You may have a top-of-the-line, energy-efficient furnace, but if the ducts leak and are uninsulated, you're wasting energy. Taking a whole-house approach to saving energy will help ensure that dollars you invest in energy are wisely spent.

Energy-efficient improvements not only make your home more comfortable, they can yield long-term financial rewards. Reduced operating costs more than make up for the cost of most improvements. In addition, your home will likely have a higher resale value.

Do-it-yourself energy audit
The first step to taking a whole-house energy efficiency approach is to find out which parts of your house use the most energy. A home do-it-yourself energy audit will show you where these are. With a simple "walk-through" you can spot many problems with any type of house. When auditing your home, keep a checklist of areas you have inspected and problems you find.

Seal air leaks
First make a list of obvious air leaks or drafts. An air leak means that heated indoor air is being sucked outside and replaced with cold outdoor air. That's a waste of energy -- and money.

  • Check to see if air can flow through electrical outlets, switch plates, window frames, baseboards, weather-stripping around doors, fireplace dampers, attic hatches, and wall- or window-mounted air conditioners. It's easy to check -- just hold your hand up to them and feel for drafts.
  • Check for indoor air leaks such as gaps along the baseboard or edge of the flooring and at junctions of the walls and ceiling.
  • Look for gaps around pipes and wires, electrical outlets, foundation seals, and mail slots.
  • Check to see if the caulking and weather-stripping are in good condition and applied properly with no gaps or cracks.
  • Don't forget to inspect windows and doors for air leaks. If you can rattle windows or see even a sliver of daylight around door or window frames, then heated air is escaping. You can usually seal these leaks with caulking or weather-stripping. You might also replace old windows and doors with newer, high-performance ones or install low-cost plastic sheets over the windows.
  • Don't forget the outside of the house. Plug and caulk holes or penetrations for faucets, pipes, electric outlets, and wiring. Find and seal cracks and holes in the mortar, foundation and siding also.
    Check ducts
    Check your ducts for dirt streaks, especially near seams. These indicate air leaks that should be sealed with duct mastic (not duct tape -- it doesn't keep its seal as the duct expands and contracts). Plus, insulate any ducts or pipes that travel through unheated spaces.

    Check insulation
    You can lose a lot of heat through the ceiling and walls if insulation is inadequate. We recommend at least R-30 for ceilings, R-11 for walls, and R-19 for floors in existing homes. For new constructions, consult the county building department.

    Inspect equipment
    Inspect heating and cooling equipment annually, or as recommended by the manufacturer. If you have a forced air furnace, check and replace the filter every month or so during the heating season. A dirty furnace filter can increase the cost of both heating and cooling by as much as 10 percent.

  • Have a professional check and clean your equipment once a year. If the unit is more than 15 years old, consider replacing it with one of the newer, energy-efficient units.

    Cut lighting costs
    Lighting accounts for about 10 percent of a household's electric bill. Examine the wattage of light bulbs; you may have 100 watt (or larger) bulbs where 60 or 75 watts will do. You might also install compact fluorescent lamps in areas where lights are on for long periods. They last six to 10 times longer and use one-quarter of the energy of regular incandescent bulbs.

    For more information, contact Sharon, Klickitat PUD's Energy Services Specialist. You can call her at 509-773-7622 or toll-free at 800-548-8357.

     

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    Last updated: 12/2009
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