Now that Spring is upon us, we need to start thinking about making changes that will save energy during cooling season. One of the things that can make a difference is shading your outdoor HVAC unit. At our first house, the unit was located on the south side of the house and received full sun [...]
I’ll admit that I don’t think much about maintaining my air conditioning unit. That is, until it doesn’t work. Just a few months after my first daughter was born, our air conditioner quit working during a particularly warm week in May. With temperatures climbing into the upper 80’s, we were living in a poorly insulated [...]
Clothes drying is one of the most energy intensive tasks we undertake on a daily basis. Dryers use a tremendous amount of energy, heating not only our clothes but our houses, often during the hottest months of the year.
As a family with two small daughters who love to change clothes numerous times per day, the [...]
A family member of mine just purchased a home. It’s around 10 years old, so the house shouldn’t be very drafty, right? The local electric utility offers low cost blower door tests which uncover air leaks throughout the house. These air leaks add up to costly energy bills whether its summer or winter. The [...]
Mother Earth News has a great article on 8 Easy Projects for Instant Energy Savings. The author lists 8 projects that cost $400 to implement that generate an estimated annual savings of over $900.
Many of these projects I have already talked about or will in more detail in the future. The article is proof that [...]
Take ten minutes and walk around your house to make sure all air vents and air returns are free of obstructions. Not only does this make your HVAC system run more efficiently, it will make sure that the air you are paying to heat/cool actually makes it to the place you need it.
Removing obstructions [...]
A few months ago, I helped a friend add approximately 6 inches of cellulose insulation to his attic. It’s an intimidating project at first, but it turned out to be a very reasonable weekend project.
It was much less expensive than I expected, and adding that much insulaltion will improve the comfort and energy efficiency [...]
Here’s a great spring time project that we should all do once a year - check your windows for gaps in caulking/sealant. Seemingly little gaps, when multiplied across numerous windows can add up to big energy losses. This is a very simple project that can be completed in just an hour or two.
Caulking around [...]
Lightbulb wattage that is. Use the lowest wattage bulb that will get the job done in your light fixtures. This isn’t too important in fixtures that aren’t used much. However, in light fixtures that are used often, the energy usage can far outweigh the additional light produced.
For example, we have a light fixture in our [...]
In my research on insulation for our new home, I stumbled upon the concept of “California T’s & Corners”. The concept refers to framing techniques that allow for exterior walls to be better insulated than with common framing methods. Here’s how it works:
Wood is a poor insulator. In your walls, studs are located every 16″. [...]