Let's Put Order to Chaos

Before reading this post, take a look over the past 6 entries. Everything that we have talked about thus far has been the basics of building efficiency - covering insulation, ducting, HVAC, lighting, and windows. With a good understanding of these 5 topics, you are prepared to begin making your home more energy efficient. However, these measures are not always effective by themselves, but instead only save money when coupled with another energy conservation measures. This week we are going to talk about getting your home efficient in the most safe and economic way.

>Jason: You cant just buy any "energy efficient" product and expect it to save you money. That only works in the world of smooth-talking salespeople who want your money. For example, installing windows out of order can acutally make your home unsafe, and not save you a penny. Fortunately, there is one measure that can be done all by itself, and that is high-efficiency lighting. As a lighting expert, I know that most homes older than 10 years are using primarily incandescent, or regular, light bulbs. These bulbs might produce a nice-looking light in your living room, and admittedly, I use several in my home. The drawback is that they consume four times the electricity of a compact fluorescent light (CFL). Today, CFLs are cheaper than incandescent lights, last longer, look brighter, turn on instantly and save the average home $9-12 per year per bulb. The best news is that you can change your lights at any time and it will still save you $9-12 per year. CFLs are the cheapest, quickest way to save money on your electric bill, and if you have more than 25 light bulbs in your home right now, changing them out will cost you no more than $20, but you will likely more than $200 in your first year, if you turn lights off. If your lights are on a lot, that savings is significantly higher. Sounds good? Get to work.



>Ken: What a lot of people don't realize is that doing some of the other energy saving measures in the wrong order can end up not helping like it should in efficiency, and can actually make your home a more dangerous place to live in. How can this be? If you have very leaky ducting (and a vast majority of them are!) you DO NOT want to replace your windows before sealing the ducting. Leaky ductwork creates a negative pressure in your home, when you increase the tightness of the home by installing dual pane windows, the air that was being pulled in through your previously leaky windows must be made up somewhere. This will happen through any source to the outside, such as a water heater flue, or fireplace flue, or range hood. Carbon monoxide can be pulled into the home and create a very dangerous environment for you to live in. Sealing the ducting should be one of the first things you do. If you have an old air-conditioner (over 15 years of age), you may want to consider changing that out at the same time. In the state of California, if you change the AC unit the ducting must be sealed at the same time by the contractor.

>Jason: That makes sense Ken. Of course, once the HVAC is complete, you will want to blow in more insulation into your attic, but only after your HVAC is done. You see, insulation, HVAC and even windows are all climate control measures, designed to give you comfortable air. So you want your house to keep the air once it has been conditioned to your comfort. See the insulation post for more details about good insulation.

>Ken: Lastly, windows should be the final measure taken. You get the least amount of energy savings for the highest cost. OK, I think we are getting a little long winded here, so let's wrap this up by just saying, if you have any doubt about how to go about upgrading your home always look for a contractor that treats your home as a unit. He or she will do a whole house diagnostic which will tell them what is going on in your home and what measures and in what order they should be accomplished.. remember, always be energy smart!