Save Big Bucks on Your Home Energy Bill

(a.k.a. YOUR HOUSE SUCKS)
by David Van Winkle and Arthur Kuehne

This article will clearly explain how to save money and reduce your energy footprint in a cost effective manner.

We need to reduce the energy consumption in our homes for many reasons.

First, the cost of electricity is skyrocketing. In March 2005, I paid 9.5 Cents/kwh. In March 2006, the cost had increased by 58% to 15.0 cents/kwh. I have always found it interesting that most people can tell you exactly the price of gasoline on any given day, but those same people cannot tell you within 30% the cost of electricity. So, everyone reading this article should go get your last electric bill and calculate the cost/kwh.

Second, production of electricity is a major source of pollution. Coal plants produce mercury, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides. These are all substances that are unhealthy for you. Also, all fossil fuel plants produce carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 represents 80% of the greenhouse gases (GHG) that are produced by the USA. Increased GHG production is the major cause of global warming. Electricity production is largest source of CO2 output in the USA. Electricty production creates 38% of CO2, while transportation creates 32%. All other sources produce 30%.

Third, residential energy use represents 15% of all energy consumed in the USA. We can personally have an impact by taking the right, cost effective actions to reduce our energy footprint in the home.

So, let’s get started.

If you are contemplating buying or building a new home, buy/build an Energy Star home. Energy Star homes are certified by third parties to standards that ensure that home is energy efficient.

Most people will continue to live in their existing homes for while. The existing home market is a huge opportunity to save energy. In Texas, 45% of residential energy use is for heating and cooling, 24% is for hot water, and 31% is for everything else(Fridge 10%, cooking 5%, clothes drying 5%, other 11%). So, to have a big impact, we must work on heating and cooling. Your natural action would be to call your HVAC or insulation contractor to help you solve this problem. WRONG!.

Before you do anything, you need to understand your house. The same companies that perform the third party certifications for Energy Star home can perform the same service for existing homes. These companies are known as energy raters. The national organization that sets standards for these rates is RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network). Their website is www.resnet.us. A residential energy assessment looks at your house from a total system perspective and defines actions that you should take to improve its energy efficiency.

The most likely outcome of this assessment will be: YOUR HOUSE SUCKS. In other words, air is being sucked from your house to the outside. The energy assessment will tell you where you have leaks and how to fix them. For example, the average air duct leaks 30% of the air intended for your house into your attic!!! Other leaks are NOT in the most obvious places. I had an assessment done on my home and the largest leaks were related to internal walls. I would not have found these leaks in a thousand years by myself. Also, these leaks were quite inexpensive to fix. So, your first step is to have your house assessed and take correction action. It is important to have professional help in this process as you tighten your home. As your house system changes, others issues change, such as moisture management.

Once you have taken your corrective actions to create a tight home, you can consider other actions. This list of other actions could include: 1) More insulation, 2) Install Compact florescent lights, 3) More efficient appliances, 4) More efficient and correctly sized HVAC.