As my family and co-workers will readily attest, I looked forward to my energy audit with disturbing anticipation after I made the appointment about a month ago. I was nearly giddy at the thought of having all my energy-efficiency questions answered: Should I replace my windows? Insulate? Wrap my water heater? Were there huge drafts in my basement that I didn’t know about?
It was a bit like waiting for a first date with someone who came highly recommended. Only with the promise of lower utility bills instead of ... well. Other things.
I was sure this guy would have answers. But there were a few things I didn’t know.
For one thing, I didn’t know he’d look like Wade Boggs. (To baseball fans of a certain age: Aw yeah! Ol’ chicken-chomping panty-lover himself! To everyone else: You had to be there.) I also learned a few other things during the two hours he spent in my drafty house.
1. Utilities are generous ... to a point. When I wrote my post about replacing windows, some readers suggested an energy audit first. I was daunted by the cost, which can be a few hundred dollars, but I discovered that my utility offers free audits through a third-party company. Sweet. This is true in many, many places, and you should see if it’s true in your town—and then, if you can, find out just what services they cover. Because the auditor pointed out something that makes sense, but that I hadn’t really thought about: Utilities can choose how fancy an audit they feel like subsidizing. I think in my case, it was a pretty bare bones version—down to the basement, up to the attic, measure the windows, squint at things, crunch some numbers. But a utility in a nearby town, the auditor told me, has shelled out for infrared scans for any customer. Others subsidize the blower door test, a sort of whole-house draft detector that I now covet.
2. Infrared offers insights ... sometimes. The auditor said infrared scans—which show how much energy a house is losing, and where—are really only useful in a very warm or very cold situation, when the difference between the inside and outside temperatures is enough to register. I can’t confirm this elsewhere, though it sounds logical enough. Science types, please feel free to weigh in.
3. The ol’ “wrap your hot-water heater” tip is out of date. Most heaters are now built with insulation, but some still need that extra love. So how can you tell whether you need to take this step? According to the feds, if your hot-water heater is warm to the touch, it needs to be insulated, and a blanket or jacket can be had for a measly $10 to $20. Either way, keeping it set at 120 (or lower, if you can hack it) will save energy and money.
4. Commercial building managers overlook the obvious. My auditor said he does more commercial than residential audits, and that the companies he visits still need to make really simple, but cost-effective, changes—things like not running the air conditioning all weekend, or turning the lights out when no one’s in the building. Green walls may be more fun, but corporate America could make big gains just by flipping off the lights.
4.5. I have work to do. The good news is, my fella and I just took the plunge and insulated our attic, after two years of muttering about it. But now we need to insulate the basement. Get the furnace inspected, and possibly replaced. Add insulation to the walls (ulp). And do something about those windows.
I spend much of my time at Grist editing columns and videos that cheerily advise our users to take all these steps. But actually doing it? That’s a house of a different color.
Home Economics of the JP Green House, Part 1
Slideshow: Reinventing the JP Green House
The Wind Kids: How high school students helped bring a wind farm to Milford, Utah
Comments
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Peter Troast Posted 10:52 am
16 Oct 2009
http://www.energycircle.com/learn/home-energy-audits
Some specific pts on your 4.5:
1. There is a big difference between a whole house audit by a certified pro and a free utility walk through. The blower door test will identify air leakage issues that most houses have. Fixing this is where the real return is.
2. The infrared specialists we talk to say a temp differential of 10-12 degrees is enough. Somewhat dependent on the sensitivity of the camera, which are becoming more and more sophisticated. In our audit, we got big big learnings from the infrared.
3. Yeah, the old wrap the heater solution is passe. But there will very likely be plenty of simple things like that that you can jump on quickly and easily.
4. In some ways, a great residential auditor has to be more sophisticated. The solutions are many, the physics of air and moisture in your house are not trivial, and there are dangerous things like carbon monoxide and mold to know about.
4.5 Us too. But we got started, and our energy use is down already.
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margie46 Posted 8:50 pm
16 Oct 2009
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KJ Posted 11:50 am
16 Oct 2009
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margie46 Posted 8:46 pm
16 Oct 2009
After comparing the energy audit results and recommendations of three different contractors in 2006, I chose one of the companies to complete the majority of work that needed to be done to make my home more energy efficient. (Other contractors completed smaller jobs.) The main contractor initiated the paperwork necessary for me to receive not only a $6,000 Energy Star grant, but also a 4% low interest loan through NYSERDA. Here is a list of the work done:
1. Replaced 1950s era gas furnace with new high efficiency model
2. Replaced a nearly 20-year-old refrigerator with an Energy Star model
3. Replaced a 1970s era (avocado anyone?) washer with Energy Star model
4. Replaced 4 ten+ year old low-quality vinyl windows with Energy Star windows (remainder of windows already replaced with triple-pane vinyl windows)
5. Replaced 6 single pane basement windows with glass block windows
6. Added AirKrete ® http://www.airkrete.com/ insulation in all exterior walls
7. Added foam insulation to all rim joists, and under house wing over garage
8. Replaced rear and side exterior doors (front door already replaced)
9. Finished installation of Hunter Cool-Vent TM panels on roof over vaulted ceilings http://www.hpanels.com/pages/cool-vent_articles.html
I now have a years worth of data on the resulting energy savings, from my local utilitys website showing my home's energy use over the past two years. My gas usage in therms decreased by 25%. My electricity use in kWh decreased by 44%. Not too shabby, and I still have things to tweak!
My electric use over the year (12/07-11/08) has been 3,383 KWH, which is 44% less than before all the work was done. 3,383 KWH times .095 rate for renewable/green electricity = $321.38 + RG&E delivery charges (varies). My gas use of the year was 522 therms. That is 25% less than it was before the improvements. 522 therms times $1.305 per therm = $681.21 + RG&E delivery charges (varies). All totaled, my utility bills over the last year were about $1480.00. [This would be a lot easier to figure out without RG&E's separate delivery charges!] RG&E = Rochester Gas & Electric.
Information also available on http://www.Project-HOUSE.us
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MarkAB Posted 3:21 am
19 Oct 2009
That was a great post and report! Thanks for the inspiration and for "leading by example".
M.
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Joel S. Posted 2:02 pm
20 Oct 2009
Thanks for all the specific numbers. It appears that you're saving approximately $600-700 a year on your utility bills. Can you share with us how much you needed to invest to garner those savings? Cost isn't the only deciding factor of course, but it would be interesting to know what the payback timeframe is for this kind of thing.
Joel S.
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margie46 Posted 5:07 pm
22 Oct 2009
Oh you would have to ask ;-)
I'm sure my cost was NOT typical, and every home is different. Some of my upgrades could also be considered repairs.
Adding in the triple pane windows I had put in around 2003 or 2004 (I did have single pane aluminum framed windows), it was probably $20,000, minus a $6000 state grant from NYSERDA (NYS Energy Research & Development Authority). But, not only am I saving energy, I am saving the intergrity of my house, as, for instance, the roof was so bad that the edge of the roof deck and the ends of the roof beams were rotting. I'm sure energy will only go up in cost, so I am comfortable with my investment.
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Energy Audit Missouri Posted 3:57 pm
22 Oct 2009
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