Easy Energy Improvements For Your Home
/BEFORE INSTALLING DOUBLE-GLAZED WINDOWS, PV CELLS, OR A SOLAR WATER HEATER, CONSIDER EASIER OPTIONS
It’s been colder this winter than expected and you’re wondering what you can do to reduce energy costs. Should you lease solar cells or invest in double-glazed windows? Or maybe a solar water heater would save money? Before you spend a lot of time exploring these great (but expensive) options, here are ten inexpensive improvements – in order of importance – that really should be done first.
1. INSULATE YOUR ATTIC TO AT LEAST R-42. If you’ve already insulated, check to see what value it is/was (California energy code minimum is R-19) and see if the insulation has settled, reducing its value. Re-insulate if necessary. Better ceiling insulation is the best improvement you can make with your energy dollars.
2. INSULATE YOUR WALLS. If you’ve been avoiding insulating your walls because you think you need to pull off finishes, think again. Blow-in insulation is not that expensive and is worth every penny in terms of energy savings. And if you have a choice between blowing the insulation from the interior or exterior side of the wall, it’s typically better to blow it in from the inside to avoid penetrating the waterproofing in the exterior walls.
3. INSULATE YOUR CRAWL SPACE. This is the least important area of your home to insulate, but it should eventually be done. Code minimum in the San Francisco Bay Area is R-19 and that’s sufficient for winters here.
4. SERVICE YOUR FURNACE BI-ANNUALLY AND CHANGE ITS FILTER ANNUALLY. This will help keep your furnace’s efficiency rating at its best. California’s required minimum efficiency is 82%, but the consumer trend is towards installing higher efficiency heaters with ratings up to 91%.
5. REPLACE YOUR FURNACE IF IT’S MORE THAN 10 YEARS OLD. Typically, ten years is the life span of any appliance. For heaters, ten years is almost three generations of technology behind current models. An upgrade to a more efficient furnace produces significant cost savings. If you have a larger home, upgrade to a 2-zone system – that is, a system that has two separately heated areas (for example, an upstairs and downstairs). ‘Zoning’ saves significantly because only the areas of the house you are using need to be heated (for example, only heat the bedrooms at night and just heat the living areas during the day or while they are being used).
6. REPLACE YOUR WATER HEATER IF IT’S MORE THAN 10 YEARS OLD. See Furnace discussion above. Here, too, the trend is toward installing higher efficiency heaters with sealed combustion or “on-demand” tankless heaters.
Note: Solar water heaters ARE one of the best uses for solar energy. However, they are very expensive compared to gas-fired models and physically, they are quite large and not appropriate where space is at a premium.
6A. UPGRADE OLD, INEFFICIENT APPLIANCES. After the furnace and water heater, old washing machines and dishwashers are most important to replace.
7. CAULK AND WEATHER SEAL ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS. This simple improvement is especially critical in older homes where checking the glass putty is also prudent. This task reduces cold drafts, heat loads on the furnace, and radiant heat loss. While you’re at it, install insulated blinds and be sure to keep them closed at night.
8. FIX LEAKY PLUMBING FIXTURES. This is a no-brainer.
9. REPLACE TOILETS WITH TWO-STAGE, LOW-FLOW TOILETS. Did you know that in California, our energy code now requires a homeowner to replace ALL the toilets, faucets, tubs, and showerheads in a home with low-flow fixtures whenever any plumbing fixtures are replaced, remodeled, or added? This is our future, so stay ahead of the curve and install two-stage toilets as soon as you can.
10. REPLACE INCANDESCENT LIGHT BULBS WITH HIGH-EFFICACY LAMPS SUCH AS FLUORESCENTS OR LEDs. Another no-brainer, especially given the high-quality light now available from these sources. Because California energy codes mandate efficient lamps in most rooms, lighting manufacturers now make a wide variety of attractive light fixtures that are energy efficient.
Now that you’ve done all the easy energy upgrades in your home, splurge on dinner! Depending on your home’s current condition, if you do most of these improvements, you'll save about 20-30% on your gas, electric, and water bills.
