With high temps in the 80s over the past few weeks here in Virginia, there’s no question that Spring and Summer are on their way into the region. And with that, it means time to get outside and start working on the house for some energy efficiency cooling measures.

Cutting the grass, mulching, weed-pulling, repainting the mailbox, and cleaning your gutters are all on the high priority list.

But this year, add a few more to the list:

1.  Change your air filters.

2.  Plant deciduous trees near your AC unit, to cool the air that your unit uses.

3.  Check around your house for cracks and leaks (Can you see light through the crevice around your door? You might need some weather stripping).

4.  Check to make sure the insulation under your house hasn’t fallen out from the floor joists.

5.  Clean your ceiling fan blades, and make sure the air is blowing downwards when the fan is on.

6.  Change your light bulbs to CFL lights (Think about all the money you can save!).

7.  Open your foundation vents.

And here is our popular video on Summer Energy Savings Tips.

Posted by Stephen,  www.dom.com

If the video does not open for you, try this link,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0EZ3nxXctg

About Dominion

Dominion is one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 28,200 megawatts of generation, 11,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,300 miles of electric transmission lines.

Dominion operates the nation’s largest natural gas storage system with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 15 states.

Dominion practices environmental stewardship and contributes more than $20 million annually to the environment, education, arts and culture, and health and human services, and energy efficiency.

Dominion’s strategy is to be a leading provider of electricity, natural gas and related services to customers in the energy-intensive Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the U.S., a potential market of 50 million homes and businesses where 40 percent of the nation’s energy is consumed.

Now that pilot studies show that installed heat-pump water heaters are performing fairly well, it might be time to buy one.

Heat-pump water heaters are about twice as efficient as electric-resistance water heaters. They are also taller; this Voltex model from A.O. Smith is almost 7 feet tall.

The least expensive way to heat domestic hot water is with natural gas. Homes without access to natural gas usually choose an electric water heater, since electricity is generally cheaper than propane.

Although most electric water heaters use electric resistance elements to heat water, a more efficient method uses a heat pump — in other words, a device that heats the water using a compressor like the one found in a refrigerator or air conditioner. While a refrigerator transfers heat from the interior of the refrigerator to the room where the refrigerator is located — in effect, heating the room — a heat-pump water heater transfers heat from the room to a tank of water — in effect, cooling the room.

Heat-pump water heaters need backup elements

Compared to an electric-resistance water heater, the main benefit of a heat-pump water heater is energy efficiency. While the efficiency of electric resistance elements is 100% — all of the electrical energy sent to a resistance element is converted into heat — the efficiency of an air-source heat pump can be as high as 250%. The heat-pump isn’t making heat — it’s transferring heat from the air to the water. A heat pump is capable of transferring more energy than the energy required to run it.

The type of heat pump use for heat-pump water heaters can’t heat water as quickly as electric resistance elements, however. While the electric-resistance elements in a typical water heater can heat 20 gallons per hour, a heat pump can only manage about 8 gallons per hour (or even less, if the ambient air temperature is below 68°F).

To make up for this basic deficiency in heat-pump performance, heat-pump water heaters are equipped with electric resistance elements that are energized whenever the heat pump can’t keep up with the demand for hot water. This feature improves the performance of the unit but introduces an energy penalty.

Most heat-pump water heaters have controls that allow a homeowner to choose one of three modes of operation:

1.  Heat-pump-only mode (a mode that is energy-efficient, but that doesn’t allow long showers).

2.  Hybrid mode (heat-pump operation plus electric resistance backup).

3.  Electric-resistance-only mode (a mode that you could choose during cold weather, when you might not want the appliance to cool the space where it is located).

Heat-pump water heaters are clearly more efficient than electric resistance water heaters. Possible side benefits include dehumidification of the room where the unit is located, and space cooling (a side effect which is beneficial in hot weather but potentially problematic during the winter).

Measuring the efficiency of electric water heaters

Electric water heaters (both electric-resistance water heaters and heat-pump water heaters) are rated with an Energy Factor (EF) that is based on a standardized laboratory test procedure. The EF rating is the ratio of the energy delivered to the water divided by the energy used by the water heater. An EF test takes 24 hours; the testing standard specifies the volume and spacing of the hot water draws, as well as the temperature of the hot water and the ambient temperature of the room. An EF rating takes into account standby losses but not distribution (piping) losses.

A typical EF for a heat-pump water heater ranges from 2.0 to 2.5, while a typical EF for an electric-resistance water heater is 0.9. (The EF of an electric resistance water heater is always less than 1.0, due to standby losses through the tank insulation and at the pipe connections.)

While a unit’s EF must be measured in a laboratory, researchers can calculate a water heater’s coefficient of performance (COP) in any location where the unit is installed, as long as the proper monitoring equipment is in place. While the EF of an appliance is fixed, the COP of an installed water heater will vary, depending on the ambient temperature of the room where it is installed and the water use habits of the family using the water heater.

A heat-pump water heater with a COP of 1.8 is twice as efficient as an electric-resistance water heater with a COP of 0.9.

Factors that affect performance

A recent pilot study by researchers from Steven Winters Associates monitored the performance of 14 heat-pump water heaters installed in the basements of 14 homes in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The study was sponsored by three electric utilities: National Grid, NSTAR, and Cape Light Compact. Robb Aldrich presented the results of the study on March 7, 2012 at the NESEA-sponsored Building Energy 12 conference in Boston.

The monitored water heaters included ten GE GeoSpring units, two A.O. Smith Voltex units, and two Stiebel Eltron Accelera 300 units. The water heaters were installed in older existing homes, not new high-performance homes.

The cost to operate a heat-pump water heater is hard to predict, because performance depends on the ambient temperatures of the room where it is located and the percentage of time that the electric resistance element is on.

The researchers identified the following factors that affect the performance and efficiency of heat-pump water heaters:

The higher the ambient temperature in the room where the unit is located, the better its performance and the better its energy efficiency. A unit that might perform at a COP of 2.35 at 68°F will only perform at a COP of 1.8 at 50°F.

The units installed in homes that used a lot of hot water (up to a point) had a higher COP than those installed in low-use homes. “If you don’t use much hot water, your COP is low due to the standby losses,” said Aldrich. “If you use more, the standby losses are smaller, so the COP is higher.”

Large volume draws of hot water cause the electric-resistance elements to kick in, thereby lowering the COP. “Concentrated draws of hot water make it hard for the heat pump to keep up,” said Aldrich. “A larger tank or a hotter tank might solve this problem.”

Energy use monitoring data

The measured performance of the 14 heat-pump water heaters enrolled in the study was fairly good. On average, the monitored COP was 1.9 — meaning that the units were more than twice as efficient as an electric-resistance water heater operating at a COP of 0.9.

The best-performing unit (located in a warm basement) had an average COP of 2.6, while the worst-performing unit (located in a small room in a very cold basement) had an average COP of only 1.0.

Where would I put a heat-pump water heater?

There are three places where you might put a heat-pump water heater:

1.  If you live in a warm climate and you have an attached garage, put it in the garage.

2.  If you don’t have an attached garage or you live in a cold climate, put it in the basement.

3.  If you don’t have an attached garage or a basement, put it in a utility room — as long as the utility room is big enough.

It’s important to note that these three locations aren’t equivalent, and the performance of the heat-pump water heater will vary depending on the conditions of the room where it is installed. Many homes don’t have a good place to put a heat-pump water heater.

Before you can install a heat-pump water heater, you need to be sure that you can fulfill all of these requirements:

You need a room that is big enough; most heat-pump water heater manufacturers advise that the room should measure at least 750 or 1,000 cubic feet, although at least one manufacturer allows its unit to be installed in a room measuring only 500 cubic feet. Remember, in a small room, performance will suffer.

Ideally, the room will stay above 50°F all year long; however, if the temperature dips lower occasionally, your water heater will still work, although its efficiency will drop.

The room’s ceiling must be high enough to accommodate the water heater. Heat-pump water heaters are taller than electric-resistance water heaters. These units range in height from 63 inches for the G.E. unit to 82 inches for the A.O. Smith unit. Check the manufacturer’s specs before placing your order.

The location must allow for the installation of a condensate drain. If a gravity drain (a floor drain) isn’t possible, you’ll need a condensate pump. Since a 120-volt condensate pump that is plugged into a GFCI receptacle will stop working every time the GFCI has a nuisance trip, you probably want to order a 240-volt condensate pump and have it hard-wired.

The proposed location must be roomy enough to allow for proper airflow around the unit and for proper maintenance of the filter, the condensate drain, and other parts.

The temperature of the room in which the unit is installed will drop when it is operating, by anywhere from 2 F° to 6 F° — and perhaps even more during heavy draws of hot water. The location should therefore be one where such temperature drops don’t lead to comfort problems.

The location must be far enough away from occupied areas (especially bedrooms) to prevent noise complaints. “The sound level is about 60 decibels,” said Aldrich. “That’s like a window air conditioner — louder than a refrigerator.”

According to most researchers, garage installations are usually the best. Garages are big, and it’s unlikely that there will be any complaints due to the unit’s cooling effect or noise. Of course, if you live in a climate that is cold enough to freeze pipes in your garage, you’ll have to find somewhere else to put it.

How much space heat do they steal?

Clearly, a heat-pump water heater scavenges heat from ambient air, thereby cooling the space where it is located. However, this is not always a problem.

It’s not a problem in a garage.

In a hot climate, even if the heat-pump water heater is located inside a home’s conditioned space, the unit’s cooling effect will be welcome for most of the year.

In a cold climate, a heat-pump water heater installed inside a home’s conditioned space will rob space heat, forcing the home’s furnace or boiler to work a little harder.

In the worst-case scenario, all of the heat scavenged by the water heater during the winter is robbed from a home’s conditioned space. However, if the unit is installed in a basement, it’s unlikely that the space heating system will need to supply all of the heat scavenged by the heat pump. After all, most basements aren’t heated directly; all they receive is indirect heat.

Assuming that the basement in not used as living space, some but not all of the heat scavenged by the water heater will come from the furnace, and the basement will stay a few degrees cooler than it would have been otherwise. For many homeowners, cooler basement temperatures aren’t a problem. The fact that there is a slightly higher delta-T between the first floor and the basement will have only a very small effect on the home’s heating load.

Quantifying these interactions is extremely tricky. “It’s a crazy thing to try to model,” said Robb Aldrich. “So what we have done is to try to bracket it. If the heat-pump water heater robs no heat from the space” — for example, if the unit is in a garage — “then all the measured electrical savings are really savings. On the other hand, the worst-case scenario would be if the heat-pump water heater operated in resistance-only mode for six months of the year.

That’s unlikely; it’s the worst-case scenario. What this means is that from the standpoint of energy consumption, a heat-pump water heater is almost always going to be better than just electric resistance, and often quite a bit better. Yes, the heat is coming from the space during the winter, but not every BTU that you take from the basement needs to be replaced by the heating system; that percentage will vary widely.”

Can the exhaust air be ducted outdoors?

At least one heat-pump water heater manufacturer (AirGenerate of Houston, Texas) allows the exhaust air from the heat pump to be ducted to the outdoors. The idea is that if your heat-pump water heater is making your utility room too cold, you might want to send the cold exhaust air somewhere else.

There’s only one problem with this approach. According to David Kresta, a project manager at the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance in Portland, Oregon, the temperature of the exhaust air coming off of a heat-pump water heater is in the range of 45°F to 60°F.

If you send all of that exhaust air out of the house, an equal volume of makeup air will enter the house from the outdoors. If the outdoor temperature is lower than the temperature of your exhaust air, you’ve made your house even colder than it would have been if you had exhausted the heat-pump inside your house.

Not only that, but the exhaust fan will have to work a little harder (and use a little more electricity) to send the exhaust air through ductwork than it would to just blow the air in your utility room.

How much will I save?

Robb Aldrich calculates that a family in New England could save between $40 and $270 per year by switching from an electric-resistance water heater to a heat-pump water heater. That calculation is based on a family that uses 35 gallons of hot water per day, with an electricity cost of 17 cents/kWh. (If you pay only 8.5 cents/kWh, your savings will only be half as much, of course.)

The low end of the savings scale ($40 per year) is for a heat-pump water heater installed in a bad location (a small, cold room). The high end of the savings scale ($270) is for a unit installed in a good location (a large, warm room).

According to Aldrich, the incremental cost to install a heat pump water heater (compared to an electric resistance water heater) varies from $1,400 to $2,700, depending upon which model was installed.

One of the reports that was issued by the Steven Winters researchers — “Measure Guideline: Heat Pump Water Heaters in New and Existing Homes” — includes a table with somewhat more optimistic conclusions that those summarized by Aldrich during his presentation. (Presumably, the optimistic assumption is based on avoiding bad installations in small, cold rooms.) According to the optimistic assumptions, a family using 35 gallons of hot water per day can expect annual energy savings of 1,750 kWh. If electricity costs 12.6 cents/kWh, the annual saving is $221, and the payback period is 6.6 years (based on a relatively low incremental cost of $1,458 to install the heat-pump water heater).

Families that use more than 35 gallons of hot water per day can expect a shorter payback period.

Choosing a heat-pump water heater

When it comes to integrated heat-pump water heaters — that is, units that come with a tank — five models dominate the market:

1.  AirGenerate makes the ATI50 (with a 50-gallon tank) and the ATI66 (with a 66-gallon tank). The larger unit costs about $1,900 to $2,000; it has an EF of 2.40 and a first-hour rating of 75 gallons.

2.  A.O. Smith makes the Voltex in two sizes (60 gallon and 80 gallon). The larger unit costs about $1,850 to $2,100; its EF is 2.33 and its first-hour rating is 84 gallons.

3.  General Electric makes the GeoSpring. It has a 50-gallon tank and costs about $1,200 to $1,500. Its EF is 2.35 and its first-hour rating is 63 gallons.

4.  Rheem makes the HP-40 (with a 40-gallon tank) and HP-50 (with a 50-gallon tank). The larger unit costs about $1,300; it has an EF 2.0 of and a first-hour rating of 67 gallons.

5.  Stiebel Eltron makes the Accelera 300. It has an 80-gallon tank and costs about $2,400. Its EF is 2.51 and its first-hour rating is 78 gallons.

All of the researchers I talked to emphasized the benefits of a large tank size, so don’t buy the G.E. unit, the Rheem unit, or the smaller AirGenerate unit. “Bigger and hotter tanks are better,” said Aldrich. “It’s counterintuitive.”

According to “Measure Guideline: Heat Pump Water Heaters in New and Existing Homes” by C. Shapiro, S. Puttagunta, and D. Owens, “The units with smaller tanks demonstrated difficulty in maintaining hot water delivery in high demand situations, even if their electric resistance elements are used.

The units with larger tanks provide a buffer in times of high demand and therefore are expected to use their heat pump for recovery, rather than reverting to electric resistance heating to maintain outlet temperature. The result is more efficient operation and better performance in terms of availability of hot water. In households with more than two occupants, a HPWH with a larger tank will likely be a better option.”

One other factor to consider: only one manufacturer (AirGenerate) makes a heat-pump water heater with a stainless-steel tank. The material used by the other four manufacturers is enameled steel. In most cases, stainless-steel tanks last longer than enameled-steel tanks.

How long will they last?

We don’t yet know how long the current generation of heat-pump water heaters will last. Nor do we know which parts will fail first — the controls, the compressor, or the tank.

When I asked Aldrich about the longevity of these units, he said, “That’s a big question. I am cautiously optimistic. Ten or 12 years ago, we did a study of the early models available, and we noticed failures during the first few years after the units were installed. We are not seeing anything like that now with the newer units. The controls are more robust. If you think of a refrigerator, how long does a fridge last?”

So I asked a follow-up question: “Well, would you put one in your own house?”

He answered, “If I didn’t have natural gas — yes, I would.”

original article at    greenbuildingadvisor.com

As a way to help conserve the environment, power conservation is one of the way to achieve that and it looks like our home electronics will be playing a part in helping us do that. Last year, the US Department of Energy challenged inventors to come up with a low-cost, but highly-efficient incandescent light bulb that would ultimately replace the 40 watt incandescent light bulbs that will be banned come 2014.

Philips took the prize home with their LED lightbulb that not only boasted an extremely impressive lifespan of 20 years, but it would only burn 10 watts of electricity.

The good news is that come this Sunday, the environmentally conscious will be able to start replacing their light bulbs with Philips’. According to the rules of the competition, the light bulb will have to hit a price point of $22 within its first year of availability.

The light bulb was originally priced at $60, although Philips has since discounted it down to $50 and are working with utility companies to offer rebates of $20-$30 to hit that $22 mark. In any case, the LED lightbulb will go on sale this Sunday but if they’re still a bit too expensive for your tastes, compact fluorescent lamp bulbs will offer up the same energy efficiency at a much more affordable $5.

There are a number of companies selling electric heaters that imply that you will save a great deal of money, some even claim you will cut your costs by 50%. This is extremely misleading. It is sort of like claiming “Save 100% on your heating bills*” where * = “don’t turn it on”. It isn’t a fraud, but is certainly misleading.

Examples are EdenPure, iHeater, so called Amish heaters, the chinese made Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow (their marketing material is the most honest of the bunch).

All portable electric heaters consume electricity and degrade it into heat. All are 100% efficient for one obvious reason. The heat has nowhere else to go except into the room. Anyone that makes a claim otherwise, especially outrageous ones like “10x more efficient than a space heater”, is making a fraudulent claim.

Here we see some typical claims — let’s examine them:

a)  no combustion, flames or fumes.This is true of all electric appliances, including your coffee maker unless something is terribly wrong.

b) less electricity than a coffee maker. If this is true, then it will give off less heat than your coffee maker. Can you heat your house with a coffee maker? If you can, I’d like to hear about it

c) Does not dry out the air. Of course not. Electric heaters never dry out the air. How could they? Where would the water go? No matter how you heat up the air in a room, the warmer air can hold more moisture so the relative humidity will go down — unless you want to use a humidifier, vaporizer or keep the kettle boiling on the stove.

d) Healthy comfortable infrared heating. Infrared is radiated heat, like you get from a heat lamp or the sun. The product details below imply that the heat source is four 375W heat lamps, but if they are inside the wooden looking box in the picture, then they are not shining on you. They would heat the box and the box in turn would heat the air nearby, which is called convection.

e) Turn off your furnace this winter. There is nothing wrong with this statement. It is the means by which you will make those huge savings. The misleading part is that most people will assume that you will turn off the furnace because you don’t need it and that you will be nice and warm. You won’t be. The house will likely cool to about 10C/50F and the room with the special “heater” will be almost as warm as the room with the coffee maker.

If you heat your house with natural gas

Adding any kind of electric heater is a huge waste of money because gas is much cheaper than electricity per unit of energy. If you heat your house solely with electricity, then letting your house get cold and only heating the room you are in will save you money. Of course you can do this with individually controlled baseboard heaters too – and you don’t have to lug them around.

You could purchase several of these overpriced heaters and heat the whole house, but then you would be back to electric heat except that you would have traded inexpensive baseboard heaters which require zero maintenance and are silent for $400 boxes full of light bulbs, fan and filter. Some sites state you can just move it from room to room as you move about the house – all 65 pounds of it.

Here is a claim, this time from EdenPure. Cutting your heating bill by up to 50% (with an electric heater) means that you are going to have a very chilly house and one heated room.

Question:

Why is it that this quartz infrared heating source uses less energy to create heat than other sources?

Answer:

Actually, there is more than one reason. One of the primary reasons is that heat at combustion level, which is what all other heat sources use, causes the heat to instantly rise to the ceiling. Therefore, the heat is not evenly distributed, causing a very inefficient and uncomfortable heat source. The EdenPURE Quartz Infrared Portable Heater does not use burning heat. Once the heat exchanger absorbs the infrared heat, it exhales the heat into the living area which is carried by the existing humidity in the air. This causes the heat to travel rapidly and evenly throughout a room.

In actual studies, photos using infrared lighting demonstrated that the heat was almost perfectly even from floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall. The EdenPURE Quartz Infrared efficiency is based on the distribution of energized air, not on just fan movement. This heat is coined as “soft heat” due to how comfortable it is.

Here are some additional claims to consider:

a) Heat at combustion level, which is what all other heat sources use – like heating pads and hot water radiators for example? ( I am being facetious here) By combustion level, I can only assume they mean hot enough to catch paper on fire — otherwise it is just a meaningless phrase.

b) Rise instantly to the ceiling – air at 200°F from a electric baseboard heater on full power does rise quickly to the ceiling, but that is why modern Honeywell baseboard thermostats start the heaters on low (sort of like a heat dimmer) and increase it only if necessary. Floor heating systems do an even better job since the floor must be warm but not too hot to walk on. Hot water radiators and even steam radiators are not “combustion level”.

c) Exhales heat … which is carried by the existing humidity of the air – this is funny personification, and I guess the room inhales. The energy in the heater (from burning electricity) is going to travel on its way from the heating element, to the heater’s case, to your living room air, through the walls in your house and on into the deep reaches of outer space.

To infinity and beyond! There is nothing special about this process, it is how the universe works. Humidity has nothing to do with this. Once the heater warms up, heat will escape through three different ways.

• 1) via conduction through the legs of the heater into the floor.
• 2) via convection when it warms up the air that it is in contact with it
• 3) via a small amount of infrared radiation.

The majority of the heat loss will be via convection heating of air currents.

d) Efficiency is based on the distribution of energized air – The weather today is Energized, hazy and humid? This is a silly way to say that the air temperature was constant across the room — as is the case for almost any properly designed heating system.

“when you sit in front of a fireplace or a portable heater or close to a heat source, you will remember yawning. This is because you are not getting enough oxygen”

e) What utter foolishness. Electric heat does not consume oxygen. Furthermore,the yawn reflex is complex and is in no way related to being close to a heat source. Stop boring me, he said while stifling a yawn – you are using up all my oxygen!

Question:

What is the BTU Rating for the heaters?

Heater is approximately 5000 BTUs. The BTUs are basically irrelevant as a unit of measure since the patented heating process of the EdenPURE® INTENTIONALLY does not operate using old inefficient methods of heat combustion, which is rated by using the BTU rule. Our heating method is far superior for efficiency, safety, comfort, and is providing a natural healthy indoor environment..

This is more absolute foolishness. There is no such thing as a BTU rule. BTU stands for British thermal unit and it is a measure of energy. Energy is not irrelevant. On the contrary, energy is the ONLY thing that is relevant. Remember, this is a heater. Just a heater, nothing more. It uses electrical energy (which you purchase in kWh) to warm up a heating element, just like a heating pad warms up, or a light bulb.

I could go on, but I think you get the point ….

If you want a good electric space heater, get a copy of Consumers Reports annual buying guide at your library, study the ratings, and then go down to Home Depot and save some money.

Note:

For those of you thinking — why don’t you buy one of these and do a real test, here is why I don’t:

a) A test of energy output would likely prove that the power labels are accurate. Testing the temperature of objects around the heater would also prove the obvious — that they warm things up. Nobody is disputing this.

b) The real test, whether you can feel comfortable in a room that is selectively heated by a low power space heater, is purely subjective. Some people might like it, others may not. Given their low power, it is likely to be quite cold once you walk any distance from the heater — like backing away from a campfire on a cold winter night.

c) I already have a radiant heater — a huge one. Thousands of feet of piping under thousands of pounds of wooden and tiles floors turn the entire house into a ‘radiant’ heater. Instead of a fancy wooden cabinet getting warm, the wooden floors are warm and if I wanted to, I could turn on and off zones as I moved about the house.

It wouldn’t make much sense because radiant heating systems are slow to react and heat their surroundings. It is definitely comfortable, but not a money saver. The biggest advantage of hot water floor heating is that you can substitute any heat source, including solar hot water or geothermal which over the long run will indeed save you large sums of money.

d) I mention Consumer’s Reports because they will allow you to steer clear of any really bad products out there (heaters that get too hot or could top over) and will point out some good values.

original article: http://www.nlcpr.com/Deceptions4.php

In this addition to the series, 100+ ways to improve your electric bill, were going to cover water heating. So far in the series, we have covered:

1.  Air Infiltration
2.  Heating and Cooling (Part 1 and Part 2).
3.  Refrigeration
4.  Cooking

While most people view the water heater in their house to be an appliance they never touch after installed, it might be time to go check to see if your unit is at the optimal settings.

Make sure your new water heater meets or exceeds the federal Energy Factor (EF) efficiency standard. (Examples: 0.90 EF for an electric 50-gallon unit, 0.59 EF for a gas 40-gallon unit, and 0.53 EF for an oil 32-gallon unit.)

It is important to keep the system properly maintained.

Once or twice a year, drain a bucket of water out of the bottom of the heater tank because it can be full of sediment. The sediment insulates the water in the tank from the heating element, which wastes energy.

In addition, you might want to invest in a relatively inexpensive water heater insulation kit. Older hot water tanks (except super-insulated tanks) generally are not insulated very well, so an extra layer of protection will keep the heat from being lost through the walls of the tank. Be sure to read the instructions on the kit carefully. Do not insulate over any doors, vents, or relief valves.

When buying a water heater, it is wise to correctly estimate your needs. Don’t buy a water heater that is too large for your family, but you should consider your future needs as well as your present requirements.

Lowering your water heater temperature setting from 140 degrees Fahrenheit to 120 degrees Fahrenheit can reduce your water heating energy bill by more than 10 percent.

Some water heaters now have solid state controls (such as a “vacation” setting) that allow you to lower temperature settings.

Look for and take advantage of these features.

In sprawling ranch houses or in residences with two or three levels, the rooms requiring hot water may be widely separated. It may be possible to get better hot water service with less use of electricity by having two or more water heaters – one heater in each principal water-using area – instead of one heater in a central location.

1.  Repair leaky faucets promptly. A steady drip of hot water can waste many gallons of water per month, plus the energy needed to heat the water.
2.  Letting the water run while shaving or when washing dishes by hand is needless waste. Avoid this by using sink stoppers and dishpans.
3.  Encourage family members to take showers rather than baths. The average person will use about half as much hot water in a shower as in a bath.

The standby heat loss of a water heater increases with temperature. So, set the temperature control of your water heater at a moderate 120 degrees Fahrenheit, or as low as possible without running out of hot water. If you need hotter water for certain functions, such as dishwashing, consider a dual-temperature system. Such systems employ a central unit supplying 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower temperature water for general purposes, plus a second, smaller water heater set for a higher temperature.

Locate water heaters as close to the points of hot water use as possible. The reason for this is that any hot water that remains in a supply pipe after a tap or valve is closed eventually cools off and is wasted. The longer the supply pipe, the more heat lost.
When long lengths of hot water supply pipe are unavoidable, insulate them to reduce losses. Hardware stores sell hot water pipe insulation kits.

Thanks to our friends at the Edison Electric Institute for providing the list of 100+ Ways to Improve your Electric Bill, including by more efficient water heating.

How to reduce energy at home has gradually become a household desire as a result of high definition T.V.’s and  homes the size of  a castle. Throw in a struggling economy and the melt down of a nuclear plant and becoming more energy efficient seems like a great idea.

Our power bills rise as a result of increasing power costs and the need for more and more power to operate are power hungry homes and our power dependent lifestyles. Becoming energy smart and working to control energy usage and energy waste  is our defense against those hefty power bills.

Here are 9 steps you can take to answer the question, How to Reduce Energy at Home.

1.  Hang on to Your Power Bill.

Your power bill has a lot of information on it that you need to have to assess your homes power usage. You don’t have to worry about how you’re going to monitor the power you use throughout the year, your power company already has that information available. Your power bill tells you how many therms of Natural Gas and how many kilowatt hours of electricity you used last month and how it compares to the same month a year earlier.

Some households will need to hold onto the power bills that come in the mail and some can access that information from their power company on-line. It is important as household energy reduction programs are undertaken, that a years record of power consumption is available.

Tip: Ask your power company if they are participating in the Green Button program. The Green Button program allows people to access their energy usage on-line.

2.  Welcome a Change in Lifestyle.

You can no longer conduct yourself in your home like you did when electricity was 3 cents a kilowatt hour and the only electric appliance you had in your home, other than the Frigidaire, was a light bulb.

Lifestyle changes are necessary to reduce energy consumption and to avoid wasting energy. It will take a greening of the mind and a  conscious effort to follow desired energy saving practices.

Tip:  Start with something simple like turning off lighting when not needed and setting back the thermostat at night and when your away at work.

3. Conduct an Energy Audit. You’ll Learn How to Reduce Energy at Home

An energy audit of your home will help guide energy saving measures. A home energy audit will identify areas of energy waste and what measures you should address first to save the most energy on a cost-effect bases.

To start the home energy audit process, have your home assessed on-line. It’s free and it will offer valuable information. There is a number of web-sites that have home energy audit calculators that you can use. The first place to look for an on-line assessment program is your power companies website.

Tip:  Your power company may have an on-line audit program or they may even offer a free home visit from an energy auditor. Give your power company a call.

4.  Weatherization is Cost Effective. Now This is How to Reduce Energy at Home.

Usually, the most cost-effective method of reducing energy usage and lowering power bills is through weatherization measures. Whether you live in a cold climate and need to keep the cold weather outside or you live in a warm climate and need to keep the hot weather outside, weatherization measures offer the help you need.

Air Sealing:

Your home has more holes in it than you know. Air sealing these holes offers the air barrier you need to separate the outdoor climate from the indoor climate.

Insulation:

Adding insulation to your homes building shell – the ceiling, floor, and walls, – strengthens your homes thermal barrier and offers defense against heat loss or heat gain because of radiation, conduction, and convection.

Tip:  Low-income households can get weatherization help through Community Action Programs. Ask your power company if there is a home weatherization, Community Action Program in your area.

5.  Heating & Cooling Efficiency.

Upgrading your heating and cooling system to a more energy efficient source can save energy for years to come. There is no reason for any home to have a $400 dollar electric bill anymore. Air source and ground source heat pumps have greatly increased energy efficient in the last ten years. Ductless heat pumps provide heating and cooling for a fraction of the cost of baseboard heaters, resistant ceiling heat, or electric wall heaters.

The 70% efficient gas furnace of the 1970′s has been updated to the 95% efficient gas furnaces available today. Heating and Cooling Contractors are available to visit your home and discuss the options available that best fit your home and your needs.

Tip:  Before upgrading central heating or cooling equipment, have the supply and return ducts sealed against air leakage. No use  wasting all that efficiently conditioned air through ducts that leak.

6.  Water Heater, too Often Forgotten

The only time we pay attention to our water heater is right after a cold shower. After all, the water heater is often located in a mostly hidden location, it doesn’t make any noise, and it doesn’t have any bells and whistles. The water heater is often the #2 energy user in our homes and therefore, when we’re attempting to reduce energy use, needs to have some attention directed it’s way.

If your water heater is leaking water from the tank, replace it right away and pay attention to the energy efficiency rating of the new water heater. If your water heater is not leaking, do these two energy saving measures:

Adjust water temperature:

The most energy efficient water temperature is 120 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a gas water heater, adjusting the temperature is easy with the dial on the water heater gas valve. If your water heater is electric, you will need to remove the element covers to adjust the temperature. It is best to turn the electricity off at the circuit panel before attempting this adjustment.

Water Heater Blanket:

Your water heater maybe insulated already, but additional insulation blanket around the outside will save energy. Read the owners manual for your water heater and follow the directions. Water heater blankets are available at most building stores, the blanket will also contain written instructions for it’s installation.

7.  Appliance Upgrades Save Energy

Microwaves heat food more efficiently than a range. New refrigerators use less energy than ones manufactured 10 years ago. New clothes washing machines use less energy and less water. Clothes dryers with moisture sensors, turn off when clothes are dry. New surge protector power strips can stop phantom power loss.

When replacing an old appliance or shopping for a new one, remember to look for the Energy Star Label.

8.  Lighting Technology

You will be surprised at the number of light bulbs you have in your home. Take a guess at the number and then go around your home and count each one. Most people are surprised to realize how many light bulbs their home actually has.

For those lighting fixtures you use the most and are left on the longest,  compact fluorescent bulbs and LED bulbs can save significant energy. There is a CFL bulb designed for every light fixture in the home.

9.  Renewable Energy

Homes with renewable energy sources like solar electric and wind turbines, not only produce energy but also save more energy. There seems to be a connection between the desire to produce renewable energy and the awareness to reduce energy use.  So, one good way to save energy is to produce the energy your saving.

If your considering a renewable energy system, the first thing you will want to do is contact your power company. Your power company knows more about renewable energy than you might think.

These are the 9 steps on How to Reduce Energy at Home. Reducing energy use does not require large sacrifices nor a degree in electrical engineering, it simply requires energy use awareness and a power bill that has the ability to open your eyes.

Thank you for stopping by Detect Energy, hope you will come back soon, but I won’t leave the light on for you…

In the movie The Social Network, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t want ads on an early version of his social network; he understands that first and foremost, his site has to be cool. And ads, he says, aren’t cool.

Unlike Zuckerberg (well, at least in the beginning), the energy efficiency industry hasn’t quite grasped the value of being cool. It’s an industry that hopes to be popular because it’s right, and it uses less-than-sexy language like “demand-side management” and “load following device” to describe itself. Sure, being “green” seems to have taken off, but when it comes to energy efficiency, well, it’s hard to build a cool brand around an industry that so loves its technical jargon.

How about the industry?

Luckily, the industry is beginning to wake up. This week and next we’ll take a look at how the energy efficiency industry is working on its cool factor. No pun intended.

Gadgets like portable music devices, smart phones and cameras have long been must-haves for the “it” crowd. And next, charging them in unique and efficient ways will be the rage.

Enter the itsy-bitsy, teenie-weenie, photovoltaic bikini – proof that form-meets-function stands a chance beyond the energy nerd. We’ve seen the solar-charger backpacks, laptop cases and other wearables like military uniforms – but nothing says sexy like a chick in a bikini.

That may be why designer Andrew Schneider came up with this hot little number: a custom-made solar bikini retrofitted with 40 1×4” PowerFilm Solar photovoltaic film strips that are sewn together with conductive thread and end in a USB port.

That’s right – even beach babes care about energy efficiency. A gal in a solar bikini can generate enough energy to charge her iPhone with an output similar to that of a laptop’s USB port – and look good while doing it. Since no energy is actually stored in the bikini, wearers can still take an “unplugged” dip and return to charging when the suit is completely dry.

How about solar panels?

Ok, so perhaps solar panels need some time before they’re sexy enough for the runway. But the intention behind the swimsuit suggests we’re headed in the right direction: there are easy, fun and energy efficient ways to support that hip lifestyle of yours.

And speaking of, if you’re looking for something form-meets function but with a little more coverage, stay tuned for iDrink – men’s solar swim trunks with enough surface area to keep your drinks cold.

Final note: A very limited number of suits are available from Solar Coterie, although you might have to skip the snow cones if you want one. The cost of the solar bikini will range from $500-$1,500 and up, depending on the design. And that’s Energy Efficiency!

For the fifth-consecutive year, home energy bills rose above the inflation rate. The USA TODAY reports that this, the longest sustained rate increase since the 1970s, amounts to a $300 hike in the average annual American electric bill. Researchers found that greater household energy use coupled with rate increases are driving up our bills.

A local contractor can help you evaluate your existing home energy systems. In the meantime, here are six ways you can cut your electric costs in the New Year:

Install energy efficient windows. Windows are heat-gain and heat-loss holes to the outdoors. You can lose up to 30 percent of your heating and cooling out poorly insulated windows. Find a local windows expert in our network of insured, pre-screened contractors now*

Conduct an energy assessment. An experienced contractor can evaluate your home for air leaks, lighting use (especially if you still have incandescent bulbs), and your existing insulation.

Program your thermostat. Don’t heat or cool your home when you’re not away. New generation thermostats can even be activated remotely by computer or cell phone.

Investigate time-of-use plans. Many utility companies offer lower rates for energy used during off-peak hours. If you sign up, be sure there isn’t a price penalty for using electricity during peak hours.

Fine-tune your HVAC. Have a certified technician inspect and tweak your furnace system for operating efficiency. Leaking ducts can raise your bills by as much as 20 percent. Looking for a certified HVAC specialist? Let us help.

Consider new window treatments. Hanging thick drapes or curtains in the winter will conserve heat, while using shutters and blinds in the summer protect against heat gain.

An experienced contractor may have other suggestions to tighten your energy use before bills rise again.

Sami and I have been having a bunfight in the water cooler, ever since he put up his post KB Home’s Solar-As-Standard Spreads to Florida. Will It Make Solar Panels Mainstream?. Sami, anticipating my objections, writes:

We greenies shouldn’t lament something that makes clean energy tangible, accessible and decidedly more mainstream. The more solar panels that get installed, the cheaper they become….I, for one, am delighted. It might be lipstick on a pig. But putting lipstick on every pig eventually makes for cheaper lipstick for the other farm animals too.

I raised all of my usual objections.

I won’t even go into the fact that the subdivision where they are starting this has a walkscore of 8, . Lets just look at the house, with its plan that has no cross ventilation even in bedrooms at corners, no thought about how one might actually live with the air conditioning off. Or the brown roof, when a white roof would reduce cooling loads by over 20%. I asked Sami:

So what do we applaud here? that they reduce AC load by a few watts by adding something when they could avoid the need for it in the first place?

Sami responds “Yes. it is a muted applause,” but a small step in the right direction.

A small car is better than a big car and a bicycle is better than a small car. But the possibility of choosing a bicycle doesn’t mean that it’s not progress when someone chooses a small car instead of a hummer.

In the end, I think it is telling that Sami posts his story in Energy/ Renewable Energy whereas I fundamentally believe that the solution to our problem is all about Design.

Electrical services can include new construction or additions to existing construction for residential, commercial, industrial, and marine. Before you can move in or use that new electrical work, you need to have a local inspection to make sure it is up to code. How do you find an electrical contractor? If you use a general contractor, he will hire the sub-contractors. If you sub the job out yourself, you will hire the sub-contractors yourself.

Some local contractors hold on to certain contractors in a ‘circle of their trust.’ Many general contractors use only certain subs. The general contractors thought they could push out the small contractors (and keep themselves only in the circle) by going to the state insurance commissioner and requesting a big increase in the building insurance. When other contractors came into this area, they just folded that extra cost into the building costs of a home. At that time, these general contractors were making so much money on construction of a home that they didn’t care.

Anybody can become a general contractor.

It brought the industry further down than it was. But some general contractors were trying to hold on to their ‘circle of trust.’ They made it very hard to work in this area. When I first moved here, I was beating the bushes. I was doing work for no money at all – and, to an extent, I still am – because contractors only use the cheapest people, the cheapest subs. The generals want to make the most money they can by using the cheapest subs they can find.

I don’t know any contractors that were looking for quality above anything else when they were building. Price was all that those general contractors wanted. Of course, we live in a price incentive world. I can say that electrical contractors are going to try and get the bids for doing the work. Then some will cut costs. For instance, they are going to use aluminum wiring, use 14 gauge wiring, long distance runs, and half the house on 1 circuit.

I just came from a 6600 square foot house:

that is in the middle of construction. I am not the electrical contractor on this job. But whoever did this electrical job used 14 gauge wiring for all the lighting in the whole house. The lighting is the most used equipment in your house. Receptacles are used now and then, except for those plugged in permanently like refrigerators, computers, or TV’s that run for long periods of time. But mostly, receptacles are not used a lot in a house. If I was the electrician on that job, I wouldn’t have used 14 gauge in that big a house. It is too far from the panels. That electrician also used aluminum 8 gauge for the stove. That’s like using a #10 for a stove. You can’t use it.

I didn’t say anything to the homeowner because I didn’t want to cause any problems saying that his wiring is not quality. I know some electricians say that it is nothing but over time, that homeowner will have problems.

So what should homeowners have in their homes?

Lighting is very important. Voltage drop is very important. The most used items in a house – like a refrigerator – should be on a circuit by itself. The most used item is lighting. They should be having no voltage drop at all on any of the circuits. In fact, code only requires that you have 3% on all of the circuits and less than 2% on a service.

I’ve seen the way they are wiring houses these days: they have a lot more voltage drop than that. Many put all the lighting on 14 gauge wire. I can understand that wire is expensive nowadays. But it is like giving up insulation. What should you do? A contractor told me today that he asked a homeowner this: “what is more important, the external of what you see on the outside of your walls or what you don’t see behind the walls?” What you don’t see is more important than what you do see. What you don’t see is going to cost you a lot of money – like higher electric bills.

What you do see doesn’t cost you anything:

like cabinets or flooring. Functional can be replaced. Facial is the look of your house. Some people will purchase 12” tiles for $8 a foot and not get a good professional electrical contractor on your house? The excuse is I can’t afford an electrician. But they can afford $8 a tile. I disagree with most of the things that are spent in a house. You can change cabinets anytime. But people want the best; the best cabinets, the best flooring, all visual effects. I can agree with that but to sacrifice your monthly electric bill for beauty is strictly stupid!

This particular customer over sized his house. Instead of saying that he couldn’t afford proper energy efficient wiring, why not cut down the size of the house? This house will be an energy guzzler. Many new homeowners want a mansion but don’t want to cut back on anything for energy efficiency. Why don’t you just cut back on the size of the house and make it more efficient? How much is this house going to cost you in the future?

More tips and insight from the Energy Conscious Consultant. Robert Farbe