Should I turn the lights off when I leave the room even when using CFLs?

This is a question that I am asked on almost a daily basis and quite honestly I had no answer. I researched the question online, and below is a link to the best explanation I discovered.

http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/07/when-to-turn-off-fluorescent-lights/

Basically the article says that there is no need to worry about how many times CFLs are turned on and off. If you are going to be away from the fixture more than 5 minutes, turn it off. There is concern that this will shorten the lifespan of the bulb, but it is not an important one.

One of the aspects of turning off lights that is not discussed in this article is the fact that when the light is off no electricity is being used. I know this seems like an all too obvious observation, but think of it this way; most of the electricity generated in the United States is done so by burning coal. For every kilowatt NOT used, less (or no) coal is burned. Even if you shorten the life of the bulb by repeatedly turning it off and on, it will still last longer and use less electricity than a normal incandescent bulb. When it is off it uses none!

Invariably, when CFLs are mentioned, the conversation will end up in a discussion of the hazards of mercury. CFLs do contain small amounts of mercury and special care is needed when disposing of them. But one of the main contributors of mercury in our environment is the burning of coal. I can’t give hard numbers, but I would imagine it would take more than a few broken CFLs to come anywhere near releasing the amount of mercury that a power company coal stack emits in an hour! When you leave the room, turn off the lights!

Will A Metal Roof Save On My Heating And Cooling Bill?

       

The answer to this question is yes and no; it will save money on your cooling bill, but the effect will be negligible on your heating bill.

 In addition to no maintenance costs, a metal roof, especially aluminum, can lower your demand for air conditioning. According to the Florida Solar Energy Center, installing a simulated cedar-shake aluminum roof can reduce heat gain from the roof down through the ceilings by as much as 34 percent. Steel roofs, although not as efficient as aluminum, are also better than asphalt shingles. A metal roof cools down in five minutes once the sun sets.

An Energy Star rating for all roofing products is based on TSR (total solar reflectivity). Classic black asphalt shingles will have a TSR of only 0.05, while a quality aluminum roof will have a TSR of around 0.40. The larger number will mean that the roofing materials remain cooler and less heat will be radiated down through the ceilings to the living area. Also the underside of the aluminum metal surface has a lower emissivity (the ability to emit heat) than asphalt shingles, so less heat radiates downward.

Follow this link to an Energy Star roof calculator: http://www.roofcalc.com/    before making any roofing decision.

Metal roofs can save you as much as 20% on your summer utility bill by keeping your attic several degrees cooler. You can increase the savings by adding a radiant barrier under the metal roof to reflect even more heat rays.  A radiant barrier http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11680  can also be installed inside the attic as a retrofit on any metal or asphalt shingle roof. Avoid a horizontal application because dust from your insulation will reduce the radiant barrier’s effectiveness over time. The best application will be between the rafters up against the underside of the roof.

So the answer to this question is yes, a metal roof can reduce you energy bills. I will add that a radiant barrier alone will reduce your energy bills as will lighter color asphalt shingles or shade from large trees. A new roof can be an expensive proposition and it is always wise to calculate your ROI (return on investment) http://www.greenandsave.com/master_roi_table.html  on any improvement.

Energy improvements on an older home: where to begin

             Energy improvements on an older home: where to begin

Before the fuel crisis of the 1970s most Americans never thought twice about their home’s energy consumption. Many lived in older homes that had been retrofitted with electricity, indoor plumbing and forced air heating and cooling, and how efficient these systems were was less important than the fact that were simply there. Efficient and installed were synonymous!

The air conditioner brought an explosion of growth to the southern half of the United States that had once been declared “too hot for civilized people” to live year round. These systems were installed in homes that were not designed for such modern equipment and the results were mixed. Basically as long as the system was blowing cool air the house was cool. These homes were just not good at holding the cool air. So let’s discuss a few ways to bring these homes up to reasonable energy consumption levels. 

Below is my priority list, but it is okay to skip around some if you can’t afford the next measure.

1.     Seal all balloon framed walls and attic penetrations (plumbing, wiring, HVAC).

2.     Seal and insulate attic hatch.

3.     Seal and insulate knee walls in attic area.

4.     Insulate attic to R-30.

5.     Seal and insulate all forced air duct work.

6.     Install vapor barrier in crawlspace.

7.     Seal all plumbing and wiring penetrations in crawl space area.

8.     Caulk and weather strip around doors and windows.

9.     Install bath fans and range hood.

I would consider this list of priorities as a baseline before I purchased any type of energy saving appliances. Of course if the appliances or HVAC system need replacing before you complete the list, do so with Energy Star models. 

I would also consider having a blower door test conducted by a qualified individual before attempting any work. By doing this problem areas can be identified and large amounts of air infiltration/exfiltration can be eliminated. It is a good idea to have the testing done by an impartial person and not a company that wants to sell you the improvements.

The CFL

                                                                    

The energy savings realized by replacing your existing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFLs) boils down to simple math. Even at the old price of $5 per bulb, a fixture that operates 10 hours per day will pay for itself in less than three months. But given today’s price of around $1 per bulb, it makes sense to replace those even in fixtures that are infrequently used. It may take a little longer for the simple pay back to be realized, but there is another hidden benefit of the CFL that these numbers don’t reflect.

When the government attempted to step in and mandate CFL usage they were met with stiff opposition. Faced with extinction, the companies that manufacture the 100 watt incandescent bulb found a new and legitimate use for their products and granted them a new name. They will now be known as “heat bulbs”. As a survivor of more than a few hot Georgia summers, this name itself tells me all I need to know about incandescent lighting!

Incandescent lighting produces light as a byproduct of producing heat. Only 5%-10% of the electricity used is transformed into visible light. How much harder will your air conditioner run just to combat the heat generated by the bedside lamp you read by each night? Multiply this by the lighting used throughout the home and you have measurable numbers. Why heat it up before you cool it down?

A CLF contains 5 milligrams of mercury, so a little extra care is required when cleaning up a damaged or broken CFL. Sweeping up the fragments with a paper towel and sealing them in a plastic bag is recommended when disposing of broken bulbs. Follow this procedure with diligent hand washing and you should be okay. Some studies show that you are actually exposed to larger doses of mercury when eating a tuna sandwich!

I replaced all forty bulbs in my home with CFLs over two years ago and I have had to replace only one! They produce cool light and last a very long time. With LED technology on the horizon pricing for CFLs has never been lower. It now makes sense to replace every bulb in your home!

Ceiling fans

It’s almost impossible to find a modern home today without ceiling fans. They have been around for quite some time, but gained additional popularity in residential housing during the 1980s. Before this time they were expensive and mainly seen in commercial applications such as restaurants and warehouses.  The residential fan’s newest feature was a switch to reverse blade direction to push air down in the summer and pull air up in the winter. This was somewhat of a “sales pitch” intended to give the fans a year round purpose and justify the cost, but most now agree that they are most effective in summer only.

Today a fairly high quality ceiling fan (with light kit) can be purchased for about the same price as a nice light fixture alone. While most consider them purely decorative, a ceiling fan can help you save money on your cooling bill. Sitting under a whirling fan can actually make the air that touches your skin feel 4-5 degrees cooler and this will often allow homeowners to set the thermostat slightly higher.  A typical rule of thumb is that you will save 1% on your energy bill for every 1 degree higher you set the thermostat!

One last note on ceiling fans deals with their installation. If you have a very tall or vaulted ceiling, consider lowering the fan closer to the living area. Down rods are readily available in several colors at hardware and home improvement stores and are quite simple to install. Don’t get it too close, but the closer the fan is to the occupants the more air they will feel. But when you are away, turn the fan off. Remember…Ceiling fans cool people not rooms.

I love it when a plan comes together

Most people reading this would probably agree that the government spends too much money on the wrong people. I say this because, to some extent, I think it is true as well. But that doesn’t mean that we just throw our hands in the air and give up, it means we do our best to track where every nickel is going! Demand as much transparency as you can.

I’m not going to tell you horror stories about wasteful spending in the Weatherization Program (WX); I’m going to tell you about something good. I have seen a few things in the last two years of monitoring the work that “got my hackles up”, but honestly way less than I expected. The main thing that continued to bother me was duct sealing…or lack thereof.

Halfway through the two year contract the government looked at every agency’s first year of spending. If they had spent too much, their budget was cut for the second year. Sounds fair enough to me! This kept those that were spending correctly from being punished. But when the budgets were lowered, so was the amount of work being done; the consumer (client) was really the one being punished. But in my mind this was supposed to be an air sealing program, so maybe we were finally getting back…to where we should have started from.

But one of the first measures dropped when funds were short was duct sealing. This went against everything I had been previously taught because technically a hole in the duct is a hole in the home! The inside of the ductwork is the inside of your home! I complained to the workers; I complained to the coordinators; and I complained to the government! Nothing happened because the priority list (the order in which work was to be completed) had air sealing as #1 and duct sealing way below…I don’t even remember the number. But they are one in the same!

Well the good news is twofold. First of all there was money left over at the end of the two year period. There will be a six month extension using the remaining funds and 1500-2000 more Georgia homes will be weatherized. But the great news is that there is a new priority list for the extension and at the top of the list sits…DUCT SEALING! I won’t pretend that I made this happen, but I’m glad it did. To quote Hannibal Smith of the A-Team “I love it when a plan comes together.”

Baffle them with BS

Everything has a private language and specific nomenclature. It can be a business, a hobby or a field of study; it doesn’t matter. The more we are interested, the more we want to familiarize ourselves with the terms; knowing the correct terminology makes us think we know more about the subject. You were taught dog in the first grade, but now that you love dogs you understand that Spot is actually a Cocker Spaniel. He is a specific type of dog that has a specific name.

Actually a Cocker Spaniel is a Canis Lupus Familiaris, but exactly who is going to say that? Not me! I don’t pretend to know very many scientific names, but I love dogs and I swear I knew that one. But if I did choose to use this term I would probably be ignored. I would be thought of as a smart ass for one, but I would also limit my audience; nobody would know what I was talking about. So unless I was either trying to impress someone or alienate myself why would I ever use this term? How about because I was trying to sell you something?

A couple of weeks ago my wife and I received an invitation for a free meal at a nice local restaurant. Of course we would have to agree to listen to a short sales pitch during (and after) the meal, but she wanted to go and honestly I couldn’t think of a good reason to tell her no. My wife was nice enough not to mention that it really wouldn’t be much different for her since she was accustomed to listening to my crap during meals anyway, so I agreed to go. She didn’t tell me until a few days before we were supposed to go exactly what the sales pitch was about; “New and cutting edge products that will slash your energy bills”. Somebody in the reservation department is not asking the correct questions!

I don’t pretend to know everything there is about saving energy, but over the last two years I have had some pretty intense training on the subject. I have learned quite a bit about what works and what does not; what makes financial sense and what does not. I could only imagine what this company was going to try to sell us, but I agreed to be good during the sales presentation and to consider myself (as my wife described me) a spy! “You’re mission, should you choose to accept it…” Sounds like fun.

Well the products offered were not exactly new, and the only edges they cut had happened years ago. Several of the items would probably save you a little money, but they would save even more if they were installed correctly and not the way the salesman was describing. His numbers were inflated and his pleas for saving the planet were a little over the top, but the food was very good and I was behaving. I had decided that everything would be okay, and then he told a big lie. He used some very specific nomenclature to try to quiet my concerns, and when I responded with a battery of equally specific terms questioning his statements, he quickly changed the subject and moved on to another topic.

I let him off the hook and managed (for the most part) to keep my mouth shut. But what I could not manage to do was see him in any other light than for what he really was; he was a criminal. He lied to every person in the room to make a dollar. When he got caught he tried to baffle the room with technical bullshit! The part that angered me most was that if he had simply told the truth about the products he was trying to sell they would have (at some price) been worth purchasing! The products will never perform to the levels he professed, and by making these exaggerated and inflated statements he did the buyers and the real world of energy conservation harm. I can’t speak for the rest of the room, but let’s just say that I seriously doubt that anyone sitting at my table bought anything from him!

Kneewalls

Another topic that seems to make most homeowner’s eyes glaze over is kneewalls. Many may not be exactly sure what a knee wall is, or even if their house has any, so first let’s clear that up. Simply put a knee wall is any wall in your home that has living space on one side and attic on the other. It is considered an exterior wall, but really it is even more susceptible to energy loss than other walls. The reason that these walls are so problematic is that when it is 95 degrees outside the home, it is more like 140 degrees in the attic. So how would you like to try to cool your home in 140 degree weather? If your kneewalls are not sealed...you do!

The new energy codes have addressed how to handle kneewalls in new construction, but it is really not being enforced in most areas. It does add a few dollars of cost to a home, but the energy savings/payback is rather fast.  The following is how the new code handles knee walls:

 All attic kneewalls must be insulated and air-sealed. Attic kneewalls may be insulated using R-13+R-5 insulated sheathing, R-15+R-3 insulated sheathing, or R-19 compressed into a 2×6 cavity. The attic-side of the kneewall must have a rigid air barrier (with seams sealed)

The only real difference in how they were handled in the past (wall cavities stuffed with batts) is that they must now have an air barrier (insulation board) covering the batt insulation on the attic side. Think of it this way; what if your home had no siding and only exposed batt insulation on the exterior? Sure there is no wind and rain in the attic, but how much hot or cold air would leak in your home if that was all that was separating you from the outside. The answer is a lot and when you raise that outside temperature to 140 degrees it gets even worse.

The fix is easy and it is do it yourself friendly. The work can be ugly because no one will ever see it but you unless you invite friends to your attic. Simply nail the insulation board to the wall studs with roofing or plastic-cap nails a seal the joints with spray foam. Be sure you get all the way to the bottom because you need to cap off the floor system below.