Home Energy: Why Is There a Need to Improve It?

Improving Your Home Energy Efficiency

With all the talk of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the news these days it seems to me that having an energy efficient home is the way to go.

So why is there a need to improve your home’s energy efficiency?

A lot of homes these days are beyond energy efficient. In fact, if your home is over 10 years old, it was more than likely built with NO energy conserving features.

• » See also: Greening Your Home
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Our home is typically looked at as a structure that’s expected to provide us shelter from the elements and a place to accumulate a bunch of stuff. We must remember that our home has a system of energy which flows in and out of it which gives us the ability to live comfortably. Making the best use of that energy is the hard part. The inside and outside environments, the building shell itself, the occupants, and the mechanical system must all function together as one living system.

Air Sealing Takes Precedence

The building envelope (exterior walls) is said to be the shell of the entire house that shields us from weather elements. This envelope must be capable of providing the structural support for the roof and the walls, as well as permit the flow of natural lighting into the home. The most important step to improving your home’s energy efficiency is to first air seal your home. Above and beyond making any changes on the inside or placing renewable energy sources such as solar, the home must first be air sealed effectively.

Why is this the most important first step to an energy efficient home?

In order for new energy efficient appliances and renewable energy sources to give you the benefit of saving money, it is imperative that your home is able to keep that energy inside the home effectively. What good is a solar panel on your roof if the energy generated can’t keep up with the consumption inside the home because of energy loss through the building envelope?

Replace Energy Guzzlers

Once your home is air sealed, the next step would be to start replacing energy guzzlers such as light bulbs and home appliances. Right now, Compact Fluorescent light bulbs are the most effective lighting source to use at the moment. Most people just think that Fluorescent light bulbs only use less energy, which is correct (not to mention last up to 5 years long!), however, the biggest advantage to these little puppies is that that don’t emit as much heat as regular incandescent bulbs. In fact incandescent bulbs waste 90% of their energy on heat rather than on lighting! Getting rid of these heat generators will cut down on the temperature inside your home, which will in turn cut down on your AC bills. It’s a double whammy of energy efficiency all packed into one little bulb.

After replacing all of your lighting with Fluorescent bulbs, you can decide which home appliances need to be replaced first. For most, the Air conditioning and Heating unit are the first to go, followed by the Laundry machine and Washer/Drier. Energy Star products are quickly becoming the norm rather than the exception and can provide great savings on your utilities and have less of an affect on the environment as well.

Home energy efficiency doesn’t mean you have to live with less, it just means you use less in order to gain more.

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