Energy Saving in the Home

Improving the energy efficiency of our homes is an important way of reducing our carbon dioxide emissions and our dependancy on fossil fuels. It can also give a boost to our bank accounts!

Andrew Knox, formerly of the Devon Association for Renewable Energy (DARE), gives some expert advice on making those crucial energy savings in your home.

Analyzing Energy Savings in the Home

Far more often than not, a professional energy audit is a collaborative process between the auditor and auditee. The home owner(s) or occupant(s) know a great deal more than the auditor about the specific home being audited and the energy practices in place there. Often, energy saving options introduced by an auditor are met with responses like, "Oh, of course! Why didn't I think of that?" Frequently, a large part of the auditor's job is to tease out conclusions that home occupants easily come to themselves.

Expert advise is recommended and can be invaluable, but it is not affordable or everyone. The steps outlined below are not meant to replace an energy audit. There can be invaluable, situation specific advice that is only likely to come from someone who is trained, has experience, and spends a great deal of time thinking about energy. An auditor can also be a great sounding board for ideas that seem like they might save energy, but might not be an efficient use of resources. However, it doesn't matter where or who energy savings come from. If, on your own initiative, you can hit even a small fraction of the targets an energy auditor will aim for, you will not only reduce your impact on the environment, you will save energy and money. The following steps are meant to help you do that. Another thing these steps are not meant to be is a list of energy efficiency measures. Lists of such measures are already abundant, and the links below will direct you to some of them.

Step 1: Think about energy and energy use

Electricity and heat are the forms energy most often takes in buildings. Of these two, heat is used far more in domestic situations. The greatest use of energy is space heating. Water heating is also a major energy draw. Homes generally do not use as much electricity as heat (except in the cases of homes heated by electricity), but electricity is still very important. The generation of the National grid's non-renewable electricity emits much more carbon per unit energy than does the generation of heat in the home.

Retaining heat is not an easy thing to do. The mechanisms of convection and conduction are against you. Heat used in homes will be lost through convection most readily. Convection, as it applies to heat, is the transmission of heat through the motion of things like hot air and water. Convection is what is happening when you lose heat through open windows, doors, and drafts, as air current carry it away. To retain heat, minimize drafts and "direct to air" connections between the inside and the outside of your house (this includes open windows). Even when convection is minimized, conduction will be ready to take your heat. Conduction is the transfer of heat through objects like walls, closed windows, the floor, and the roof. Conduction can be minimized by things like insulation and double glazing. These points may be readily apparent, but spending time thinking about them and how they apply to your specific situation will prepare you to take the next steps, and may even lead to some conclusions about how you can start saving energy.

Electricity is mostly lost through inefficiency and waste. If an appliance is not energy efficient, it will waste electricity. If a home appliance is using electricity to perform a task that is useless to the inhabitants of the house, it will be wasting electricity.

Step 2: Look at your energy bills

Become familiar with how much you spend on energy. How much do you pay per unit? Are you comfortable with how much you pay? How much will you be paying as fuel prices increase? What would you do with the money if you were saving, for example, £30 per month on utilities? It might help to set goals based on how much you want to save. Also, knowing the value of energy will help you determine the financial value of the available energy saving techniques. It's important to have a baseline expenditure (in energy and financial terms) so you can compare future savings and the effectiveness of techniques.

Step 3: Look around the house with energy in mind

Few people need tours of their own homes, but it's rare that the home is explored through the lens of energy and energy savings. Having thought about energy basics, just looking through a home can reveal the waste that may be occurring, and the opportunities that may exist. Is there furniture blocking radiators? Are there lights that are routinely left on? Could a window or doorframe be sealed with draft exclusion tape? Simple questions such as these that arise on an energy inspection of the house might lead to obvious strategies for improving performance.

Step 4: Take stock of the major energy appliances

Look at boilers, hot water tanks, radiators or other heat delivery devices, freezers, fridges, ovens, etc. Some will have energy ratings on their information plates, some will have to have their model number checked on the internet. Are the appliances in good working order? Do you need to defrost your freezer? Is your water tank well insulated, or is it enrobed in a saggy plastic coated scrap of lagging that is loosely taped into place? Do you smell gas if you get too close to you boiler? If any of these appliances have problems, it might be time to replace them, or just think about how you are using them.

Step 5: Take stock of your insulation

Find out what kind of insulation you have and what you can do about the insulation in your floor, walls, and loft. Ask yourself (or the internet, or knowledgeable friends) if anything can be done to improve the situation. Loft insulation is often the easiest to improve, relative to floor and wall insulation. Check your windows. Windows can lose much more heat than walls, especially if a major heating appliance is positioned right under one. Consider double glazing, secondary glazing, or any of the available improvements in window insulation. It might not seem like double glazing will make much difference, but even the most hardened sceptics will admit that once window insulation is improved, buildings tend to stay more comfortable. (They also use less energy).

Step 6: Think about your behaviour in relation to what you have found

Look closely at what you do, and how that might change now that you know what you know about energy use in your home. Is there anything you could do differently? Step 7: Think about costs. Many energy efficiency measures have no monetary cost at all, but some can be quite expensive. Try to prioritise the efficiency measures you have identified in terms of energy saved per money spent. The more effective your expenditure of money, the more you can spend on other energy efficiency measures! Also, the more effectively you spend your money on efficiency, the lower your utility bills will be, saving you money that can be reinvested in savings! A financial virtuous circle! Also be sure you don't break the bank worrying about insulation. Energy is increasingly important, but you still need to manage your household economy responsibly.

Step 8: Educate yourself

The internet and public library can be excellent resources for learning more about energy. You can find out about the effectiveness, feasibility, and costs of the efficiency measures you've identified, learn more about energy basics, and compare heat and electricity generation techniques. You can also become familiar with the many, many reasons why saving energy is a good idea. See also the links below. Once you've done some research, it may be useful to review the steps above in light of your new knowledge.

Step 9: Implement your strategies

This is the most important step! Knowing how to save energy doesn't do any good by itself. You've got to do the work if any savings are to be made. Energy savings can be a point of pride. Do-It-Yourself energy projects can be a source of enjoyment, to be tackled with enthusiasm. When you see the savings you start to make, your efforts will be rewarded.

More information

If you'd like further information, an energy audit, or a Renewable Energy Scoping Study for your home you can contact DARE at 01837 89200, or mail@devondare.org. Community organizations and businesses should contact Renewable Energy for Devon (RE4D) for free renewable energy services at 0800 512 012.

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