Saving energy is really about managing heat. Here are 10 basic things you can do to reduce energy consumption. These can be done in either new construction or in existing residences.
First, let’s cover some basic physics:
A. The difference between the temperatures of two locations is what drives the flow of heat. The greater the difference, the faster the heat flow.
B. Heat flow is reduced by insulation.
C. Heat can be artificially made to travel in the opposite direction – from cold to hot. This is done by any device that “pumps” heat. Air conditioners pump heat out of the home. Pumping heat costs about one third the cost to create heat.
D. When heat enters your home, during the summertime, it must be removed by the air conditioning system.
E. The green-house effect is like a one-way check valve which allows heat to enter but not leave. Heat from sunlight must be stopped before it passes through the glass – not after.
F. Anything that acts by its own nature and does not require input of additional energy is considered a passive operation.
Okay – let’s take a look at 10 basic actions that will improve a home’s energy efficiency and save you money. These are based upon the basic science noted above – I’ll mention the rule and then what you can do:
1. Rule B – Insulate your home to the max. Few actions will give you a better cost to benefit ratio. This is also passive (rule F).
2. Rules D and E – Large overhangs – this reduces sunlight into the home which would have to be removed. This is passive (rule F).
3. Rules D and E – Windows on the west side tend to bring in the most heat from the sun. It is best to limit western exposure either by design or by blocking the windows with shrubbery. This is a passive action (rule F)
4. Rule E – Use reflective glass. Shades and curtains will not work. They will heat up yet not pass the heat back out the window. Your air conditioner will have to remove that heat. You must stop the heat before it goes through the glass. This is a passive method and will save you lots of energy and money in the summer time.
5. Rule A – Place foil on the bottom of the plywood roof sheathing of your home. This is easiest to do while building a new home. If your home exists, then consider a radiation barrier in the attic. This will keep the attic cooler. This is also passive (rule F)
6. Rule A – Ventilate the attic. This can be passive or active. It reduces the attic temperature which slows the flow of heat into your home. The active, but effective, way is with a powered fan system which operates only at high attic temperatures. An advantage is that this will not operate in the winter when you DO want heat flow into your home. The passive method of ventilation is by effective venting that operates when the wind blows. This is excellent in the hotter states. This requires good air flow both into the attic and out of the attic.
7. Rules A and B – Your air conditioning ductwork is exposed to attic heat which flows into the cool air that flows through them. Placing these ducts inside the air conditioned space of the home will significantly reduce heat flowing into the ducts. Another way is to place good insulation over top of the ducts to help isolate them from the attic heat. This is also passive (rule F).
8. Rule D – Make sure your water heater is placed outside of conditioned space. It leaks heat to its surroundings and during the summer the air conditioner must remove this heat. This action is passive.
9. Rule D – Like water heaters dryers produce quite a bit of heat. These should be placed, if possible, outside the air conditioned space. This action is passive (rule F)
10. Rule C – Water heaters heat their water with heating coils. This is the creation of heat and is relatively expensive. Alternatively one can take advantage of the savings of pumping heat by installing a system which takes the waste heat that is being pumped to the outside by the air conditioner and routing it into the water. This allows for the heat to be pumped into the water (which is cheaper) though, actually, during operation, it is totally free since the AC is pumping heat to the outdoors anyway. This is an excellent way to save energy and money.
Ideas of how to save energy and money become rather easy to generate one one begins to think of the basic rules that were outlined above.
Ken Risley, the Author, is a Registered Professional Engineer specializing in building and Home Design. Designs should not only be beautiful, but should be well engineered for efficient use of all resources.
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