Energy Saving Tips
Can you imagine making small changes that have big impacts?
What Can You Do In Your Home?
Low hanging fruit-(no relative cost)
- Seal air leaks - can have as much benefit as insulating.
- Stop water leaks - 10% of total water used is lost through leaks
- Seal HVAC ductwork leaks - HVAC is 40% of your total home energy use and 10-20% is lost through leaks.
- Hot water-set tank on 120° - hot water heating is 17% of your total home energy use
- Programmable thermostat on HVAC
- Turn off the lights / now its turn of the technology!
- Recycle / reclaim / reuse-rainwater for landscaping as an example.
- Xeroscaping-native plants / perennial (vs.) annual
Higher fruit-(Limited investment)
- Insulate / ventilate / filtrate
- Green products (recycled content / renewable resource / low or no VOC’s / low embodied energy
- High efficiency fixtures / light bulbs (LED fixtures), tankless hot water, dual flush toilets
- “Energy Star” appliances and equipment-appliances are 25% of the total energy use; refrigerator is 9% of this total.
Highest fruit-(Investments)
- Building sites-choose brown field / grey field or scattered-lot in fill sites, instead of new land
- Photovoltaic (solar) systems
- Geothermal heating
Dan Harrison is a Green Certified Professional (GCP) through the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and has experience in making homes greener. The following are clips from talks Dan has given on green construction.
