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The federal tax credits offered to homeowners who undertake energy-efficiency upgrades for their homes by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 are making many homeowners think again about remodeling.  So how do you choose among the many things you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your home the top five to ten things you should consider doing? How do you decide which upgrades are most cost-effective?  There are probably several ways to answer the question, “What are the five most important energy-efficient upgrades for my home?” 

The five most important energy-efficient home upgrades to make, either because they determine how effective other upgrades can be or because they will earn the biggest rebates, tax credits, or other incentives, are:

 Seal the Building Envelope:  Identify and seal all openings of any size that allow air to move from inside the house to the outside or from the outside to the inside.  This includes any cracks in the siding or masonry, seams around doors and windows, any spaces or openings where pipes, vents or power lines enter the house, hatches or stairways into the attic, roof soffits, crawl spaces, and outdoor faucets.  Then seal all duct work and major ducts opening into the living area of the home for heat, ventilation, etc. Finally upgrade all insulation to current standards.  This is the most important first step in making your home more energy efficient. Until you stop air leaks, you will not be able to achieve the energy efficiencies promised by other improvements. If you want to do this yourself, you will probably want to review the DIY Guide to Sealing and Insulating with ENERGY STAR. Upgrade your windows and doors.  Old and inefficient windows can account for as much as 30% of the total heat loss and up to 75% of the heat gain in your home.  Whether you add storm windows over your existing windows or you choose to invest in highly efficient windows and doors, 30% of your cost to bring your windows and doors up to current specifications of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) can be claimed in a federal tax credit, up to an annual maximum of $1,500. Virtually all window manufacturers have qualifying windows available at this time.  You new windows will need to meet a U factor of ?0.30 and SHGC of ? 0.30.  Exterior doors must also meet IECC specifications. Well insulated windows and doors, and windows with UV reflective coatings will significantly reduce the demand on your heating and cooling system.   The best roof you can afford.  A surprising amount of heat exchange occurs through the roof of your home. Some roofing materials absorb more of the sun’s heat than others.  Installing a new energy-efficient roof will qualify for a tax credit of 30% of the cost of the roof, up to a total maximum of $1,500 per year.  Regardless of the roofing material you choose, keep in mind that light colors reflect more sun than dark colors. They also tend to last longer.  Qualifying roofing materials include some tile, spray-on thermal reflective membrane (for flat roofs), some insulating asphalt roofing shingles, and many metal roofing materials, some of which contain foam insulation.  Ask your roofing contractor about materials that qualify for the tax credit, or review the product list at www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=products_for_partners.showroof.  Upgrade your water heating system.  Keep in mind that water heating accounts for 16% to 28% of your total heating and cooling bill.  Installing an efficient water heater or localized instant water heaters, will save money and make your home more energy efficient.   Upgrade your heating and cooling system.  Whether you act immediately to take advantage of the tax credits or you decide to wait until you actually need to replace your system, energy efficiency and renewable energy systems are a good investment in the future.  When shopping, ask about the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating of each system. And when choosing the best system for your location, keep in mind that there is no cap in the amount of the tax credit you can claim for systems that use renewable energy (wind, solar, geo-thermal).  All of these renewable energy systems will cost between $25,000 and $45,000. But be sure to calculate all of the rebates, tax credits and other incentives available from the Federal government, state and local government, and your utility company.  Special low-interest loans are also available to finance the purchase and installation of these systems.

 These five energy-efficient upgrades for your home will move you well along the path to an energy efficient home.  You will be able to enjoy the benefits of energy efficiency in level of comfort, reduced energy costs each month, and the knowledge that you are reducing the size of your carbon footprint.

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“In the nation’s pursuit of energy affordability, climate change mitigation, and energy security, energy efficiency stands out as perhaps the single most promising resource.” — Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy, McKinsey and Company, September, 2009.

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. The problem is, while both business and residential energy efficiency can be major ways to save energy, money, and the planet, it is, just, well, a little boring. RENEWABLE ENERGY gets all the attention, and to be sure, solar, wind, geothermal and tidal power are all exciting ways to save energy, prospects that in the long run will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and unstable foreign power.

But long before these technologies reach a price point that is appealing to most Americans, we can harness the power of improving business and residential energy efficiency to take small, sustainable steps towards a healthier planet, which is why we’ve come up with five simple and inexpensive ways to save energy and money by using less electricity around the home and office.

Five Ways to Save Energy

1) Your PC likes breaks too — Ok, quick! Put your computer to sleep (cue the Jeopardy theme). If it took you more than three seconds, you’re working too hard. One of the easiest ways to save energy is with an ecobutton(TM). It’s ridiculously easy to use, impossible to ignore on your desk, and its software reports your dollar and CO2 savings every time you use it, which feeds your green conscience.

2) Light only the page — Do you read books in bed before you go to sleep? We do. But we get all the light we need using an LED-illuminated Lightwedge(R). And we never feel guilty about our residential energy efficiency levels if we fall asleep with the Lightwedge(R) still on.

3) Slay the vampire — When you switch off your big screen TV, you’re not getting the big picture. Because we are an impatient society, our electronic devices use energy even when turned off, just on the chance you might show up. This standby, aka “vampire” power, is nearly equal to the amount the device sucks while in use. Get a smart strip to improve residential energy efficiency and stop Dracula in his tracks.

4) Dim your lamps — We’re cheating a little. Using less light is more about conservation than residential energy efficiency, but there are times when less is okay. Not many stand-alone lamps have dimmer switches, one of the best ways to save energy. We’ve got an app for that however — a lamp-friendly dimmer. And for an energy-efficient alternative to an incandescent, consider a fully compatible, dimmable, energy saving bulb.

5) Greenlight your world — There is a direct relationship between enthusiasm for business and residential energy efficiency and the value gained from making the effort. Consider 23-watt eco-friendly light bulbs that have it all:

flattering, warm white light 100% post-consumer waste packaging, 76% more energy efficient than an equivalent 100 watt traditional incandescent bulb, 7 year guarantee, and 10 month pay back if turned on just two hours per day (1).

High Hopes for the Future of Business and Residential Energy Efficiency

We have high hopes for renewable energy and are following every development when it comes to ways to save energy. But for now, because the cheapest, cleanest kilowatt of electricity is the one that’s never used in the first place, we think McKinsey & Company is on to something.

We hope our simple business and residential energy efficiency ideas for living more lightly will inspire you to take action and to dream up your own to help save the only planet we’ll ever call home.

Works Cited

1. Based on a national average retail electricity price of 11.47 cents per kilowatt hour. Source: Energy Information Administration.

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A car needs fuel to provide power for its engine. A Wind turbine uses the wind to produce power. There are plenty of homes across the United States that are conducive for residential wind power. These homes would require only a small wind set up.

You would have to make sure that you had the correct wind resource for your home. To find out if your home qualifies, you would need to go online and find a wind map. Within that map, you will be able to determine if your home is right for this set up. The other requirement for this is that your home is located in a specific zoning area.

Residential wind power is operated by a wind turbine. This device is placed on top of a tower. This tower is responsible for gathering wind energy. The wind energy is then transformed into electricity. The result from the wind turbine is set so that it can match and work with the utility. The household wiring receives the output via the electrical breaker.

If the wind turbine produces excess power, the utility company buys that power. This system is set up automatically, so there’s no changing of human hands. There are no batteries to worry about with residential wind power.

The wind turbines are known to make noise, but not enough to where it is unbearable. The turbines do not interfere any electrical appliances or devices in the home. You don’t have to mess with any wiring in your home.

However, some areas have another utility meter installed on their property. The second meter is used to determine how much electricity was sold to the utility. Qualified residents are also allowed to have a wind generator per Federal guidelines. The incentive you have with this is that you would be paid for any additional electricity that is created.

The towers start at 35′ and go to about 80′. There should be a clearance of at least 20′ above obstacles around your residence. The more height the tower has, the faster the turbine will spin. This also helps the wind output to become milder.

It may take a while before you can tell whether or not this is a good investment for you. If your wind speed is average and your electricity cost is not high, then you may be able to get by. For some, it can take over six years to actually get your investment back. This would be done through utility savings. After the time period has passed, the cost for electricity would be free.

Another benefit for residential wind power is that qualified homeowners can be eligible for tax incentives and rebates for their system. If you are looking to save on electricity and willing to wait a few years to see the real benefits, then having residential wind power may be an investment you’ll want to make.

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As the public sector becomes much more concerned about the cost and sustainability of energy in general, energy efficient lighting has a major point of focus in our industry. Since much of this technology is still very new and continually evolving (as in the case with LED and Induction), explaining the technical dynamics of new luminaires to your clients may not be the best way to sell them on the idea of an upgrade. Since engineers are constantly coming up with new ways to conserve power and extend lamp life, and since new ways of producing light itself are still emerging, it is best to talk about the general benefits that an upgrade will bring to organizations regardless of the actual fixtures and lamps ultimately chosen for the new system. The following summary represents the top five benefits that clients can expect from energy efficient lighting.

Energy efficient lighting uses less electricity.

This is probably the first benefit that comes to everyone’s mind when they consider upgrading to energy efficient lighting. Rising fuel costs have had an effect on the cost of power in general, and reducing expenditures even by a marginal amount helps buffer any organization against the problematics of an unstable economy. Now is the best time to take stock of all indoor and outdoor luminaires and make a qualitative assessment of their long term value. If more energy efficient lights can be substituted in their place, then savings on power bills will pay for the fixtures in a few short years.

Energy efficient lighting minimizes replacement costs.

Light fixtures eventually wear out because of thermal stress on the components. The less electricity a fixture uses, the less heat it will generate during use. This works to prolong the life of the bulb and minimize replacement costs. When you encounter clients that know they need to upgrade to energy efficient lights, but fear the budgetary hit the expenditure may cause, remind them that this is not something they will need to do again for a considerable amount of time. The money saved on continual maintenance and/or replacement is yet another revenue stream that brings ROI on the equipment investment.

Energy efficient light fixtures are more environmentally friendly.

It has been estimated that buildings with inefficient lighting systems contribute 40% of the world’s greenhouse gases. A great deal of this pollution is the result of outdated incandescent technology that has already been banned in some places like California. Replacing all incandescent luminaires with energy efficient equivalents significantly contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions. Imagine the positive impact that a nationwide retrofit would have on the global environment. Companies should consider the many advantages that a more sustainable and environmentally friendly public image will bring to their branding and marketing efforts.

Energy efficient lighting is essential to LEED certification.

Companies are starting to take LEED certification very seriously. Power conservation is becoming a top priority for new building construction, and is much easier to accomplish when designing the building with LEED certification in mind. Companies in existing buildings, however, may be facing more of a challenge. Older architectural styles, wiring systems, and incandescent lighting were intended for today’s power management demands. Remodeling such a facility can represent an enormous expense. Energy efficient lights may not provide all the necessary points for a LEED certificate in such places, but they will greatly improve the organizations budget and possibly help pay for further remodeling down the line.

Energy efficient lighting helps avoid conflict with lighting regulatory codes.

Lighting regulations vary from city to city throughout the United States. Currently, most codes are focused on dark sky conditions and light pollution reduction. The safety hazards caused by excessive glare are also something that lighting codes often address. In some parts of the country, energy efficient lighting is required under regulatory codes as part of a more comprehensive community push toward sustainability. In other places such as California, state legislation has now stepped in to make power conservation and environmental sustainability a top priority.

While there is currently no nationwide standard for regulating energy efficient lighting, we have reason to believe one may be created in the near future with increasing public demand for a comprehensive, national energy policy.

When that day comes, your client will already be equipped with the best possible technology for conservation of resources and funding.

We offer consultative lighting design services to clients and photometric analysis of any facility you wish to have scientifically analyzed prior to drafting your proposal.

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