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Wise Use of Energy in Your Home

Mike Barcik, Southface

Do the Simple Things First!• Brochure

Saving Energy & Money at Home

April 24, 2015

Do the Simple Things First!• www.CobbEMC.com

• Energy Matters, Together We Save

Saving Energy & Money at Home

Simple Things You Should Know1. Don’t use incandescent or halogen bulbs 

– replace these now (don’t wait for them to burn out)

2. Only buy LED bulbs from now on (use existing CFL’s and properly dispose of them when they burn out)

CFL uses 1/4 of the energy of an incandescentLED uses 1/6 of the energy of an incandescent

More Things You Should Know3. Use ENERGY STAR appliances

• Dishwasher

• Refrigerator / freezer (don’t keep old ones in garage)

• Washers and now Clothes Dryers – gas dryers cost less to operate!

• Bath exhaust fans – install pre‐set timer controls

Lighting & Appliances• Use CFLs & LEDs

(only buy LED from now on!)

• ENERGY STAR® Appliances• Be Energy Smart

• Turn off lights, TV’s, ceiling fans, etc., when not in use

• Unplug little used TV’s, DVR’s• Eliminate unneeded refrigerators

and freezers• Vacancy sensors are better than

occupancy sensors for lighting in daylit spaces

• Plug phone chargers into a switchable power strip – turn off when not in use

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Simple Things You Should Know

4. Use ceiling fans only when people are in that room – Larger, aerodynamic blades are more efficient than paddles – low speed!

5. Close up the house when heating or cooling the inside – Or, shut system off and open windows

6. In Georgia, use gas for most appliances or go all electric– High “meter” fee, low price per therm

Common Energy Myths

• “Windows and doors are the biggest leaks in homes  and replacement is the best improvement to do!”

• “Leaky, uninsulated attic access (stairs and hatches) are small and don’t really matter”

• “Powered attic ventilator fans save energy”

• “Cranking the thermostat makes the HVAC system heat or cool faster”

• “It’s better to have the blower fan ON all the time instead of in AUTO setting”

• “Programmable thermostats on HOLD save energy”(actually setback saves energy)

8

Air Sealing• Air leaks = 30% of

energy usage

• Focus on big pie slices

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31%

15%14%

13%

11%

10% 4% 2%

Infiltration Sources

Floors, walls celings Ducts

Fireplaces Plumbing penetrations

Doors Windows

Fans & vents Electrical outlets

Pressure Boundary

• Pressure Boundary: The air barrier between conditioned and unconditioned space

Is Your Home a Sieve?

Air Leakage = Convection • Convection is the transfer of heat through a

fluid (in homes, the fluid is air)• Air sealing stops convective losses/gains and

reduces humidity entering in the summer

13

Air Sealing• Easy & inexpensive

• Details make difference

• Key areas

• More information

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Air Sealing Attic Kneewalls

(required)

Kneewalls

No Blocking under Attic Kneewalls

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Kneewalls – Extra Insulation + Blocking

Air Sealing To Drywall

Air Seal Attic Access• Weatherstrip attic hatch

• Foam rough opening

Pull‐Down Stairs Options

Plumbing Penetrations

Home Efficiency Analysis Tool• Ready to take things to next level• Provide prioritized

list of projects• Details, materials,

how-to

• www.CobbEMC.comTogether We Save

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Conduction• Conduction is heat flowing through a solid material (insulation slows conduction)

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Insulation

• Most insulation is not an air barrier*

• Insulation must be in contact with an air barrier surface

*Rigid foam board & open/closed foam act as air barrier

Insulation• Types of insulation

• Installation

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Attic Insulation 

• Attic Rulers (1 per 300 ft²)• Blown insulation must not block soffit vents – use vent baffles

• Complete all air sealing first!

• Baffles protect insulation from wind‐wash

• Ensures proper ventilation

• Allows insulation to completely cover top plate

wind‐wash

insulation

baffle

Attic Insulation 

Dam Off Porches and Carports

Attic Insulation – Consistent Coverage is Key

Details• Attic access

• Soffits

• Recessed lighting

• Knee walls

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Details• Radiant Barrier

• Good DIY project

• Do this in winter or morning but benefit is mostly summer

• Do this before insulation since you must move around in attic

• Helps all vented attics stay cool but most savings from attics that contain ducts and HVAC equipment

Preparing for Summer

RadiationRadiation heat transfer from a hot surface to a cool surface

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Ductwork• Seal with mastic

• Locate inside if possible

• Insulate

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April 24, 2015

Duct Sealing

1. Put mastic on collar/sheet metal connection

2. Slide liner over connection and install compression strap (zip tie) with strap tightener tool

3. Mastic over liner & zip tie (about 1” on either side of liner edge

4. Pull insulation over connection and add second zip tie with strap tightener

• Mastic seal all connections:– Plenums– Y‐Joints– Boots

Duct Sealing

BAD!

BAD!

Duct Sealing

• Mastic must be installed on seams & joints of ductwork, not the insulation

• Mastic seams of metal pipe & elbows

BAD!

GOOD!

Duct Sealing

Start by reaching inside, and work your way out

Don’t seal with tape!

• Sealing at the Air Handling Unit (AHU) is critical because the pressures are the greatest at the blower

Duct Sealing

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Filters• Change every leap year? • Want thicker, pleated filters • Don’t accept installations that

prohibit easy filter access• Filter access must seal tight• MERV rating

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www.filtrationmfg.com

“AKF003” is discount codewww.anykindoffilter.com

Practical Pleat

Hot Water• 120°F Setpoint• ENERGY STAR® Appliances• Insulate pipes • Low-flow fixtures• Reduce piping runs• On-demand circulation

systems• www.waterheaterrescue.com

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Energy Key Concepts

• Energy can be in different forms – such as heat or electricity

• Plant Bowen, Cartersville GA

Energy Key Concepts• Usually, there are losses when you switch back and forth

*Of the coal’s potential energy, only ~30% makes it into your house!

Energy Trivia

• More sunlight hits the earth in one hour than the entire energy used by the planet in one year

• TRUE

• Most of the earth uses renewable energy for cars and buildings

• FALSE

• 70% of the electricity in the US goes to buildings(most is generated from non‐renewables)

• TRUE

Mike’s house with solar hot water• Evacuated tube collector with 80 gal solar ready tank (2008)

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Solar Collectors: Flat Panel versus 

Evacuated Tube

Tax Credits for Solar!

Mike’s house with Photovoltaics (PV)• 15 Panels (270W with micro‐inverters) for a 4 kW array

• Installed by Creative Solar USA ‐ Kennesaw

Mike’s house’s performance• March 2016

407 kWh$71.82

• March 2017193 kWh$27.05

• ($44.77)

Mike’s 100% Efficient Solar Clothes Dryer

Resources

• Contact Cobb EMC www.CobbEMC.com

• Together We Save

• Southface www.southface.org

Saving Energy & Money at Home

mikeb@southface.org

Managing Peak Loads

• A kilowatt‐hour (kWh) is a unit of energy(that costs ~12 cents each!)

• A kilowatt (kW) is a rate of energy consumption

• Both are important – kWh is added up to determine how much you use in a month 

– kW depends on how fast you consume electricity (in a 15 minute period of time)

– The highest kW recorded affects your bill for 12 months!

• Keeping your kW low helps you and the utility to reduce the peak energy consumed

• Typically, summer peaks are from 2 pm to 7 pm 75

Use your meter data• www.CobbEMC.com My Account

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