Real Energy Saving Tips
In late September, I received the following e-mail from one of my clients, relocating from the westside of the state. He is a home inspector and appraiser. They're having a new home built here and he's very agressive about the energy efficiency of the home. Now that the weather is turning, thought it would be good to share. I asked for, and received, permission to share these comments with you:Carol,
They had a little column in the Wenatchee World on 5-Easy Tips to saving energy. While they will save energy for the most part, 2-tips are nearly comical and of course I am making a Wayne Gerald Star Note to the editor.
1-Replace standard light bulbs with florescent as they use 1/4 energy and last 10 times longer.
Yes, this would save energy but lighting is 5% or less of a homes energy costs. Why focus on 5% while 15% is from cracks, gaps, and drafts that could be filled with fix it foam and less cost and save more energy than light bulbs. Ceiling insulation has a bit more cost but can save up to 40 to 50% on energy costs especially in older homes.
100 watt light X 10 hours = 1 kilowatt which should be about 2.5 cents in Wenatchee Energy Costs. So if you replaced 4 bulbs burning 10 hours per day you could save 7.5 cents per day. Bulb cost $ 6.00 and more for true light. If we did leave lights on 10 hours every day it would take about a year to save the $ 24.00 cost and since it is not typical for 10 hours per day it would probably would take 1 1/2 to 2 years to save this $ 24.00. True light bulbs might take 3-5 years.
2-Reduce the temperature of of water heater to 120 degrees. Yes it would take less energy to heat the water but in real terms here is what would happen. As soon as you use this water, cold water at typically 55 degrees goes into the tank and now the hot water tank is a warm water tank. Your 50 gallon tank is reduced to the function of 35 or maybe 40 gallon tank. A struggling smaller tank does not work as designed for the home and family size and has a shorter tank life.
Wayne
Home and Safety Inspector also little know Energy Inspector Certification from one of the only training institutions CMC Energy Services.
Posted on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at 02:58PM
by
Carol Williams
in Miscellaneous news, info, ramblings
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Carol Williams
in Miscellaneous news, info, ramblings
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