Author Archives: dblinder

by Ian Woofenden, senior editor of Home Power magazine

Whether you are interested in healing the planet or staunching the flow of energy dollars leaving your wallet, energy efficiency and conservation should be very high priorities. And well before you start planning to buy that solar hot water system, wind turbine, or solar-electric system, you should be focused on how to use less energy.

Last month I talked about the first step, an energy analysis, and I hope you now have an idea of how many units (kWh, therms, cords of wood, etc.) you use each year. Instead of jumping to ways to make all that energy, let’s try to reduce the number of units. If we can cut the kilowatt-hour (kWh) need in half, we cut in half the size of renewable generation needed. It’s been said that for every dollar you spend on efficiency, you actually save three to five dollars on generation system cost.

First off, let’s make a distinction between conservation and efficiency. While there is some overlap and differing use of the terms, I like to think of conservation as cutting back on usage, and efficiency as doing the same work with less energy. I find that conservation is a bit of a harder sell, since it includes asking people to change their lifestyles — drive less, buy fewer appliances, turn off lights. Efficiency is easier to promote because it doesn’t suggest using less of what we want — light, heat, entertainment, etc. — just using less energy to get the same result.

A classic efficiency  example is lighting. While I have no love for or belief in banning them, incandescent light bulbs are really great heaters, but very inefficient sources of light. By comparison, compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are four times as efficient. If you buy a 15-watt CFL, you can expect about as much light as a 60-watt incandescent once the CFL has warmed up to full brightness.

CFLs and LEDs do cost more up-front, but they actually turn out to have quite a good financial return if you buy good quality products. The energy and dollars savings over their substantially longer lifetime is significant.

Energy efficiency goes way beyond changing your light bulbs. This is just a first, and perhaps one of easiest, steps. But if you get the idea of seeking out the most efficient ways to get your jobs done, you can apply the principle to all your energy usage. Some specific examples and ideas:

Thermal Efficiency

* Build a tight building envelope, with super-insulation, and good air-sealing

* Buy high quality, double- or triple-pane windows

* Weather-strip and caulk to reduce air leakage

* Use a heat-recovery ventilator so the heat in your outgoing ventilation air isn’t wasted

* Insulate your pipes and ducts so you don’t lose heat

* Heat with a high-efficiency heat pump; the new mini-split air-to-air units are economical and surprisingly efficient

* Design your home with passive cooling features, reducing or eliminating the need for air conditioning

Electrical Efficiency

* Change your light bulbs

* Buy the most energy-efficient refrigerator you can afford, and don’t choose one larger than you really need

* Buy a front-loading washing machine

* Use laptops instead of desktops

* Seek out and eliminate phantom loads (appliances that still use energy when turned off) and

* Examine each electrical appliance before you buy and purchase for energy efficiency

Using these ideas and more, it’s really quite easy to reduce the average wasteful American home’s load by twenty percent, and possible to cut it in half. Starting from scratch with a new home is even easier, if you focus on efficiency through the design and building process.

In future blog posts I’ll talk about renewable energy generation technologies so you can get to dreaming about the fun stuff. Energy efficiency is less glamorous, but it’s actually what makes renewable energy projects affordable, by reducing the load. Developing a mind-set focused on efficiency will serve you well no matter what your situation.

Ian Woofenden, is senior editor of Home Power magazine, Solar Energy International NW and Costa Rica coordinator, independent renewable energy author, instructor, and consultant. He also is the author of Wind Power for Dummies.