Energy Efficient

[m911gt]

What have you done, what are you currently doing, or what will you do to make your home more energy efficient?

I realize this is an extremely general question, but I thought it would be helpful to discuss this topic as it's an issue that effects us all.

[enobmort42]

x11 home automation. lights auto-on/off in some rooms, closets get a magnetic switch that when the door's open, it turns the light on, and turns it off when closed, cfl bulbs everywhere, thermostat set on a schedule for weekdays/weekends, hot water heater turns off from 11p-6a every day (no one wakes up before 9, anyway)... and i drive a yaris to save on fuel ^_^

[enobmort42]

x10, m'bad lol

[talnlnky]

i don't own a home... but in a 1-3 years i'll be looking to buy... Thought very hard about building a house made of cobb (good for winters... not so great in summers). But will for sure want a solar powered water heater. All lights in the apt are florescent. Monthly bill has always been in the $30-38 range... that's for a 1000sq ft apt (split level).

[Loren]

Thermal windows, programmable AC thermostat, mostly modern energy efficient appliances, fluorescent bulbs in all commonly used lights, lightly colored roof shingles. That's about it.

Improved ceiling insulation and a new AC are on the list of things to do... eventually.

[GeneW]

Good quality furnace filters, covers for the windows. Did not chop down that f----ing black Walnut tree that shades the house.

Did buy some of those mercury vapor filled bulbs and deployed them.

I'm thinking of putting together my own LED lighting panels - they'd be cheaper and more reliable than those silly light bulb shaped things that cost way more than decent LEDs. Just make a circuit board, populate it with strong LEDs and use a more rational method than those switching circuits that the pros use.

Gene

[enobmort42]

Originally Posted by GeneW

Good quality furnace filters, covers for the windows. Did not chop down that f----ing black Walnut tree that shades the house.

Did buy some of those mercury vapor filled bulbs and deployed them.

I'm thinking of putting together my own LED lighting panels - they'd be cheaper and more reliable than those silly light bulb shaped things that cost way more than decent LEDs. Just make a circuit board, populate it with strong LEDs and use a more rational method than those switching circuits that the pros use.

Gene

a friend has his bar lit with LEDs. there's a motion sensor beneath the countertop so when you step behind it, the LEDs, also under the countertop, light up all the bottles, the sink, the counter, everything. i'll have to get some photos sometime, but it looks awesome!

[YAR1S]

those energy saving lightbulbs are pretty awesome.
the ones that last a lot longer than the average ones and they take a second or so to warm up which is weird waiting for a light to turn on, but they do save you quite a bit on money.

[CTScott]

Eliminated all incandescent lighting.
Resided the house and added a layer of foil lined foam insulation.
Doubled the attic insulation.
Replaced my 1972 oil fired boiler (heat and hot water) with a high efficiency one.
Installed a power usage monitoring system to let us tune our power usage.
Driving the Yaris instead of a family truckster.

Seriously considering going geothermal for heating and cooling.

[SeaYa]

Building a sand filter to process rainwater.
Thermal blanket wrap on the water heater and added foam insulation to the pipes.
Seal and insulate heating/cooling ducts.
Replaced torn weather stripping on exterior doors.
CFL's FTW

Practices (a.k.a. SeaYa's a psycho):
Open blinds on sunny days in the winter (closed in the summer).
Summer: Instead of AC, just run the recirc fan to bring the cool air from the basement to the upper levels of the house.
Winter: Sleep in a military sleeping bag and left my heat off or set at 55.
Fill old plastic pretzel/cookie jars outside filled with water to freeze, and then put them in my fridge (leave food in locker outside if cold enough and your residency will allow it).
Open garage door manually.
Got rid of TV and internet at home.
Dust compressor coils on refridgerator once a month.
When done cooking, fill pot or pan with cold water and place back on the still warm element. When you're done eating, the water is hot and pot/pan is easy to scrub.
If your work/life schedule allows for it, go to bed when the sun sets and get up when it rises as much as possible (pretty tough/impossible in the winter).
Pick a roof tile color that is best for your climate (light tiles in the south, dark tiles in the north)

[m911gt]

Does anybody have experience with residential geothermal heating? I know it's pricey right now, but it's something I like to think about when considering building vs. buying a home someday.

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by m911gt

Does anybody have experience with residential geothermal heating? I know it's pricey right now, but it's something I like to think about when considering building vs. buying a home someday.

I have a buddy who is a sales guy for a company that sells geothermal systems. I do all of my own electrical/plumbing/HVAC work on my house, so with his discount on getting me the system I am only looking at about $8,000 for the system, with me doing all of the labor.

The big cost for me is the well drilling. When I did the calculations for heat loss/gain I determined that I need three 250 ft deep wells drilled. The cost for the three of them will be about $12,000.

[Bob_VT]

Originally Posted by m911gt

Does anybody have experience with residential geothermal heating? I know it's pricey right now, but it's something I like to think about when considering building vs. buying a home someday.

There is a guy here named Dave who installs Geo-Thermal and he is from Glens Falls NY ......Can't remember his user name.

[cm07yaris]

Originally Posted by m911gt

Does anybody have experience with residential geothermal heating? I know it's pricey right now, but it's something I like to think about when considering building vs. buying a home someday.

Ask Mr. Rollins!

[TLyttle]

I started out by buying a small house! 760sqft, single story, then I went from there. Heat pump, HE gas supplemental heat, light shingles, new HE windows (2 more to install), more insulation in the attic. The place is stucco, so it breathes without allowing drafts. Yaris.

I am trying to work out an alternative 12v power system for the rest of the house using RV stuff (lights, TV, etc); I have the generator, just need to use my buddy's lathe to build a governor for the windmill (lots of free power here!)...

Geothermal is simply the best way to go if one can. Expensive to install, but virtually free to operate. If my house was newer, I would use it without question.

[BailOut]

Where to begin...

First, let me say that my house is too large. We bought it on the pretense that my daughters would come live with us but then they changed their minds and decided to stay with their Mom. So we have a 2 story, 3 bedroom house for just my wife and I and our 2 dogs. My wife says this is her dream home and is absolutely adamant about keeping it anyway, but I'm wearing her down as it costs more both in heating/cooling and the mortgage than what it needs to. Nonetheless I have made great strides in the efficiency of the home.

Home modifications:

- Insulation jacket on the water heater.
- Instant hot water recirculator.
- Insulation on all visible pipes and ducts.
- Recaulked all windows and doors.
- Insulated each wall switch/outlet.
- Applied extra insulation to the front door frame to stop a leak.
- Replaced all light bulbs with CFLs except appliance bulbs.
- Verified proper insulation in attic and crawlspace.
- Put programmable timers on the entertainment center, computer equipment and hot water recirculator. These items are only allowed to have power when we are likely to use them.
- Fine tuned the central heating system to only be able to run for small windows at the coldest and hottest parts of each day, depending on the season.


Personal modifications:

- No longer wash clothing with hot water.
- No longer wash clothing after a single use (except for underwear and socks) unless it is dirty or soiled.
- No longer use my desktop except for specific purposes. The iPhone my company got me does just fine for 95% of my needs.
- Always turn off lights when we leave a room.
- Clean the refrigerator coils once per year.
- Clean the the dryer intake and exhaust once per year.
- No longer leave the television on for background noise.
- Strategic use of the blinds and windows not only for heating/cooling but also for general lighting.
- No baths and no long showers.
- Performed an electrical audit of our home. You can read about it here: http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4295
- We cook in the microwave when possible, in the toaster oven when applicable, and only in the oven for large items. On the stove top we use the smallest burner that will get the job done efficiently. We cook rice in an efficient cooker in huge batches. We "hypermile" the toaster oven and large oven by turning off their heating source a few minutes before an item will finish cooking. They retain heat quite well and get the job done without additional fuel.
- We always cook enough for leftovers. Not only does this save time and money but we only have to heat things up on the stove or in an oven once.
- We keep our freezer well stocked and our refrigerator filled with containers of liquid in order to retain the temperature better.
- Don't let the dishwasher (which is more efficient than washing by hand when done right) use the "warm start" or "plate warmer" settings.
- Bringing frozen things out the night before so that they defrost on the counter or in the sink rather than using hot water or a microwave to defrost them in a hurry.
- We indirectly save energy by using linen napkins and covering things in the microwave with other dishes (such as one plate inverted atop another to cover leftovers) rather than using plastic or foil wraps. The covering dish can be quickly rinsed off with cold water and left to air dry afterward.
- We indirectly save energy by only taking out our garbage can (which takes us about 4 months to fill up as we reduce, reuse, recycle and compost a lot) once it is full. This means the huge garbage truck doesn't need to use the fuel to stop at our driveway and perform a hydraulic lift but 3 or 4 times each year.


I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things. It's easy to do that once these things simply become part of your lifestyle.

[1stToyota]

Not a lot. Planted a Chinese Chestnut, Baldcypress and a Purpleleaf Plum near the house years ago that are finally providing good shade. Siding and extra insulation in the attic.

[YarisDude]

1. Installed CFL's.
2. Timer on electric hot water tank. Heat cycles twice a day at 5:30 AM/PM.
3. Installed DPDT outlet strips on all my small appliances, audio/TV gear, and computer equipment. Eliminates phantom power draw.
4. Installed setback thermostat.
5. Turned heat way down at night and used electric blanket.
6. Adjusted thermostat in fridge. It was set way too cold in the freezer section (-10 F).

I saved $30-40/mo this winter and will probably save $10/mo in the summer.

Now I if I can wean myself off air conditioning.....