Live reporting - Energy $ense - heating, cooling tips

Electric reductions

• phantom load reduction with power strips
• determine power eaters with "Kill a watt" meter and economize use
• energy appliance purchases

buy Energy Star appliances (www.energystar.gov)

Appliance tips

• don't buy a plasma TV (uses 3-4 times as much than conventional)
• gas-fired clothes dryer
• front loading washing

heating & cooling purchases

• programmable thermostat (rebate available from local utility)
  
• new furnace or heat pump

heating & cooling tips

• boiler, efficient, tuned and cleaned
• insulation, windows, don't let heat escape

Weatherization

• sealing of air leaks (attic, basements)
• insulation installation

air leakage paths

• air comes into the basement through the windows, cracks in the walls
• warm air rises and will go out where it can

homeowners who have insulated and did not see an improvement in energy usage, usually had air leaks that were not properly addressed

Blower door Air Leakage analysis
helps to find big leaks, assess ventilation, requires training, measure leakage before and after work, can cost $4-600 for a single household

get the neighborhood together to have the contractor come in to do several at the same time and reduce the cost

Infra-red Camera
assess current level of insulation in walls and spot gaps
check results of contractor work

windows are very expensive to replace but the energy saving payback is hard to get; about 8-13% on savings