Zero Energy, Zero Net Energy and Zero Energy Ready… What are they and why are they important? Well, the more energy efficient a home is, the more money a homeowner or renter will save, and the more any renewable energy systems will help contribute to environmental benefits as well. No matter what you call it, zero energy homes are a great target for both new construction and retrofits! Zero Energy Ready Homes Here’s a short video from the U.S. Department of Energy on its Zero Energy Ready Home...
Your Home Environment May Be Impacting Your Health Several air quality issues in residential buildings may cause decreases in human health over time. “Unhealthy homes,” or homes suffering from bad indoor air quality have been associated with higher rates of respiratory illness, allergies, asthma, sneezing, runny nose, congestion, accumulation of viruses and bacteria in indoor spaces, and others. Luckily, these effects are rarely life threatening, but increasing your home air quality may help you feel better. While it can sometimes seem costly to make improvements related to human performance up front, most cost benefit analyses show that there is a greater benefit over time to make improvements to buildings than to suffer from decreased wellbeing over time. What Are the Risk Factors? Dampness and Mold: Mold in the home has many potential sources. Some potential sources are natural occurrences, such damp soil or foundation, flooding, or heavy rains. Other potential sources may be due to poor construction of the building, such as a bad plumbing system causing leaks. Additionally, air conditioning systems are extremely susceptible to mold due to their nature of pulling in outside air and cooling it down before recirculation. Mold in the home has a wide array of negative health impacts associated with it. Mold particles may contain allergens and chemicals that may illicit an inflammatory response in tissues when inhaled. Additionally, toxic chemicals associated with mold particles may theoretically cause health problems such as inhibited immune system function or central nervous system damage. How do I Prevent Dampness and Mold in the Home? Prevention is the best mold management strategy. If water damaged in noticed,...
Can I add new insulation on top of old insulation? Yes, you can add the new insulation on top of old insulation, unless it is wet. If it is wet or appears that the insulation has previously been wet, you should look for the cause and repair the problem to prevent a reoccurrence. Remove any wet insulation; wet insulation can lead to mold, mildew, or even the rotting of your ceiling or roof rafters. Either batt or rolled insulation or blown loose-fill insulation (fiberglass or cellulose) can be installed on top of old insulation. You should not tack down rolled insulation, insulation needs to be fluffy to block heat flow or you will reduce the R-value of the insulation by squashing it flat to tack it down. What are my options/what types of insulation are there? Spray foam: there are two kinds of spray foam insulation; Open-cell spray foam is the lighter, less dense option. It is the cheaper of the two but has less insulating power (lowerR-value). Closed-cell spray foam is denser and more expensive, can provide a bit more rigid support to certain structures and can act as a water vapor barrier, because it is less permeable. Cellulose: loose-fill insulation that comes in two types: dry and wet. It ismade of recycled paper, consisting primarily of newspaper but also including some cardboard and other appropriate papers. It is the best environmentally conscious option because it is sourced in the recycling arena, though it is treated before use as insulation. The “wet” option is slightly damp when it is sprayed into the cavity. Fiberglass blanket: Widely available and...
What is the SEER Rating? SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating, the higher the SEER ratings mean greater efficiency. The more cooling/heating a system puts out for each unit of energy it consumes, the higher rating it will receive. The higher the efficiency rating of your system, the less energy it will consume – that means lower utility bills and less of an impact on the environment. SEER is the most common way to evaluate an air conditioner’s efficiency. An air conditioner’s SEER rating is the ratio of the cooling output of an HVAC unit over a typical cooling season (measured in btu’s), divided by the energy consumed in Watt-Hours. It is the average over a cooling season, and is calculated using a constant indoor temperature and varying outdoor temperatures ranging from the 60’s to over 10-degrees. SEER also uses average US household energy expenditures in its calculation. A unit’s SEER value is displayed on its Energy Guide Tag as a number ranging from around 8 to 30, although right now there are few air conditioning units more efficient than about 23-SEER. So for instance, an air conditioner with a value of 23-SEER will be far more efficient than a unit with a rating of 14-SEER. Why should I have regular (preventative) maintenance? What can I do on my own for maintaining my HVAC system? Regular HVAC preventative maintenance is the best way to ensure trouble-free operation and peak performance. Pre-season maintenance is also important. It can help to avoid a system failure in severe hot or cold weather when you need it most, and it can also keep...
What are Energy Audits? / What is checked in an Energy Audit? During an in-home energy audit, a trained expert assesses how much energy your home uses and then suggests measures to improve the energy efficiency and safety of your home. Generally, the auditor will analyze your utility bills, use diagnostic equipment to check your home for efficiency, safety, and performance, discuss your specific concerns, and offer practical solutions to help you save energy and money. An auditor usually examines systems in homes such as the furnace/boiler, HVAC system, insulation, air leaks, water heater, refrigerator/freezer/range, etc. Other tests could include a blower door test (A blower door test determines a home’s overall airtightness) or infrared (IR) scans (thermography or infrared scanning to detect thermal defects and air leakage in building envelopes) – but these are not standard and normally need to be asked for and will be an additional cost. What is the difference between an Energy Rating and an Energy Audit? Essentially, the difference between an energy rating and energy audits is that an energy rating measures a home’s energy performance as compared to other similar homes, while energy audits show homeowners where and how their homes are losing energy. An energy rating will result in the home receiving a HERS Index (Home Energy Rating System) Score, which has been likened to a MPG (miles-per-gallon) sticker for homes. It gives homeowners, and prospective buyers, a good idea of what that home costs to run and how energy efficient it is. Energy audits identify a home’s energy problems and provide the homeowner with cost-effective solutions to those problems. Are there different kinds...
