Energy Savers

Thinking From a Whole-Building Approach

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a few tools you could use to find out how much energy you could make off of solar or wind resources at your home.

But now I'm thinking that I went at that from the wrong angle. Because realistically, when it comes to making your home more efficient, renewable energy is probably the last step you'll consider taking.

If you drop by the EERE Building Technologies Program, which handles building research and energy efficient building technologies, you'll see that they emphasize the importance of whole building design. The idea is simple: Energy efficient houses are made when every part of the home is working efficiently—not just one part.

So let's not look at renewables by themselves. Let's look at where they fall in the grand scheme of things.

Energy Tax Credits: Stay Warm and Save MORE Money!

With all of the news this month about the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, you may have heard about the energy tax incentives that were included for both consumers and for business, utilities, and governments.

If you are already preparing for winter and working to make your home more efficient, this is good news. The federal tax credits can help you save energy, stay warm, and save money this winter and beyond. Combined with other sources of financial help that we've already discussed on this blog, you may be able to save significantly on your improvements.

Reduce Your Heating Bills with Better Insulation

If you pay your own energy bills, you don’t need to be reminded that energy prices are escalating. Energy price projections for this coming winter are not encouraging. According to the Energy Information Administration, residential natural gas prices during the upcoming heating season (October though March) are projected to average $14.93 per Mcf, an increase of about 17% compared to last year’s heating season. Residential heating oil prices are projected to average $4.13 per gallon this winter, an increase of about 25%.

What if you live in an all-electric house? Many utilities are continuing to pursue retail electricity rate increases in response to power generation fuel costs that have risen dramatically over the last 2 years. Average U.S. residential electricity prices are expected to rise by 5.7% in 2008 and by 9.5% in 2009.

What’s a homeowner to do? Heating and cooling account for 50% to 70% of the energy used in the average American home. If you want to substantially reduce energy costs, decreasing the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling your home is a good place to start.

Reducing air leakage by air sealing, properly insulating your home, and replacing or improving your heating system are the three major ways of reducing your heating bills. Today we’ll look at insulation.