Virginia Energy Sense

Which Insulation is Best for Your Home Retrofit Project?

It’s hot. If you’re like us, it’s hard for you to think about much else besides staying cool!  Ensuring that your home is adequately insulated can keep your home more comfortable on hot and cold days, and can keep your home’s temperature more consistent. And since heating and cooling account for 50-70% of the energy used in the average American home, insulation can help you reduce your energy waste. To help you better understand your options, we’ve compiled some information about the different types of insulation and how it can help you save energy in your home year round.

Insulation is made from a variety of materials, and it usually comes in four types:

• Batts and rolls, or blanket insulation, is the most common and widely available type of insulation. It consists of flexible fibers, most commonly fiberglass. You also can find batts and rolls made from mineral (rock and slag) wool, plastic fibers, and natural fibers, such as cotton and sheep’s wool. Batts and rolls are available in widths suited to standard spacing of wall studs, and attic or floor joists. Continuous rolls can be hand-cut and trimmed to easily fit these spaces.

• Loose-fill consists of small particles of fiber, foam, or other materials. These small particles form an insulation material that can conform to any space without disturbing any structures or finishes. Loose-fill insulation is well suited for places where it’s difficult to install some other types of insulation.

• Rigid foam rigid panels of insulation can be used to insulate almost any part of your home, from the roof down to the foundation. They provide good thermal resistance and often add structural strength to your home. Foam board insulation sheathing reduces heat conduction through structural elements, like wood and steel studs.

• Foam-in-place liquid foam insulation materials can be sprayed, foamed-in-place, injected, or poured. Their ability to fill even the smallest cavities gives them twice the R-value per inch than traditional batt insulation. 

For insulation recommendations tailored to your home and location, visit the DOE Zip Code Insulation Calculator.

You can also find other tips to help you save energy at home, work and school on the Virginia Energy Sense website. Check out the simple ways you can reduce your monthly utility bills.

Window Efficiency 101

The region is heating up and warm days are here to stay across Virginia. If you’re seeking refuge from the heat and want to make sure your home stays cool, consider what you know about your home’s windows.  Are they efficient?

Many homeowners lose an estimated 30 percent of the money they spend on cooling costs due to inefficient windows. Now that’s a lot of energy waste! ENERGY STAR qualified windows, doors and skylights can help you reduce your energy use and keep your cool air inside the house.

To help you prepare for your window project, we’ve gathered some information you should know: 

Key Terms to Know:

• The insulation in windows is measured by U-factor. U-factor refers to the rate of non-solar heat transfer through a window. The lower the U-factor, the more insulation the window provides. U-factor ratings generally fall between 0.20 and 1.20.

• Familiarize yourself withsolar heat gain coefficient (SHGC), which measures the fraction of solar energy transmitted and tells you how well the product blocks heat caused by sunlight. SHGC is measured on a scale of 0 to 1; values typically range from 0.25 to 0.80.
  

Identify Materials and Contractors

Make sure the materials you choose are suited to the type of climate in which you live. Get started by determining your climate region

• Next, locate an ENERGY STAR retailer in your neighborhood. Just type in your zip code for product suppliers near you.
  

Incentives:

• In addition to the long-term energy savings you’ll enjoy, take advantage of financial incentives that lower your initial investment. Check with your local utilities and state to see if they provide financial incentives or rebates for purchasing ENERGY STAR qualified windows.

If upgrading your windows to make them more energy efficient isn’t in your budget, you’re not out of luck! There are many ways that you can improve the efficiency of your windows and the comfort of your home with a limited budget. Check out these DIY projects to help keep the cool air inside your home.

Already taken on a project to make your home more energy efficient? Share your story with Virginia Energy Sense on our Facebook page and we’ll feature you in an upcoming blog!

How to- Top 10 Efficiency Upgrades Renters Can Make

When you think of home energy savings, oftentimes, folks assume they must own their own home to make changes and energy efficient upgrades.  But there’s actually plenty of things renters can do to help reduce their energy impact, including many simple and low or no cost projects that can still bring a significant impact.

If you live in a rental property and can’t commit to more permanent efficiency solutions, we have a list of projects just for you. Once you’ve cleared the project with your landlord, reference these 10 ideas to reduce your utility bills and energy use:

1. Install a Programmable Thermostat: A programmable thermostat makes it easier for you to save energy by offering specific settings to regulate temperatures in your home while accounting for variables including time of day, seasons and your schedule. Programmable thermostats can range in price from $20 to a few hundred dollars, but check with your utility provider — some may install one for free or provide an incentive towards your purchase.
2. Install Gaskets Behind Outlets & Switches: You should install gaskets to prevent unnecessary heat gain or loss depending on the time of year. The purpose of foam gaskets is to seal off the wall cavity behind outlets & switch receptacles. If you were to conduct a “blower door test,” you would be amazed to find a generous amount of outside air blowing out from these points.
3. Caulk & Seal Around Windows and Doors: Leaks and drafts cause unnecessary expenses. Weatherize your home by caulking and weather-stripping all doors and windows. Also use locks on your windows to make them tighter and draft resistant. According to the Department of Energy, if you reduce drafts in your home you can cut your energy bill by as much as 30%!
4. Use Power Strips: Put laptop AC adapters, cell phone and other electronic device chargers on power strips that can be turned off — or will turn off automatically. The charger draws power continuously, even when the devices are not plugged into the adapter.
5. Check Your Water Heater Settings: Lower your water heater’s maximum temperature — 120 degrees should be sufficient. The energy savings are 7-11% of water heating costs. You can also wrap your water heater with an insulation blanket available at your local hardware store.
6. Replace The Furnace Filter: Have your cooling system serviced once a year and regularly replace furnace filters. During the summer months when cooling is used most frequently, change or clean furnace filters once a month.
7. Use Energy Efficient Bulbs: Replace regular light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). Consider LED lights for outdoor areas. Switching one CFL can save $40 or more over the lifetime of the bulb and LED lights use at least 75% less energy than incandescent lighting.
8. Install Window Shades: Keep shades and curtains closed during the day on the south side of your home to prevent your air conditioning unit from working twice as hard to cool the space.
9. Consider fans: They move the air around spaces and that circulation action can make rooms more comfortable — even at higher temperatures. Fans usually allow for a 3 to 5 degree higher temperature setting without sacrificing comfort and each degree saves about 3% on cooling costs. That could mean cutting one of your biggest energy inputs by 15% and saving hundreds of dollars every year.
10. Clean Your Refrigerator: By cleaning the coils on the back of your fridge you’ll help one of the biggest energy hogging appliances run more efficiently.

What other ideas can you think of to help save energy around your home? Share your ideas with us on our Facebook page and we’ll share with other Virginians so we can all work to meet the state’s goal to reduce electricity consumption by 10%.

Q&A with Virginia Energy Sense Resolutions Sweepstakes Winner

The first three months of 2012 flew by, but Virginia Energy Sense is hoping those energy efficiency resolutions haven’t flown out the door!  To keep your energy efficiency goals on track and give you some fresh ideas just in time for spring, Virginia Energy Sense caught up with Pamela Covington, our second Resolutions Sweepstakes winner, to get her thoughts on how other Virginians can ‘Value Your Power.’ Read on to see what Pamela had to say about energy efficiency:

VES: One appliance/tech gadget you can’t live without?

PC: The one thing I can’t live without is my computer. I practically do

everything on it now from Facebook, Twitter, entering sweepstakes to finding awesome deals to save money on everyday items.

VES: Favorite tip for saving energy around the house?

PC: Simply turn off the lights, TV, computer and game consoles when you are not using them.

VES: Finish this sentence: One way I think Virginia can help achieve its 10% goal to reduce electricity consumption is: 

PC: Virginia can help reduce electricity consumption by educating the public through as many means as possible; using the week around Earth Day for businesses to offer coupons and “try me” periods for energy efficient products; and offering incentives to businesses to help promote sales of more energy efficient products to consumers. 

VES: What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to saving energy? 

PC: Affordability. I know it makes sense in the long-term; however, when you are trying to really stretch your finances to cover everything, it really makes the difference.

Check back with us, weekly, to learn more energy efficiency tips and ways to save on your utility bills. In the meantime, visit our Facebook page and tell us what you’re doing to ‘Value Your Power’ and save energy throughout 2012.

How to- 5 Steps to Make Your Computer Energy Efficient

How to- 5 Steps to Make Your Computer Energy Efficient

If you’re in the habit of leaving your computer on when it’s not in use, you could be wasting up to$50 annually in electricity costs for each computer you own. These five steps can help you run your computer more efficiently and save you money. Even businesses can get in on the savings by making some simple adjustments to ensure computers are running efficiently and cost-effectively. 

1. To get your computer in energy efficient shape, try these five steps: Monitors: Turn your monitor off if you plan to be away from your screen for a longer period of time. Not only will this save energy but it will also extend the life of your monitor. Note that if your monitor is more than 20 years old, you shouldn’t turn it on and off frequently.
2. Screen Savers: Don’t rely on screen savers to help you save energy. Believe it or not, a screen saver actually uses a great deal of energy. In fact, a screen saver will not only draw power for the monitor but will also keep the central processing unit from shutting down. Change your settings so your computer goes into “sleep mode” instead.
3. Games: Always close applications that aren’t in use. Many popular computer games are left running in the background while multitasking, which will not allow the computer to go to sleep, even if the game is paused. Closing unused apps reduces your computer’s workload and will also increase your computer’s speed.
4. Manage Power: Activate power management settings on your computer. Your computer should come equipped with power management tools that allow you to control how your computer consumes energy, when it enters sleep modes and how it powers up or down.  

To activate these settings, visit the link of the operating system you run on your computer and follow the steps to make your computer run more efficiently: 

• Windows XP
• Windows Vista
• Windows 7 
• Mac OS

While in the low-power or sleep mode these computers will not lose network connections keeping your data secure, allowing greater use of low power modes. 

5.  Buying New: If you’re in the market for a new computer, consider ENERGY STAR qualified models. According to ENERGY STAR,if every home office product purchased in the United States met ENERGY STAR requirements, the U.S. could save more than $100 million in annual energy costs! 

If you want to know just how much these simple steps can save you, check out the Energy Star Computer Power Management Savings Calculator to estimate your typical savings from qualified Energy Star computers and/or power management features.

For other energy efficiency tips you can implement in your home or office, visit the Virginia Energy Sense website at virginiaenergysense.org.

How to: Make your home more comfortable with window film

Drafty windows can make your home chilly and less comfortable. But with a roll of window film and a little bit of time, you can keep drafts in check.  Window film helps to conserve energy, lowers energy costs and blocks up to 65% of solar energy in summer and 38% of heat loss in winter. This project is great for renters and homeowners who aren’t able to commit to large scale energy efficiency projects. And since window film can be easily applied and removed, it’s a simple DIY fix.

Instructions:

• Clean and prep the window by scraping glass panes with a razor to ensure the window is free of dirt and dust build up. 
• Use a measuring tape and measure the window you want to cover. Add 1 inch to each measurement and cut film accordingly. Excess film will allow you to hold the film during application. You’ll trim the extra pieces off after installation. 
  
• Spray both the window glass and film with cleaning solution. This helps the window film adhere to the glass.

• Start at the top of the window and allow the film to gently lie on the glass. Press the film in place with your hands and grab your squeegee to remove excess air and moisture from under the film. Work any air bubbles out by pushing your squeegee from the center of the window to the outer edge.

• Trim the excess edges from the window film with a razor blade and be sure to dry the film with a cloth rag.

Other tips:

• Window film will not adhere to a window that is too hot or too cold. Make sure to apply film during early morning or late evening hours and avoid application during periods of direct sunlight.

If you want to save energy and money on your next utility bill, check out our previous How -To blog posts or follow us on Twitter @VAEnergySense for daily energy efficiency tips and news.

How to: Use a Programmable Thermostat in Your Home

A programmable thermostat makes it easier for you to save energy by offering specific settings to regulate temperatures in your home while accounting for variables including, time of day, seasons and your schedule.

Using standard settings, homeowners will see a significant savings in energy since more than half of the money spent on powering a household goes to heating and cooling costs.  In fact, installing and correctly using a programmable thermostat can help you reduce your home utility bills by as much as $180 a year. Now that’s what I call savings!

If you’re thinking about purchasing and installing a programmable thermostat, here are some things you should know:

Options: Typically, thermostat models come in a variety of schedule functions. Homeowners with schedules that change daily can opt for models that allow the flexibility to set separate settings for each day of the week, based on whether you’re home or away.  For those with more consistent schedules, 5-day models offer the option to keep the same settings throughout the week while switching to different settings for weekends. Depending on your preferences and home needs, programmable thermostats can range in price from $20 to a few hundred dollars. While $20 will get you a basic model, more advanced models have some other handy options you may want to consider:

• Digital, backlit displays
• Touchpad screen programming
• Voice, mobile phone and/or Wi-Fi programming
• Hold/Vacation features
• Indicators which tell you when it’s time to change air filters
• Indicators that signal malfunctioning of heating/cooling systems
• Adaptive Recovery/ Smart Recovery features that sense the amount of time it will take to reach the next set-point temperature

 How to Install and Program Your Thermostat:

• Before installing your programmable thermostat, be sure to shut down your electricity and read the instructions that accompany the thermostat of your choice.

• Select a location on an interior wall in your home. The location should be away from heat or air sources that could impact temperature readings.

•  As you develop a schedule for your thermostat, you should take into consideration when you’re normally away from your home and when your family typically goes to sleep. A sample schedule might look like this:

Winter Weekdays:

o   6am – 9am: Thermostat is set at 68°F

o   9am – 5pm: Thermostat is set at 55°F

o   5pm - from 10pm: Thermostat is set at 68°F

o   10pm – 6am: Thermostat is set at 60°F

*** Setting your home’s thermostat to 68°F during winter  and turning the thermostat back 10°–15° while you are asleep or at work can save about 5%–15% a year on your heating bill—a savings of as much as 1% for each degree if the setback period is eight hours long. In the summer, you can follow the same strategy with central air conditioning, too, by keeping your house warmer than normal when you are away and lowering the thermostat setting to 78°F when you are at home and need cooling. ***

Other tips:

• Programmable thermostats are a low voltage wiring project and involve anywhere from 2–10 wires, depending on your type of heating and cooling system. If your home requires a more extensive installation or you’re concerned about risks involved with installing electrical equipment, consider contacting an HVAC professional.

Tips to Make Your Fireplace Work for You

It can be awfully cozy to curl up near the fireplace with a good book or play board games with family and friends.  But did you know your fireplace is actually one of the most inefficient heating sources available?

By following these few steps from the Department of Energy, you can make sure your heating bill doesn’t burn you this winter. Here’s how:

•  Plug and seal the chimney flue if you do  not  use your fireplace.
• Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is going. Leaving the damper open is like an open window on a cold day. As air in your home warms, it rises up and out of your chimney if not properly sealed when not in use.
• Reduce heat loss by opening dampers in the bottom of the firebox (if provided) or open the nearest window slightly—approximately 1 inch—and close doors leading into the room. Lower the thermostat setting to 50°- 55°F when you have a fire lit.
• Check the seal on the flue damper and make it as snug as possible.
• Caulk around the fireplace hearth to prevent warm air from escaping.
• Circulate warm air back into your home. Use grates made of C-shaped metal tubes to draw cool room air into the fireplace.
• Install a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room. Tempered glass doors will also help you maintain the heat your fireplace generates.

By making some or all of these fixes, you’ll be able to enjoy your fireplace without worrying about heat loss. If you want to increase your savings on utility bills, check out other do-it-yourself tips from Virginia Energy Sense to ensure your home is an energy-efficient haven.