Infographic by Sarah Gerrity, Energy Department.
Source: http://energy.gov/articles/energy-saver-101-infographic-home-heating
Everything You Need To Know About Home Heating
February 25th, 2014Making the Invisible Visible
February 21st, 2014Melissa Ulbricht Aug 19, 2013
Often, when homeowners make improvements to an existing house, the most important aspects of home performance – including safety, comfort, energy efficiency, durability, and environmental impact – are literally invisible during key steps of any home sale or refinance transaction.
One result is that energy efficiency investments are overlooked or inaccurately valued at the time of a home sale. The key to making these investments visible to everyone involved in a home sale – including appraisers, Realtors®, buyers, and sellers – is standardized documentation and consistent communication across the energy efficiency and real estate industries.
A new paper from CNT Energy and National Home Performance Council shows how proper documentation, verification, and standardization of energy efficiency improvements can add value to a home that owners can recoup at sale.
The paper provides a blueprint and outlines seven steps the energy efficiency industry must take to unlock the value of efficiency in the real estate market:
Unlocking the Value of an Energy Efficient Home
- Consistently document energy efficiency improvements
- Ensure data is incorporated into the appraisal process
- Work with the real estate community to reflect these improvements in local for-sale listings
- Capitalize on existing education and training opportunities
- Report on the growing inventories of energy efficient homes
- Develop standardized IT solutions
- Work with partner financial institutions
The outcome is that energy efficient features become visible and can be accurately valued when a home is sold. This lays the groundwork for a virtuous cycle in which homeowners are eager to invest in energy efficiency improvements because they know that they can recover some or all of their investments at the time of the home sale.
The full paper is available online at www.cntenergy.org/media/Unlocking_Value_2013.pdf
Clean Air Plants for Your Home
February 11th, 2014
Projects like installing new carpet and painting walls can release chemicals that pollute indoor air. Luckily, some houseplants moonlight as efficient purifiers. For the best results, put as many plants as you can care for in the rooms you use most, says environmental scientist Dr. Bill Wolverton. That means you’ll want at least two plants (in 10- to 12-inch pots) per 100 square feet of space; if you’re in the middle of major renovations, aim for more plants. One tip: Be sure not to overwater, as too much soil moisture can lead to mold growth.
Here are 10 smart options you can buy at your local nursery. To learn more, pick up Wolverton’s new book, “Plants: Why You Can’t Live Without Them” (Roli Books; $25).
Article by This Old House
Read More This Old House
Got Mold?
February 7th, 2014Mold grows where there is moisture. If you have mold or mildew problems in your home, it is likely the result of poor ventilation and leaks in windows, heating ducts, plumbing, roofs or moist air getting in from the crawl.
It’s important to promptly rid your home of mold and to fix the cause so that it does not come back. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention lists
Under the EPA’s Ten Things You Should Know About Mold they advise homeowners to reduce humidity to between 30 and 60% to decrease mold growth. By venting bathrooms and other areas where moisture is generated to the exterior of the house- not the attic- you reduce the chance that occupant generated moisture is the cause.
However, some homes will bring in and create their own moisture due to leaky floors, walls and ceilings. In these cases, its best to consult a professional and look to having a pressure test performed on your home.
If you are concerned that your are currently being exposed to mold you should first consult your health care provider.Then Ask An Expert to see what steps you should take to eliminating mold and other problems with your home.
Where’s the Dust Buster?
January 21st, 2014It’s hard to get too worked up about dust. Yes, it’s a nuisance, but it’s hardly one that causes us much anxiety — and our language itself suggests as much. We call those clumps of the stuff under the bed dust bunnies after all, not, say, dust vermin.
But there’s a higher ick factor to dust than you might think. And there’s a science to how it gets around — a science that David Layton and Paloma Beamer, professors of environmental policy at the University of Arizona, are exploring.
Layton and Beamer, whose latest study has been accepted for fall publication in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, knew a lot about their subject even before they set to work. Historically, everyone from chemists to homemakers has tried to figure out just what dust is made of, and the Arizona researchers drew their preliminary data mostly from two studies of household dust conducted in the Netherlands and the U.S. The American survey in particular was a big one, covering six Midwestern states. Layton and Beamer also included a localized study in Sacramento, Calif., that focused particularly on lead contamination. What all those surveys showed was decidedly unappetizing.
The specific dust mix in any household differs according to climate, age of the house and the number of people who live in it — not to mention the occupants’ cooking, cleaning and smoking habits. But nearly everywhere, dust consists of some combination of shed bits of human skin, animal fur, decomposing insects, food debris, lint and organic fibers from clothes, bedding and other fabrics, tracked-in soil, soot, particulate matter from smoking and cooking, and, disturbingly, lead, arsenic and even DDT.
“There are more [components],” Beamer says. “Dust is a hodgepodge of all sorts of things. It would probably be impossible to make a list of all the possible items.”
But dust’s ingredient label is not the whole story, since all of those flecks and bits behave differently and present different levels of health risk. To investigate those factors more closely, Layton and Beamer developed a computer algorithm that looked at the size, source and toxicity of dust particles as well as how easily they enter the house, if they ever exit and, if so, by what route. That information, by extension, can provide at least a rough sense of the dust load in your own home.
As a general rule, the majority of household dust — about 60% — comes from outside, through windows, doors, vents and, significantly, on the soles of your shoes. Smaller dust particles — from 28 to 49 microns, or thousandths of a millimeter — tend to stay on your shoes. The rest is shaken off inside. A higher share of the dust that floats in the air gets deposited, but again, there’s a lot that determines how much any one home will get.
“Here in Arizona,” says Beamer, “where we leave our windows open most of the year and have an arid climate, we would probably have a higher ratio.” Industrial centers or sooty cities have plenty of dust too, though for different reasons.
There’s not much to fret about in simple particles of dirt or organic materials such as pollen (though they can trigger allergies), but lead, arsenic and DDT can be a more serious matter. About one-third of the arsenic in the atmosphere comes from natural sources — volcanoes principally. The rest comes from mining, smelting, burning fossil fuels and other industrial processes. Even in relatively low concentrations, arsenic is not without risk, especially to small children who play on the floor and routinely transfer things from their hands to their mouths. The same is true for lead, which comes less from wall paint — the source most people would expect — than from auto exhaust, smelting and soil deposits. “Lead loading on floors is a key determinant of blood-lead levels in children,” Layton and Beamer wrote in their paper.
The fact that DDT is still in house dust is a surprise to most people, since the pesticide was banned in the U.S. in 1972. But a house is a little like a living organism: once it absorbs a contaminant, it may never purge it completely. “Dust in our homes,” says Beamer, “especially deep dust in our carpets and furniture, is a conglomerate of substances over the life of the home and can provide a historical record of chemicals that have entered it.”
The mess that originates within the home is a lot easier to measure and control. The more people who live there, the more skin that’s going to be shed, the more pets, the more animal fur. And, as Mom always warned, the more you walk around the house while eating, the more food debris you’ll drop on the floor — which also attracts more insects that will die, decompose and add their own special zest to your dust. Cooking smoke and tobacco smoke, which are the most obvious contributors when they’re being produced, actually make only a small contribution to what winds up on floors and surfaces. The tiny size of the particles makes them likelier to rise and adhere to other surfaces or simply remain in the air than to settle.
It goes without saying that your home will never be dust-free, but there are ways to reduce your own dust loading — and it’s important that you try. Dust mites, which feed on shed skin, produce allergens that are known triggers for people suffering from asthma. Same goes for cockroach dust, especially in cities. No one needs much convincing about the wisdom of getting rid of arsenic, and the good news is that about 80% of it can be removed simply by cleaning floor dust regularly.
None of this means that dust poses a clear and present danger or that you need to take any extraordinary measures. Just clean regularly, don’t smoke, eat at the table — and try not to freak out. Dust bunnies are still only bunnies; you may just want fewer of them.
content courtesy of Time.com
Heating System Replacement Tips
January 7th, 2014
Space heating is the largest energy expense in most homes, accounting for two-thirds of annual energy bills in cold climates.
Why Buy An Energy Efficient Furnace/Boiler?
Heating is the largest energy expense in most homes, accounting for almost two-thirds of annual energy bills in colder areas of the country. Heating systems in the United States emit a billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and about 12% of the sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emitted by the nation. Reducing energy use for heating is the single most effective way to reduce your home’s contribution to global environmental problems.
Conservation efforts and a new high-efficiency heating system can often cut your pollution output and fuel bills in half. Upgrading your furnace or boiler from an AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) of 56% to 90% in an average cold-climate house will save 1.5 tons of CO2 emissions if you heat with gas or 2.5 tons if you heat with oil and will cut your heating bill by almost 40%.
If your furnace or boiler is old, worn out, inefficient, or significantly oversized, the simplest solution is to replace it with a modern high-efficiency model. Old coal burners that were switched over to oil or gas are prime candidates for replacement, as well as gas furnaces without electronic (pilotless) ignition.
About Furnace/Boiler Efficiency
A central furnace or boiler’s efficiency is measured by annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). AFUE is a measure of how efficient the appliance is in using fossil fuel (gas or oil) or electricity (for an electric furnace) over a typical year of use.
An all-electric furnace or boiler has no flue loss through a chimney. The AFUE rating for an all-electric furnace or boiler is between 95% and 100%. The lower values are for units installed outdoors because they have greater jacket heat loss.
The efficiency of manufactured furnaces is governed by the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987 and regulated by the U.S. Department of Energy. The minimum allowed AFUE rating for a non-condensing, fossil-fueled, warm-air furnace is 78%; the rating for a fossil-fueled boiler is 80%; and the rating for a gas-fueled steam boiler is 75%. A condensing furnace or boiler condenses the water vapor produced in the combustion process and captures the heat released from this condensation. The AFUE rating for a condensing unit can be much higher (by more than 10 percentage points) than a non-condensing furnace. Although a condensing unit costs more than a non-condensing unit, the condensing unit can save you money in fuel costs over the 15 to 20-year life of the unit.
Tips for Buying a New Furnace/Boiler
- If you live in a cold climate, it usually makes sense to invest in the highest efficiency system available. In milder climates with lower annual heating costs, the extra investment required to go from 80% to 90%-95% efficiency may be hard to justify.
- When shopping for high-efficiency furnaces and boilers, look for dependability. Buy a system with a good warranty and a reputable company to back it up.
- When buying gas and oil systems, specify sealed combustion. Sealed-combustion appliances bring outside air directly into the burner and exhaust flue gases (combustion products) directly to the outside, without the need for a draft hood or damper. They generally burn more efficiently and pose no risk of introducing dangerous combustion gases into your house. With nonsealed-combustion appliances, back-drafting of combustion gases can be a big problem, especially in tightly-sealed modern homes.
Posted by Wes Diskin
Top New Years Resolutions
December 31st, 2013Thomas Swan December 10, 2013
In 2014 we will once again pledge our unwavering commitment to acts of personal and mutual endeavor. New Years resolutions are an annual opportunity to reflect on the past and dedicate oneself to a brighter future. In this article, we present some of the most common New Years resolutions made each year.
Perhaps the most important New Years resolution is to not make promises you can’t keep. Without such a promise, the task really would be a futile one! Broken resolutions are taken far too lightly, and it can be detrimental to habitually break our promises to ourselves. With that in mind, lets take a look at the most popular New Years resolutions for 2014!
- Live within your means
The most important New Years resolution for 2014 is to live within your means. The current economic conditions are a woeful reminder that the recession is still going strong. However, there are many things one can do to save money and avoid debt.Look for bargain brands when it comes to buying food, bathroom, and cleaning products. One of the biggest rip offs is the toothbrush and toothpaste business. Buy the cheapest of both and you won’t notice the difference. Next look at your utilities bill. Are you paying the cheapest rates for gas, electric, water, phone and internet? Switching companies, or combining two utilities with the same company can save money. To save even more, turn off the heating and wear an extra layer of clothing. Look at your travel costs; would catching a bus or train be cheaper than using the car? Research railcards and bus passes to find the best bargains.
Most important of all is to look at what you need and what is merely a luxury. Do you really need cable or satellite television? Do you need a monthly phone contract when a prepaid phone might be cheaper? Do you need the latest gadgets and accessories? Do you need to go abroad to have a holiday? Add up how much you’d save in the course of a year, and start saving!
- Smile more and be kinder to people
The benefits of smiling are drastically understated. When I forget to smile, I get an equally stony response from others. When people smile at me, I find myself smiling back. We are reciprocal creatures; we pick up on signals from other people and respond in kind. The benefits of smiling are scientifically proven and include reduced stress levels and increased feelings of well-being. Smiling also demonstrates a basic level of kindness and respect for others because it helps to establish trust and friendship. To go beyond a mere smile, one can try volunteering for a charity, or counselling a friend or colleague through hard times. - Do more exercise
The benefits of exercise cannot be stressed enough. Regular exercise can help you look younger, sleep better, and feel happier. It can also help you avoid a plethora of illnesses and disabilities. The human race evolved to run away from predators and run after prey; it is our natural state to be active. Go for a run in the morning or evening, or sign up with your local gym. For something less strenuous, try yoga or Pilate’s. - Spend more time with family and friends
The Christmas period can make one yearn to escape the family environment, but this can be a poignant reminder that the atmosphere would be far more hospitable if we kept in touch a little more. Many people have lost their family, so we should be grateful for the company of our own relatives. Time with family can cause us to miss our friends, which helps us to appreciate the amity they bring. - Eat healthier food
We are bombarded with advice about healthy eating, but too often we are told what we can’t eat, not what we can! It’s difficult to reduce the pleasure we get from food when it isn’t replaced with anything. However, there are plenty of tasty, low-fat alternatives. If you want something sweet, avoid chocolate and have some strawberries or blueberries instead. One way to get started is to look at the fat content of everything you eat, and avoid anything with more than 5g of fat per 100g of food
Find #6 – #10 here
Source: http://thomasswan.hubpages.com/hub/Top-10-New-Years-Resolutions-2013
Are Windows a Priority?
December 27th, 2013One of the first industries to jump onto the energy efficiency bandwagon was the window industry. Claims of huge energy savings and increased comfort are touted by the industry as advantages to replacing old windows. While these claims definitely have merit, according to a study done by Michael Blasnik & Associates window replacements fall low on the list of home improvements that will get you the most bang for your buck when it comes to energy savings.
I often hear customers protest, “But I know my windows are leaky. I can literally feel the cold draft when I am near them!” I usually reply, “I absolutely agree. But take a deep breath because that’s fresh, clean air!”
Homes need to breathe. In the average home we like to see the all the air in the home change about 8 times per day (depending on occupancy and cubic footage of the conditioned space). This air ideally comes from clean, outdoor air as opposed to polluted air that comes into the home after passing through musty crawl spaces, dusty attics and dirty garages.
So, what’s the verdict on replacing windows? In some cases, such as extremely old, single pane or damaged windows, the expensive replacement may pay off in energy savings over their life time HOWEVER generally our customers find more bang for their buck in terms of CHEE (comfort, health, and energy efficiency) in sealing up leaky ductwork and sealing off air access to crawl spaces and attics.
Want to know more about where your home gets its air and opportunities for improvements to the CHEE of your home? Read our blog entries on indoor air quality (IAQ), dust, and air sealing or call Barron to schedule a Whole Home Performance Test on your home.
Heating Your Home with Radiant Heat
December 17th, 2013
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could somehow have even heat spread out across your home, instead of heat coming out of a vent? There is a way to accomplish this goal, and it is called radiant floor heating. You may have heard of this type of heating but known little about how it works or how it could be of benefit to you. However, this method is gaining in popularity rather quickly.
So what is radiant floor heating? Described in its simplest form, radiant floor heating allows heat to be distributed directly to the floor of a home. This means that heat literally comes up from under the floor in an even fashion. Of course, this is in stark contrast to other heating methods, which may force heat out of vents at different points throughout your home. Homeowners who dislike the uneven nature of heated air flowing from vents will most definitely be intrigued by what radiant floor heating can accomplish. There are three types of radiant heat for floors, which include radiant air floors, electric radiant floors and hot water radiant floors. [1]
A common way for radiant floor heating to work is through piping placed under the floor. This piping brings the heat directly to the rooms and areas where it is needed. The end result is quite surprising for those who have never experienced it before, as the heat provided is far more even than other alternatives.
Not only do most people find radiant floor heating to be more comfortable, but it is also generally seen as a serious energy saver too. [2] Radiant floor heating is more efficient, in part, because heated air is not sent through air ducts. [3] Air ducts represent a major loss of energy efficiency and radiant floor heating bypasses this problem altogether. The end result will be a more efficient home and lower energy bills.
Another significant benefit to radiant floor heating is that the heating system is essentially out of sight and out of the way. This makes it a great option for homeowners who are looking for a clean look.
Adding to the cost benefits of radiant floor heating is the fact that the equipment lasts for a long time and is quite durable. Moreover, radiant floor heating can be integrated into existing systems as well, meaning that you don’t necessarily have to buy a new heating and cooling system.
Experts look on radiant floor heating favorable due to its energy efficiency, but many also feel that it also has some safety benefits as well. Radiant floor heating can contribute to helping wet floors dry faster since the heat is reaching the floors directly. This is something that other forms of heating just can’t accomplish.
If you are looking to get even more out of your heating dollar, it also is important to make sure that you have installed the proper home insulation. ENERGY STAR estimates that up to 20% of heating cost can be saved by adding sealing and insulation.
There are many, diverse benefits to radiant floor heating and, as a result, it is no real surprise that this type of heating is getting more attention. Those looking to make the most out of their energy dollars will want to explore this interesting option that is full of benefits.
Sources
- http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/space_heating_cooling/index.cfm/mytopic=12590
- http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,1548320,00.html
- http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/space_heating_cooling/index.cfm/mytopic=12590
Content Courtesy of WellHome.com
IAQ 101 (AKA Indoor Air Quality Basics)
December 16th, 2013The heat is blowing, the furnace is purring like a kitten, the family is warm wherever they are lounging in the house. Everything seems to be good, as far as the heating system is concerned… or is it?
It seems like whenever that furnace blower comes on, Jim starts sneezing. All winter long you’re dusting every week. Sometimes its hard to sleep at night with the dry throats and all the coughing and refilling glasses of water.
Here’s the kicker: you are not alone.
For decades homeowners have been settling for this relationship with their house, but it doesn’t have to be this way.Thankfully, after decades of research and testing, we now understand the important link between your home’s contents, heating system, construction materials and you. This is an exciting industry to be in when we can honestly say there are new affordable answers to problems that have been plaguing our every day health for as long as we can remember. Indoor air quality is totally within our control.
What is Indoor Air Quality?
Well, its the the contents of the air inside your home.
- Its the humidity (moisture content) of that air.
- Its the visible and invisible particles floating on the drafts.
- Its the specks settling on your DVR and china hutch.
- Its all the little living critters that inhabit your home
- Its one of the primary causes and exacerbating factors of sinus and respiratory issues.
Some Myths about dust and air contaminants:
- “We bring it inside with us.” – Not usually the case. Most houses generate the majority of their air contaminants by their very construction. Depending on design and the state of your duct system, different parts of a house exist in state of negative or positive pressure. These pressures can drive air out and suck air in to the living space. Whatever this air passes through comes with it: fiberglass insulation, dirt, pest droppings, molds and more.
- “My house is leaky, mostly the doors and windows.” – Doors and windows make up about 20% of the air leakage in the average home according to energy experts with the Department of Energy. The majority of the air the house “breathes” is from the crawlspace and attic through mechanical, plumbing and electrical penetrations often hidden from direct view. Furthermore, those leaky doors and windows are generally sources of GOOD fresh air, directly from outside.
- “All houses have to be dusted a couple times a month.”- Well, this is a touchy subject because how often someone dusts is related to how much they are bothered by the stuff. If you find you are dusting more often than you would like, you likely have opportunities to improve this situation. A house that’s been sealed up tight and ventilated right should be able to go a month or more without significant dust build up.
Whats the answer?
Our motto at Barron Heating is “Test, don’t guess”, so the first step is to have a Home and Duct Performance Assessment completed on your home. This test will identify where the air, heat and contaminants are moving and what the best methods of controlling them might be.
Common Prescriptive Solutions Include:
- Air Sealing the duct system
- Insulating the duct system
- Air sealing attic floor and crawl space ceiling
- Air sealing leaks from inside the home
- Adding a fresh air duct to the heating system
- Installing whole house ventilation (timer driven exhaust fans)
- Installing an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV)
- Crawl space renovation and clean up
- Insulating floors, walls and ceilings
- And more… the answer is unique to your home!
Good luck and feel free to ASK AN EXPERT if you have any questions.