How to Make Your Home As Energy Efficient As Possible

If the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a wake-up call, you might be wondering what else you can do to slow climate change. You voted for people who you knew would care about climate change , ditched companies that were making things worse , and replaced all of their incandescent bulbs with LEDs a couple of years ago.

Today is a great day to start working on a plan to reduce energy use in your home and keep it cleaner. Making a plan will help you decide where to start. If a particular project sounds fun and easy, do it ASAP. If something seems too expensive or perhaps too much work right now, plan how you can solve the problem by saving money, hiring someone to work, or working with friends.

According to William Healy, Ph.D. from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the three largest energy outlets for most homes are heating, air conditioning, and hot water.

“The first thing to do,” he says, “is to build really tight walls and really insulated walls. Once you’ve done that, install really efficient equipment like water heaters and lights. ” Healy, an engineer who is an expert in energy efficient housing, runs the Net-Zero Energy Residential Testing Lab at NIST.

The NIST test facility has shown that a home can generate as much energy as it consumes in a year, in short, ” clean zero .” Healy says solar panels are usually last; but solar panels make the home virtually zero, as well as provide superior comfort and significantly reduce utility bills.

Make an energy audit of your home

Start by doing an energy audit to find out where your home is losing energy. You can hire someone to do the job, but a lot of things you can figure out for yourself. Check out these US Department of Energy tips on how to conduct your own energy audit. We also have our own guide . Consider getting athermal imaging camera that connects to your smartphone – an infrared camera can tell you where your home is losing the most heat. Take pictures of the outside of the building or walk around on a cold night. (Photos will come in handy later when you prioritize your work.) If you are into gadgets, this is fun and will pay off.

Define the “envelope” of your home

One of the first things I think about is fencing in your house. In fact, this is the line between indoor and outdoor.

Is your attic inside or outside a living space that you heat and cool? How about a basement or basement? Your goal is to define the building envelope, isolate it from the outside world so that air does not seep into the space in which you live, and then insulate that airtight envelope. Let’s start at the top. But here are a few of the likely spots for large drafts .

Close up the attic

One of the cheapest and easiest ways is to close air leaks that cause you to lose hot and cold air. It is painstaking work, but it has a huge impact.

Sealing the air is the best thing you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your home, Healy says. “The data is very clear. This is the biggest benefit for your money … Because this is usually where we waste most of our energy. “

The attic is usually outside the building envelope and ventilated to the outside. Holes in the ceiling, for lighting fixtures or bathroom fans, or just at the top of the wall, allow cold air to enter your home. For example, a cold breeze from a lamp can create unpleasant drafts. It’s like leaving a window open.

Cold air even falls into the walls where it sits, absorbing heat from your bedroom, even enters the room through switches, electrical outlets, or where water pipes pass through the wall, in the bathroom or kitchen. If you bring your face to the switch, you may feel a slight breeze. Brrr!

You can get around trying to cover every light switch and water hole, and you should probably do so. But first, stop the air flow at the source. Go up to the attic and methodically seal up all the cracks, from the very edges of the attic, over the outer walls, to holes drilled for electrical wiring or water pipes. Or hire someone to do it. Here’s how to do it.

If you can’t afford to hire a mate and don’t want to do the loft yourself, consider working with a small group of friends by setting up a team to seal 3 or 4 attics over the weekend. Then celebrate together and plan what to do next.

Insulate the attic

According to the Rocky Mountain Institute, loft insulation provides the best ROI of any renovation project in terms of finance, joy, comfort and health.

You can use fiberglass bits (and even put them in yourself), but bats can leave gaps here and there. Alternatively, you can pay someone to blow the insulation that covers everything. It looks like a duvet over your house.

When the attic is sealed and insulated, the home will be warmer, less drafts, and quieter. Pat yourself on the back and enjoy your cozy home!

Find all the spaces

Close any remaining gaps in your building envelope from the inside, around light switches , electrical outlets, lighting fixtures, and water pipes. It’s pretty straightforward. Then tackle the sealingdoors and windows that explain the many YouTube videos. (If you want the best waterproofing material to be boring, try Conservation Technology .)

No one will blame you if you put it off, but in the end, you will cover the floors of the building envelope , as well as the joist beams that hold the house together. Depending on the home, this can be a large project, and contractors have a variety of ways to tackle the problem, including spray foam, solid insulation boards plus foam balls, or masking the entire underside of the home with a thick plastic sheeting.

Switching to electrical appliances

An important component of reducing carbon emissions is the use of electricity instead of fossil fuels . In principle, electricity can be generated from zero-emission sources such as sun and wind, and electricity is constantly getting cleaner. If you have electrical appliances, over time you will be able to use them without fossil fuels. But if they run on gas, you will always burn fuel. Ultimately, it is more precious to you and to the planet.

If your gas water heater requires replacement, choose an electric heat pump water heater. Replace the oven with a mini-split channelless system. These ultra-efficient devices use electricity, can both heat and cool your home, and keep dusty air out of your home. The gas stove can be replaced with an electric one. Induction hobs have the same instant on / instant off behavior as the gas flame they prefer to cook.

For refrigerators, dishwashers and washing machines, select the model that is the most energy efficient by Energy Star . Connect electronics to power rails that can be turned off when not in use. And, yes, replace the old light bulbs with LEDs.

Prioritize if you can’t do everything

If you have come this far, you will realize that there is something to think about and a lot to consider. Every home is different and everyone has different finances and considerations. So, before you start, consider why you want to make your home more energy efficient. To save money and feel more comfortable? Or strive for pure zero?

For example, a new gas stove may be cheaper than an electric, ductless mini-split, depending on your home. In the long term, you will save more money and generate less greenhouse gases with mini-separators, but in the short term, you will save money with a gas oven. Or maybe the contractor offers to insulate the bottom of your house, but your thermal imaging camera tells you that you are losing a lot more heat through the windows. If you can’t afford new windows, you may be able to hang blackout curtains for little money. Curtains are a great option if they are the right choice.

The key is to prioritize what will bring you closer to a fully electric future in which you reduce your overall energy consumption. Surprisingly often, it saves you money in the long run and reduces your carbon footprint.