Time to perform a do-it-yourself home energy audit
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aving a professional energy audit, and taking the auditor’s advice, is the best way to lower your utility bills this winter. If you can’t find an auditor, or live in an apartment or condo, here are ways you can perform your own audit. It’s as easy as walking through your home with a lit candle or incense stick. Hold it near the edges of windows, doors and electric outlets. The flame or smoke will flicker
By Shawn Dell Joyce where a draft comes through your wall. Pay close attention to mail slots, where wiring and plumbing penetrates walls, edges
Algae Crude When oil prices soar to places they’ve never risen to before, unconventional sources of energy become ... well, less unconventional. Consider the recent attention given to the lowly algae and its ability to make fats. The fats can be made into refined crude oil in the same way ground crude oil is refined. But for crude oil from algae to be made into commercially viable quantities, certain algae must be selected as well as genetically modified to overcome its tendency to slow down the output of fat. Bio-crude has a decidedly green benefit: While fossil fuels release carbon dioxide, growing algae absorbs carbon dioxide. Bill Gates has seen the potential dollar signs. One algae biofuel company, Sapphire, speaks of supplying crude for $50 to $80 a barrel, and Gates has invested a large portion of the $100 million that the company has raised in the last year. Sapphire aims at producing 10,000 barrels a day—a drop in the bucket compared with our nation’s 20 million barrels a day habit. But you gotta start somewhere.
Chinese Methane The phrase “canary in a coalmine” comes from the age-old practice of placing a caged canary in a mine to detect explosive gases; the canary’s death was a signal for miners to evacuate. The unfortunate death signaled methane gas. While the detection system has improved, coalmines tap into this dangerous, yet useful, gas in mines around the world. Methane is a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The
December 2008
Environmental Protection Agency has had a program to reduce coalmine methane emissions since 1994, but it was recently announced that the program might extend to China—both parties are weighing the possibility of capturing the methane from three Chinese coalmines. The yearly equivalent of emissions from 330,000 cars would be collected, and the methane, being a clean-burning energy source, would be used or sold. So ... greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, mine safety is enhanced, mines find a new source of revenue and we’re working with the Chinese to protect the environment. Questions can be sent to Jim Parks at jrparks@mac.com.
of vents, air conditioners and fans. Big gaps often occur around masonry, where outer walls meet the ceiling, and fireplaces. If you were to put all these little holes and cracks, and areas around the electric outlets together, you could have a 3-foot gaping hole leaking your heating dollars. Use a caulk gun and a can of expandable foam to patch any holes you find in the walls, windows, baseboards and duct work. If you’ve never caulked before, here are a few simple tips: • Wipe away any dirt, moisture or loose paint on areas to be caulked so that you don't seal in moisture and debris. • Keep the caulk gun at a consistent angle and apply consistent pressure on the trigger so that caulk is forced out in a long even bead without bubbles and blobs. • Make sure the caulk adheres to both sides of a gap. Release the trigger before pulling the gun away to avoid applying too much caulk. • Use a high-quality caulk instead of skimping on cheaper caulks that shrink when they dry. • Expandable spray foam is used in areas that are 1/4 inch or more, which is too wide for caulk to stick properly. Insulation should be installed by professionals to achieve maximum benefits, but it can be done by a knowledgeable homeowner. The cost of insulating will be returned to you in savings on home energy bills. It is especially important to insulate attic floors and basement ceilings. If you have crawlspaces, basement doors and attic stairs, you can insulate these yourself using rigid foam panels. “The insulation doesn’t typically stop all of the air infiltration,” George Del Valle, an insulation contractor, recently said on DIY Network. “So, you want to do everything you can to stop that air from coming in.” If you were to take an infrared photo of your home, you would see heat leaking out from around windows and doors. Tight weatherstripping around doors will eliminate much of that heat loss. Try this test: Put a piece of paper on the threshold of your door and close it. If you can pull this paper out from under your door without tearing it, you are losing money and energy. Weatherstrip that door. Here are some weatherstripping tips:
Earth Odyssey • www.pinonpinepress.com
• Weatherstripping should be applied to clean, dry surfaces only when temperatures are above freezing. • Measure twice before you cut the weatherstripping. • Apply weatherstripping snugly against both surfaces of the door and the jamb. • Weatherstripping should compress when the window or door is shut. Also, replacing single-paned windows with efficient double-paned windows is ideal. If that isn't in your budget right now, consider sealing the windows with sheet plastic. You can tape the plastic to the molding around the window creating a dead air space that insulates against heat transfer. Doing this one thing will make your home feel much warmer, and save you considerably more money than the cost of the plastic. If you have forced-air heating and cooling systems, then you have ducts throughout your house. “In a typical house, about 20 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks and poorly sealed connections,” according to Energy Star, a U.S. Department of Energy program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. Leaky ductwork means the house feels uncomfortable regardless of the thermostat setting, and your utility bills are always high. Exposed ducts in attics, basements, crawlspaces and garages can be easily repaired by sealing the leaks with duct sealant, or duct mastic, and sometimes with just duct tape. Also, insulating ducts that run through uninsulated spaces, like attics, garages or crawlspaces, can save you big bucks. Energy Star estimates that a knowledgeable homeowner or skilled contractor can save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling costs, or up to 10 percent on their total annual energy bill, just by sealing and insulating. If your energy bills are $250 per month, that would equal $50 per month in savings, or $600 per year. While this advice can't replace a home energy audit, it can help you save money and energy in the coming winter. Shawn Dell Joyce is an award-winning sustainable artist and activist living in a green home in the Mid-Hudson region of New York. Contact her by e-mail Shawn@ShawnDellJoyce.com.
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