Recently in Energy Efficiency Category

With all the bad news about the environment and cost of fuel, it's sometimes easy to overlook the good news--and there is good news.  Home heating systems are getting better and more energy-efficient all the time!

This is one of the reasons why, at Heritage, we give our technicians 150 hours of extra training every year.  We want our guys to stay up to date on the latest heating technology.

So if you think you might be replacing a furnace or boiler in the not too distant future, it's a good idea to stay informed about these improvements.  So in this and coming posts, I'm going to talk about high-efficiency heating and what it can mean for you.

Fishing for Efficiency: Measuring the Net Savings for Your Home

You may know this already, but every new boiler or furnace is given an AFUE number, which stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency.   This measurement takes the amount of energy consumed by a furnace or boiler and asks: how much of that energy is actually turned into heat for the home?  
So for example, if your boiler has an AFUE of 90%, this means that 90% of the energy consumed actually becomes heat for your home.  The other 10% escapes up the chimney and elsewhere.

Older, low-efficiency heating systems might have an AFUE in the range of 68-72%, or sometimes even less.  Mid-efficiency heating systems would typically have an AFUE in the 80% to 83% range.

But today's high-efficiency systems can have an AFUE in the range of 90% to 97%.  That's extremely efficient.

And this can make a big difference in energy bills.  For example, if you switched from an older, 70% AFUE furnace to a new, 95% furnace, you could expect to reduce your energy bill by 25%--month after month, year after year.   Good news indeed!

That's a lot of net savings--savings that are getting away if you have an older system.
There are other factors, of course, and we'll talk about them in upcoming posts.

Okay, so maybe global warming hasn't impacted you much yet.  But what about "local warming"?  

Here are a few things you can do to keep cool, while saving a little money, in the dog days of summer.  (You may already be doing many of these, but a little reminder doesn't hurt.)

•    Turn off the lights when you leave rooms.  (Your mother was right!)
•    Shut down computers when you leave the house or go to bed.  They put off a lot of heat.
•    Install nightlights in hallways so you don't have to turn on larger lights when you get up at night.
•    Replace incandescent bulbs with those coiled, curly energy-efficient bulbs.
•    Unplug equipment, such as TVs and stereos, when not in use.
•    Run washer, dryer, and dishwasher on energy-conserve settings.
•    Use window shades or blinds to block out the sun, so solar energy isn't constantly beating down through your windows and warming up the house.
•    Remedy drafts by caulking gaps in windows and floorboards
•    And of course, when the AC is on, keep windows and doors close.

You've heard the saying, "Think globally, act locally."  Small "efficiency adjustments" like these won't change the world of course.  But they will help to make things a little cooler and more affordable in your world.

If you have central air conditioning, you've probably experienced your own version of the "energy crisis."  It goes something like this:

If you keep the temperature nice and cool in your home, you fear that your energy bill could rival your mortgage payment!

But if you try to save money by turning the thermostat up, you end up feeling like a chocolate bar left in a hot car on a summer's day.

So how can you keep from overheating--and overspending--all at the same time?

Here's one thought.  Turn up your AC thermostat one degree at a time.

Here's why.  The human body has an amazing ability to adapt, if you give it a chance.  If you've been keeping the thermostat at 70, try it at 71 for a few days and give yourself time to acclimate.  Then, try moving it to 72.

If you suddenly raise the setting to 78, you will, of course, be very uncomfortable.  But by making small changes, you'll give yourself a chance to adapt, save money, and stay cool.

Hey, it's not the most dramatic thing you can do to combat the "energy crisis", but it's a start.  And it's better than nothing.

There are some other simple things you can do to keep cool and save money in these dog days of summer, and I'll mention them in the next post.

Here's an exercise that could show you how to save money with your central air conditioning this summer:  tie a dirty rag over your face and go for a nice long jog!

I'm not being serious, of course, but I am making a serious point: when you run your central air conditioning with a dirty compressor and evaporator coils, this can strangle the air flow to your system, making it run a lot less efficiently--like trying to run a race with a dirty rag over your face.

So one of the simplest things you can do to cut your cooling (and heating) energy usage is to keep your system clean.  This is good for your pocketbook and good for the planet.

According to John Schulte, executive director of NADCA (the HVAC Inspection, Maintenance and Restoration Association), "The American home accounts for almost a quarter of the world's energy usage, and heating and cooling make up as much as half of the energy cost in our homes.  When we talk about easy ways to increase energy efficiency, it only makes sense to start with the easiest fixes to the biggest costs.  That's why HVAC cleaning makes so much sense not only for our homes, but also for the planet."

So the next time you go for a run (if you're into that), remember to also keep your home heating and cooling system running smoothly by keeping it clean.  This will help win the race for more efficient energy usage.
And if your system needs a cleaning, give us a call!