Home Energy Panel

Experts in the industry are predicting double and triple utility bills this
winter.  This is cause for great concern for all of us, but the expected
high energy prices will devastate people in the lowest income ranges.  As a
public service to our community, The Wise Guys would like to invite a panel of
experts to do a special show on improving the efficiency of homes, both for
existing structures and new construction.

The panel

We have invited Brian Leech of Alger-Leechman Heating & Cooling to be on
the panel, as well as the a PR spokesman for MidAmerican Energy.  We'll
also invite a builder to come on and join us.  We'll address several issues
in our forum:

• What can consumers do to improve efficiency?


• What can builders do to improve efficiency?


• What can heating and cooling professionals do to improve efficiency?


• Are there incentive programs to make it possible for home owners to spend
  money on improving the efficiency of their homes?

We'll let you know when we will hold our forum.  Please href="mailto:danny@radiowiseguys.com">send us your questions in advance so
we can answer them on the air.

Straw bail homes

What's the building cost of a straw bale home vs. a stick or brick home

Cement homes

How much do they cost?  Are they cheaper to build than stick
homes?  Is there an abundant supply of straw?

Berm or underground homes

How much do they cost?  Are they cheaper to build than stick homes?

Existing homes

What can be done to modify an existing stick or brick home to have a
dramatically higher energy efficiency?  How much would it cost?  Wind
breaks?  Trees?  Solar panels?  Solar reflectors?

"R" values

What are "R" values?  Are they an accurate means by which to
measure the level of insulation?  Can an "R" value change with
the outside temperature?  What materials are most/least affected by extreme
hot or cold temperatures?  How to fiberglass and recycled cellulose
materials hold up under extreme temperatures?

Assessing your home

Assess your current situation.  Ask your utility company or a heating
and cooling professional to give you a free energy audit of your home.  You
can also follow most of the audit steps yourself.  Most energy companies
provide steps for assessing your home's energy efficiency.  Check windows
and doors for leaks.  Inspect the entire outside of your home for holes and
cracks where air leaks might occur.  Check insulation for adequate
"R" values.  Check heating and cooling equipment for best
efficiency.

Assessing costs of improving efficiency

Will it be cost-effective or even viable to replace appliances, insulate
your home and repair cracks and holes?  Can
you spread costs our over a period of time?  These are important
questions.  Compare projected costs of not doing repairs with replacing or
repairing Estimate whether you can save money.  Are there financing options
available to home owners/

What can renters do to keep their utilities down?

Alternative energy

Is it possible to get cost benefits from solar, water and wind energy? 
Is it feasibly to buy your own solar panels and windmills to produce
electricity?  Is it feasible to buy solar water heaters and air
conditioners?  Will the utilities buy back unused energy?  Are there
any DIY (do-it-yourself) alternative energy solutions?

Tips for reducing your energy usage

Near-field lighting using low voltage DC lamps.

You usually don't actually need to light an entire room, and using light only where you need it is far more efficient than lighting whole rooms. Either use smaller florescent lights or miniature DC lamps to really cut down on usage. You can even use motion detectors to automatically turn on lights when you are in the area. The real benefit of using this technology is that the lights can be set to turn off after a period of no motion, thereby cutting
energy usage.

Weatherizing kits

You can buy a wide variety of weatherizing kits from discount stores. 
They include weather stripping for doors and windows, plastic coverings for
windows, wall plate insulators, foam tape and calk.

Close off outside doors

Do you really need to use the sliding door during cold months?  Even
hot months?  Particularly sliding doors let a lot of air pass through the
channels.  Perhaps you can seal the door to prevent it from being used.

Seal up pet doors

Pet doors might seem like a better alternative to opening the doors to let
them pass.  But many of these doors are very porous and allow a lot of air
leakage -- 24 hours a day.

Power use scheduling

Most homes are empty during the day and quiet during sleeping hours and you usually only use energy during the waking hours that you're home. so if it prudent to do so, you can use timers or simply unplug appliances and such that draw current even when not being used. 
Here are some things you might unplug while you're not using them:

• Computers and peripherals
  
  Turn off monitors, printers, scanners, etc. when not in use.


• clocks
  
  Many people have far too many older clocks that are powered by AC and that have lighted dials, etc. that draw more energy than new ones that have momentary backlights. Get rid of all the clocks you don't need to use, as even battery powered clocks cost money when the batteries die.


• Fridges and Freezers
  
  It costs money to store food. If you're on a tight energy budget, consider unplugging the ones you don't really need.


• close off rooms
  
  Make your living space more efficient. Don't use rooms just because you have them. You can greatly reduce your energy usage by closing off entire areas of your home. Use caution when restricting heating of water pipes. If you're going to cut the heat, get some heating tape for pipes that will be vulnerable to freezing.


• Unplug the TV, coffee pot, etc.
  
  Some coffee pots (Like most Bunns) keep the water warm even when not in use. This can not only be a fire hazard, but costs you money.


• Hot tubs and swimming pools
  
  If high energy usage is an issue for you, consider the benefits of discontinuing use of hot tubs and swimming pools. These are considered by most to be luxury items -- unless there is a genuine medical need for them.


• Heating and cooling
  
  It would be ideal if you didn't have to heat or cool your home while you're not there. But the fact is that it takes more energy to re-cool a house than to leave it on, perhaps at reduced load. An air conditioner's toughest job is removing the humidity from carpet and furniture. Once the humidity levels is down, re-cooling a room is not much of a problem. so consider leaving your air on all the time, increasing the temperature to 80 to 85 degrees higher during the day and during sleeping hours. the air is surprisingly comfortable at 80 degrees if the humidity is down and you have a
  ceiling fan running.


• Fans
  
  Except for the use of window or attic fans, there is no benefit to having a fan running when one is in the room to enjoy it. Turn them of when you leave the room for more than a few minutes.