Category Archives: Energy Efficiency

Saving Money With Energy Efficiency

A home should be an environment that is comfortable in both the hot, summer months and the frigid, cold temperatures of winter. However, heating and cooling your home so that it is comfortable during these extreme temperature periods can get to be quite expensive. If you aren’t careful, you can rack up a huge energy bill during the winter or summer months without even realizing it. Heating and cooling a home requires so much energy, so sometimes consumers can become devastated at the amount they pay at the end of the month.

However, there are ways to save money on heating and cooling your home. These ways often have a less harmful impact on the environment and a less harmful impact on your pocketbook. While these methods may require an initial investment to make them operational, the money you save over time in heating and cooling your home will be worth the initial investment.

Insulate Your Home

The first and easiest way to make heating and cooling your home more energy efficient is to ensure that air is not escaping from your home or seeping in from the outdoor environment. Poor insulation is often the number one culprit in homes that use energy inefficiently.

You can improve the insulation in your home by installing energy efficient windows that are double paned, or you can have the cracks and gaps sealed around the windows with insulating material. You can also add insulation to your attic and prevent warm air from seeping out through your roof. These small home improvement fixes can help you save a lot of money on your energy bill at the end of each month.

Geothermal Heating and Cooling

Another great way to make your home more energy efficient is to install a geothermal heating and cooling system in your home. Geothermal systems rely on the heat that is generated from the ground in order to make your home more comfortable.

The earth is a wealth of energy, but many consumers don’t know how to tap into the energy that is right below their feet. A geothermal heating and cooling system taps into the heat sources and uses them to power an HVAC system. This type of system is expensive initially, but it can save you thousands of dollars in the course of a lifetime.

Solar Heating and Cooling

Solar power is another great way to save money on your energy bills each month. The energy from the sun is completely free and is abundant almost all year round. If you live in an area of the world that does not have a lot of rainfall, solar heating and cooling systems may be perfect for your area.

A solar heating and cooling system uses huge solar panels to absorb the energy from the sun and convert that energy into a usable energy that can help to power an HVAC system. With the energy from the sun powering the heating and cooling system in your home, you won’t have to shell out so much money each month to an energy company.

Best Practices On Energy Efficiency For The Home With Electric Fireplaces

There is nothing as comforting as a toasty fire on a cold winter night. Frigid, outstretched fingers absorb the heat emanating from the fireplace. While most homes offer heat in one form or another, energy costs may make you think twice before turning up the thermostat. You can improve your comfort and make your home more energy efficient this winter by checking for air leaks and inspecting your heating system to ensure it is working properly. In addition, you can improve your energy efficiency by using electric fireplaces with an electric fireplace insert featuring patented flame technology. Look for highly efficient heaters and fans inside efficient fireboxes and furniture quality mantels that provide heat exactly when and where you want it.

As much as most people enjoy a good fire, most homes do not offer fireplaces for a variety of reasons. Many people living in apartments and condos didn’t even have the option for a fireplace until now. Today’s technology has created an electric solution that provides all of the heat and ambiance of a traditional, masonry style fireplace, but without the mess, the fire hazards, or the lumber requirements traditionally associated with fireplaces.

Save Money with Supplemental Heat

Most homes use central heat, a furnace, or radiant heaters to provide the heat they need in winter, but these can quickly become prohibitively expensive. Heating and cooling your home represents approximately 56% of your annual energy bill, which is why these fireplaces are worth your consideration. Checking the insulation of your home, caulking and weather-stripping around doors and windows, maintaining an efficient heating system by changing filters regularly, and having the system maintained according to the manufacturer’s instructions are also important.

One way to significantly reduce your heating bill is by making use of supplemental heat. Supplemental heat allows you to only heat the areas of your home that are being used. Instead of heating your entire home, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you can keep your thermostat at a lower temperature and use supplemental heat sources to keep specific areas of your home warmer when you need it. Electric fireplaces with an electric fireplace insert can generate enough heat to maintain 400 square feet at a comfortable temperature for only pennies a day.

Selective Heating Saves Money

While electricity rates vary by region, the efficiency of various heat sources is relatively constant. Gas fireplaces generally operate at a cost of 17 to 24 cents per hour, while electric fireplaces provide realistic looking flames for about 3 cents per hour and flames with heat for around 8 to 12 cents an hour. Instead of heating your entire home, you can save money and energy by supplementing your heat needs, allowing you to maintain a lower, overall temperature while staying comfortably warm even on the coldest winter days and nights.

An electric fireplace insert allows you to get the best of both worlds: a traditional fireplace hearth and mantel with the convenience, efficiency and low maintenance aspect of an electric fireplace. Each electric fireplace insert can provide clean, inexpensive heat that only takes the touch of a button to start heating your room. Instead of adding to the problems of air pollution and creating a mess to clean up, you can easily install an electric fireplace insert as a replacement for your existing grate and enjoy 4700 BTUs of heat each hour for far less than most other heat sources.

Suit Your Style with Mobile Heat

Electric fireplaces use patented flame technology to give the appearance of a genuine fire, complete with logs and embers, without any of the negatives associated with a real fire. Another advantage to using an electric fireplace with an electric fireplace insert is the variety of styles available. Whether your current decor is modern, colonial, or anything in between, there is an electric fireplace specifically designed to meet your needs.

The mobility of these fireplaces makes them especially useful in only heating the rooms being used. If you select an Amish electric fireplace, all you have to do to heat a different room is wheel the unit to where you want it. Easy to maneuver, the quality craftsmanship that goes into making these premium Amish electric fireplaces explains their furniture quality design and their attractive appearance.

Keeping your home well insulated, eliminating leaks, and making use of supplemental heat from electric fireplaces and electric fireplace inserts can mean the difference between a miserable winter spent fighting off colds and aching joints or the cozy comfort of a well heated home that doesn’t break your bank account.

High Efficiency Furnace Vs Heat Pump Cost Comparison

For anyone that is interested in understanding how to control their utility costs I think it’s important to know the facts when it comes to a high efficiency furnace vs heat pump technology. In fact at the end of this article I’ve included a real life financial comparison of a Southern Ontario homeowner showing the total costs for a high efficiency furnace vs heat pump system and the numbers are very interesting.
Over the last couple of years there has been a huge movement towards high efficiency heating equipment. Both the federal and provincial governments have sought to encourage energy efficiency by offering rebates to those replacing low or mid efficiency equipment with “high efficiency” (usually characterized by > 95%).
Predictably, there has been much discussion about what this actually does, and more importantly, how valuable it is. I will not be the one to stand here and say that reducing your gas consumption by >5% to heat your home is not a worthwhile pursuit. Unfortunately, there is some dissention about what kind of cost premium this should command. Equally unfortunate is the fact that few people in the HVAC industry have bothered to make the case for higher efficiency. I see this as part of a greater discussion. Consumers are faced with these kinds of decisions constantly – does the premium you have to pay for a product end up being a long term savings?
I am here to emphatically say “YES”. The very fact that most heating systems now last in excess of 15 years tips the scales heavily in favour of efficiency. This is even more important as input costs rise (Natural Gas, Propane, Electricity and Oil). In fact, the justification is so strong that it makes conversion to new ultra efficient heat pumps a huge cost savings (with or without government incentives).
Cost Comparison of High Efficiency Furnace vs Heat Pump
The actual numbers can vary widely, but for starters, let’s consider a 2000 sq ft house built around 1970. With heating loads of ~ 45,000 b.t.u.s this house generated heating costs of around $2500 per year using a 90% efficient furnace. This furnace was nearing the end of its life and the customer was faced with replacing his heating system; either a high efficiency furnace with a 15 SEER A/C, or a 17 SEER Heat Pump with an electric back up system.
The costs for both systems were as follows:
Furnace and A/C: $8,600.
Heat Pump and Electric Back up: $12,400.
Both vendors accurately told the customer that their heating bills would be reduced. So the choice is easy, right? How could a system that costs almost one half more be better value? The answer lies in magnitude of the savings.
The furnace savings are easy to calculate – by improving the efficiency by 5%, the gas consumption should go down by 5% ($125 per year). The heat pump system, however, generated savings in the 30 – 35% range (very common with heat pumps). This represents annual savings of $750. The net improvement for the heat pump system then is $750 – $125 = $625. To calculate the payback divide the difference in savings ($625) into the cost differential ($12400 – $8600 = $3800). In this case the payback would be just over 6 years – giving you another 9 years to pocket the savings for a total 15 year savings of $5,625! Not to mention that heat pumps typically have warranties longer than furnaces!
Before you dismiss this because your situation is different consider that if you are paying more than $2500 a year for heating, the savings get even better! The difference is in how inexpensive the system converts inputs into heat (see our blog on Heat Pump Efficiency).
What does become relevant then, is how long you plan on staying in the home that you are buying the system for. For most people the system you will be buying might last longer than you will be in the home. For that reason, upgrading the heating system makes sense as well. The buyer of your house will be less likely to adjust your purchase price for an antiquated, inefficient heating system. In the end, it’s clear that when you compare high efficiency furnace vs heat pump technology the long term winner is in most cases aheat pump by a long shot.

T5 High Output Fluorescent High Bay Light Fixtures

High Bay Fixture: High Bay fixtures are perfect for low mount applications such as gyms, warehouses, assembly areas, food processing plants and hangars. High bay fixtures normally use high intensity discharge bulbs. These bulbs have special type of lighting which is much more intense than other light sources. Earlier, for indoor applications metal Halide is commonly used. It emits bluish white bright light which is more pleasant to the eyes than HPS. High bay lighting fixtures should be used in those areas where the bottom of the light fixture is more than 20 feet above the floor. In modern era the manufacturers have started to offer T5 High Output fluorescent High Bay light fixtures which are designed to deliver energy efficiency and cost-effective illumination to retail and industrial applications.

T5 Fluorescent High Output Advantages: T5 lighting was originally developed as a light source in combination with specialized reflectors for aquarium lighting. And because of the advantages of T5 high output lighting, this high output light source is being specified more in applications where standard Metal Halide high bays are typically used.

T5 High Output high bay fixture benefits: Following are the few reasons that make T5 High Output high bay fixture different from standard lamps:

Energy Efficiency: One of the main reasons that many companies turn to T5 High Output high bay fixtures is the ability of T5 to provide better light while consuming much less energy than traditional metal halide fixtures.

Lumen Maintenance: T5 fluorescent lamps only lose 5-6% of their lumen output between the rated initial spec and the mean spec. On the other hand, standard lamps can have 35% depreciation of lumen output during the same time period.

Strike/Re-strike: Basically HID lamps require some time to turn on which is called the strike time. And if there is problem of power interruption, the lamp would also need some time to re-strike. By contrast, T5 fluorescent lamps turn back instantly without affecting the rated life of the lamp. Modern T5 stabilizers allow multiple switch legs that can control the pairs of lamps in a fixture individually. These ballasts can be wired into different circuits or control systems to allow for dimming options.

Improved Color Rendering: Color rendition index (CRI) is the measure of the ability of a light source to reproduce the colors of various objects in comparison with natural light source. T5 lamps have a CRI of 82-85 while on the other hand metal halide lamps have a CRI of 65-70. The lower CRI can strain the eye and leave negative impacts visual acuity.

Small Size: T5 bulbs are extremely thin rather than the standard fluorescent tubes. This small size makes T5 fluorescent bulbs more efficient than standard fluorescent tubes.

Color Shift: Fluorescent lamps maintain consistent color throughout their life.

Color Choices: T5 fluorescent lamps are available in wide variety of color. Fluorescent sources offer a range of color options from 3000K to 6500K full spectrum daylight. Improved Lamp Life: Fluorescent lamps last almost three times longer than metal halide lamps.

Energy Efficiency In Renovation

The process of renovating a home or business can be a intimidating one. You wonder to yourself, “Well, the home should be remodeled.” But you are not able to precisely make up your mind what needs to be worked on. Other than the evident eaky roof, rotten basement, archaic tiles, old fashioned decorations and color, you ponder to yourself that there must be more that you can do in order to add value into your home investment. Here are a couple of tips: Before anything, always consult with a professional contractor if you can before starting any major home renovation project. He can give you more professional consultation regarding the issues directly relevant to your home. Let us look at going green: Using Solar Powered Panels: if you live in abundantly sunny regions, it might be wise to invest in solar energy. Though somewhat expensive to install, solar powered energy is by leaps and bounds more proficient and generates no carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Solar power is utilized to create electricity for a home and also to create heat. Altering the shade of the outside paint: repainting the outside of your home, use lighter colors. They colors reflect solar radiation. Encapsulating your crawl space, basement or attic: most crawl spaces are vented to the exterior which can cause heat or cool air to be lost. Having your crawl space is appropriately insulated with conventional 20 mil vapor barrier liners can produce better energy savings. It has been documented that nearly twenty percent of energy costs come from heat diffused in the crawl space, basement and attic. Radiant Heating: think about installing radiant heating to increase your basement heating systems. LEED and USGBC endorse radiant heating systems as a safer, more energy efficient heating system. That is due to the fact that radiant heating heats a home from the floor up as opposed to moving around warm air that will simply rise and leave the ground level of a home chilly. Furthermore, radiant heating provides better stability in temperature inside a home, permitting one to reduce standard temperature settings while keeping the same warmth. Do it yourself Energy Examination: create the time to record your energy utilization habits. Figure out what you are using on a monthly basis and start applying some of the above methods to see those figures begin to decrease. One of the first things to search for when completing an energy audit is air leaks. It has been estimated that nearly thirty percent of energy per year is lost through air drafts alone. If you take the time and complete this evaluation of your energy consumption habits, you will definitely save money.