Energy Audit
Transcript: Energy Audit Action Plan Bought house 1 1/2 years ago. -105 years old. -Better insulated than I expected, except the attic. -There is a mixture of newer appliances and old appliances. About a year ago, my fiance's sister and her fiance moved in with us. Central A/C -Uses 900kWh monthly. -Results in annual cost of $446. -15-20 yrs old, not very efficient. Dryer -Uses 224kWh monthly. -Results in annual cost of $333. -5-10 yrs old. Furnace Fan/Blower -Used to blow hot/cool air through house. -Uses 210kWh monthly. -15-20 years old. -Results in annual cost of $312. Ceiling Fans -Use 63kWh monthly. -Results in annual cost of $93. Action Plan: 4 Steps to Success 1) Insulate Current Insulation -Loose blown insulation fibers. -4 inches deep between joists. -Calculated R value of 11.2 Cincinnati is Zone 4. R38-60 recommended for uninsulated attic. R38 recommended for attic with 3-4 in already. New Insulation -Fiberglass batts 9in thick. -R value of 30. Adding insulation and air sealing my house can decrease my energy bill by up to 10%. This would save up to $150. 2) Air Seal House Caulk around doors and windows. Install foam gaskets around outlets. 3) New Energy Star Washer and Dryer Cost $719 apiece. With special 5% off deal with Lowe's credit, $683.14 apiece. This would be $1,366.28. With these washers and dryers, dry time is usually reduced by half due to sensors used to measure how dry the clothes are, and high spin cycles spinning most of the water out of the clothes. This means that since dry time is cut in half, energy use would be cut in half as a result. This would save around $160 dollars per year in electricity savings. With the savings from the new washer and dryer, payback time would be about 8 1/2 years. I estimated that this would also save anywhere from $50-100 a year on my water bill as well due to lower water usage from the energy star washer. This would help with the payback time of buying the appliances. If I saved $50 dollars a year from using less water, payback time would be reduced further to 6 1/2 years. 4) Turn Off Ceiling Fans When Not Needed In my house, fans are often left on when someone leaves the room or house. This wastes energy. Training my family to turn off the fan when they are done in the room could cut the energy use of these fans in half. This would save around $40 or 50 a year. Conclusion If I add up the low estimates of money saved from these 4 steps. I get: $150 + 40 = $190 saved a year. This is before the energy savings from the washer and dryer pay for themselves. After that the savings would be $150 + 40 + 160 = $350 saved a year. This is only savings on electric. The improvements I make will save money on gas and water too. In the future I would consider adding PV panels and solar hot water if my roof proves to be effective for collection. This would further decrease my dependence on fossil fuels, reduce my energy bill and reduce my carbon footprint. In the future I would like to replace my old air conditioning unit and furnace with new high-efficiency models. This would greatly reduce my energy use and bill as well. This is definitely a future step because these appliances cost so much I can't afford them in the near future. Home Depot has a heating and cooling savings calculator on their website. I used this to find the suggested specs and ratings for a new air conditioner, as well as how much money this would save me. This showed me that I should buy an 18 SEER rated air conditioner. This would save about $282 a year. I checked the energy star website for tax rebates on energy star appliances. This would qualify for a $300 dollar tax rebate as well. Sources: -www.energystar.gov -www.lowes.com -www.homedepot.com -www.energyworksnow.com/homeowners/energy-efficient-improvement-options/air-sealing-and-insulation -www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/insulation Makes insulation more effective. LG High-Efficiency Washer and Dryer
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