Slash Your Utility Bill with a DIY Energy Audit
Use Less, Spend Less
So you've swapped your incandescent lightbulbs for CFLs, turned
down the thermostat, and only wash clothes on cold. Then why are your
utility bills still so high? Air leaks are likely culprits, but so are
"phantom" power suckers, such as flat-screen TVs, which draw energy even
when they're off.
To help pinpoint exactly where you are
burning through resources—and cash—we polled energy consultants across
the country. The simplest route, they agree, is to have a professional
auditor detect leaks with sophisticated tools, such as blower doors and
infrared cameras. Your local utility may offer this service for free,
but if it doesn't, the cost is typically $400. Or you can do some easy
tests yourself and put your money toward addressing the problems. "There
are many steps homeowners can take before calling a pro," says Jeffrey
Gordon, spokesperson for the New York State Energy Research Development
Authority. "With a little knowledge and determination, you might be
surprised by your next power bill." Read on to learn how to spot and
stop some of the biggest energy wasters.
Drafty Windows
The problem: Outside air comes in and warmed air escapes through leaky frames, accounting for 10 to 25 percent of your heating costs.
How to spot it:
On a blustery day, close all windows and exterior doors and the
chimney-flue damper. Light a stick of incense, move it around the
perimeter of each window, and watch for air that interrupts the delicate
rise of smoke.
How to stop it: First check
the window from the outside, paying close attention to where its casing
meets your home's siding. "This is an area that often doesn't get the
kind of attention it needs," says Ted Kidd, an energy consultant in
Rochester, New York. Scrape out any cracked or dried caulk, and apply a
fresh bead of paintable acrylic latex, such as DAP's Alex Plus. On the
inside, add new weatherstripping. For a few hours' work, you can make an
old wood double-hung airtight using a kit like the Easy-Stop
Weather-Stripping System ($74 per window; advancedrepair.com).
The kit contains a silicone flap for the bottom rail of the lower sash
and a pile strip for its top meeting rail. Also included are new
paintable cellular PVC parting beads (narrow bands that separate the
upper and lower sashes) with built-in insulation.
The payoff: Shave up to $20 off your annual energy bill for each window you weatherize.
Mystifying Utility Bill
The problem: Most bills don't break down energy
consumption by category, such as heating, cooking, and lighting, making
it almost impossible to target where you are overspending.
How to spot it:
Sign up for one of the dozens of new pilot programs offered by regional
utility companies to help homeowners pinpoint and control their usage
with a digital energy-management system.
How to stop it:
Hook major appliances and electronics up to smart plugs, or relays,
which transfer information to a Wi-Fi–enabled control panel that sits at
a central location in your home, such as the kitchen counter. This
device—it can also switch appliances on or off and adjust a programmable
thermostat from home or remotely via a computer or smartphone—gives you
a real-time look at how much energy you're using in kilowatt hours and
dollars. "You can determine immediately what's costing you the most
money and decide if it's worth keeping that item plugged in," says Paige
Layne of Duke Energy, which is currently supplying customers with
Cisco's Home Energy Controller (shown at left) free of charge in select
markets in the South and Midwest. If your utility isn't offering such
trials, you can buy a monitoring kit at an electronics store, such as
Best Buy, for as little as $100.
The payoff:
Save 10 to 25 percent on your electric bill by tracking
down unwanted
energy hogs and using the consumption data to change your habits.
Damaged Fireplace Damper
The problem: Ten to 20 percent of warmed air
from your home can be drawn into the chimney flue, passing around a
rusted, stuck, or loose-fitting damper.
How to spot it:
With the damper closed, hold a lit candle inside the firebox and watch
the flame. If it gets beaten around or blown out, air is flowing up the
chimney.
How to stop it: Hire a chimney sweep.
In addition to giving the chimney a good cleaning, lubricating and
checking the damper is usually part of the $90 to $200 service call. In
the off-season, when the fireplace isn't in use, you can seal the flue
completely with a balloonlike plug, such as the Fireplace Draftstopper
($55; batticdoor.com),
that you inflate and insert up the chimney just in front of the damper.
When cold weather starts again, simply deflate the plug for easy
removal.
The payoff: Reduce your annual heating bill by up to $500.
"Phantom" Appliances and Electronics
The problem: Devices with a so-called standby
mode that sap power even when they aren't in use can account for 10
percent of your electricity costs.
How to spot it:
If it has an indicator light, a charger or AC power adapter on the
cord, or a digital clock, it's a phantom. When in doubt, plug the device
into a Kill A Watt detector (shown below, $22; amazon.com), which measures exactly how much power is being drawn from the outlet when the device is supposedly "off."
How to stop it:
Put phone chargers, the flat-screen TV, and computer and stereo
equipment on power strips. "That way you can easily flip a switch and
cut power directly from the outlet before going to bed," says energy
consultant John Meeks of AppleBlossom Energy in Concord, North Carolina.
Plug devices that are best left on 24/7 directly into dedicated surge
protectors, he says; your DVR, for instance, needs power to record
programs when you aren't around to watch them. And if you get phone
service through the Internet, you'll want to keep your router juiced,
too.
The payoff: Save $55 a year just by cutting standby power to your DVD-VCR player, stereo tuner and CD player, and video-game console.
Tip: To cut your dishwasher's energy usage in half, pull out the racks after the final rinse cycle and let your dishes air-dry.
An Old Tank-Style Water Heater
The problem: Heaters that are more than 10 years
old tend to be lined with fiberglass insulation, which is less
effective at preventing heat loss than the foam used today.
How to spot it:
Check the heater's date of manufacture printed on a sticker or metal
plate on the side of the tank. Next, touch the tank. If you feel warmth,
it's lacking insulation.
How to stop it: Wrap
the tank in a precut blanket with an insulating value of at least R-8.
Some utilities offer rebates on the $10 to $20 jackets and will even
install one for free. To further boost efficiency, fit foam sleeves or
insulating tape around pipes. "If your hot-water lines are exposed,
that's a lot of energy lost as water travels through them," says Logan
Brown of Efficiency Vermont, a nonprofit energy advisory agency.
Covering cold lines keeps condensation from beading up on the pipes,
helping to prevent mold and mildew in your basement, says Brown.
The payoff: An insulating blanket alone can reduce annual water heating costs by up to 9 percent.
Under-the-Door Air Infiltration
The problem: While most homeowners weatherstrip around the jamb, they often overlook the area beneath an exterior door.
How to spot it: Close the door on a piece of paper placed on the threshold and give it a tug. If it pulls out easily, air is passing through.
How to stop it:
Install a sweep seal. This metal strip with a piece of vinyl attached
uses spring action to close the space between the threshold and door.
There are also foam, vinyl, and felt seals that fit under the door or on
the threshold to prevent air transfer. Whichever type you choose, it's
an easy DIY installation that'll cost just $10 to $20.
The payoff:
Coupled with weatherstripping, a sweep seal can prevent 11 percent of
the outside air that typically seeps in around exterior doors from
getting into interior spaces.
Leaky Ductwork
The problem: After years of service, the
adhesive on tape that seals joints between duct sections can dry out,
allowing heated or cooled air to escape. Damage can also occur when
homeowners or tradespeople access or work in areas where ducts are
installed, such as crawl spaces, attics, and basements.
How to spot it:
With the furnace or AC on, shine a high-powered flashlight on ducts,
especially at junctions where they connect with registers. "If you see
where dust on the exterior of the ducts has been blown away, that's
usually the sign of a leak," says Meeks.
How to stop it:
Patch small holes or misalignments with a water-based mastic sealant
and mesh tape. Use HVAC foil tape to seal joints between sections.
The payoff: Cut your heating bill by 3 to 10 percent by reducing air leakage by up to 15 percent.
Overworked Fridge
The problem: Your fridge never gets a day off.
Over time, wear and tear
on the door's rubber gasket, as well as
built-up dirt and dust on coils, erode its efficiency and make it more
expensive to operate.
How to spot it: Close the
refrigerator door on a piece of paper. If you don't feel resistance when
you pull it out, the gasket seal is broken and chilled air is escaping.
Mold or moisture on the gasket are other telltale signs, says Brown.
How to stop it:
Order a new gasket from the fridge manufacturer for $60 to $90,
depending on the make and model. Remove the damaged gasket and install
the replacement yourself, following the manufacturer's instructions.
While you're at it, use a long-handled duster to clean the exposed coils
located underneath or on the back of the appliance. For a fridge more
than 20 years old, no amount of maintenance will bring it up to today's
efficiency standards. It's better to retire it and invest in a new,
Energy Star–qualified model. KitchenAid's new Architect Series II French
door fridge even goes a step further—it has an efficiency rating that's
20 percent higher than the U.S. Department of Energy standard.
The payoff:
Replacing the gasket and cleaning the coils can improve your fridge's
cooling abilities by 25 percent. Swapping a 1980s fridge for a new,
Energy Star one can shave more than $100 per year off your electric bill
and nearly $200 annually if you have a 1970s model.
Exterior Wall Openings
The problem: Holes for sewer and water lines,
exhaust vents, and cable and phone lines are typically rough cut and
uninsulated, so warmed or cooled air from inside your house escapes and
outside air seeps in.
How to spot it: Use a handheld infrared thermal leak detector, such as Black & Decker's TLD100 ($49.99; blackandecker.com).
Pass the device over the solid wall near the hole, then the hole
itself. If you see a significant difference in temperature, you've got
an air leak.
How to stop it: Fill minor gaps of less than ¼
inch with silicone caulk. For larger voids up to 1 inch wide, use
expanding polyurethane foam insulation. The long applicator straw on
cans of spray-foam sealants, such as Great Stuff, are particularly handy
for accessing hard-to-reach areas inside sink vanities and behind heavy
washers and dryers. "If you're dealing with a gap near a combustible
device, like a fireplace, make sure you're using products approved for
high temperatures," says Brown.
The payoff: Prevent 17 percent of treated air from escaping your home by sealing gaps around exterior penetrations.
An Attic Hatch that's not Airtight
The problem: Little more than a thin sheet of
plywood (so that it can easily be pushed up and out of the way), an
uninsulated hatch can suck as much treated air out of living quarters as
a fireplace chimney.
How to spot it: With all
windows and doors closed, turn on the air conditioner or furnace and do
the incense-stick test around the hatch; watch for smoke seeping between
the access panel and the wood trim frame it rests on.
How to stop it:
Secure rigid foam insulation to the back side of the hatch with duct
tape, and affix foam tape around the edges of the panel to create a
gasketlike seal. For pull-down stairs, add an insulated fabric housing,
such as the Attic Tent (starting at $200; attictent.com). Secured to the attic-side framing with staples, the tent has a zippered hatch for easy attic access.
The payoff: An airtight hatch leading to a well-insulated attic can save you 30 percent on your heating bill.
Monthly expenses
- michiganmom116
on Jul. 10, 2012 at 4:24 PM