- Appliances: use less power
- Beware vampire appliances
- Commercial building energy assessments
- Commercial building incentives
- Common mistakes
- Gifts that save energy all year
- Heating and coolling savings
- Holiday lighting: festive & efficient
- Insulation types: pros & cons
- Kitchens: ways to save
- Lower your utility bills
- Path to Energy Efficiency
- Programmable Thermostats
- Radon: test after energy upgrade
- Refrigerator: retire for quick payback
- Resolutions to conserve energy and save money
- Seal duct leaks
- Stack Effect Influences Energy Use
- Systems in house work together
- Wash clothes in cold water
- Water heating bills
- Where to make home improvements
- Windows: repair, don't replace
How the “Stack Effect” Influences Your Home Energy Use
Your Path to Energy Savings
By Carole Fisher, Special to The Ithaca Journal
January 3, 2011
Just as a hot-air balloon rises when the air inside is heated, so the warm air in your home, heated by your furnace or other heating system, rises. Unless the heated air is stopped by some sort of barrier, it will keep rising -- into the attic and out through the roof! This movement of air out of the house creates a negative pressure that pulls cold outside air into the lower levels to be heated by your heating system, and creates the "thermal stack effect".
Result? Your home feels cold and drafty, your heating system works overtime and your energy bills eat up more and more of your paycheck. What's the remedy? Air leaks that allow warm heated air to escape through the attic can (and should) be sealed. Leaks that allow cold air to flow into the building should also be sealed up.
If you're a homeowner who wants to get started on reducing the stack effect in your home, you can conduct a do-it-yourself home energy assessment. A simple but diligent walk-through can spot many problems if you know what to look for. Go to our website to learn more, ccetompkins.org, and click on the picture of our interactive "Energy Saving House".
Usually it's not possible for the homeowner to find all the air leaks in the home. Consider having a comprehensive home energy assessment done by an BPI-accredited home performance contractor. The assessment will include the use of a "blower door" to find hidden air leaks, and will evaluate the home's insulation and major combustion appliances. At the end, you will receive a report to identify areas where improvements can be made and an estimate of project costs. By taking advantage of the new Green Jobs-Green New York program, many New Yorkers can now obtain a comprehensive home assessment/energy audit at little or no-cost. In addition, financial incentives are also available to complete the energy upgrades.
