- 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
Your house is a system of components working together
Your Path to Energy Savings
By Dee Gamble, Special to The Ithaca Journal
February 7, 2011
Keep
Have you taken steps to improve your home's energy efficiency, but have yet to see the results you would like? Low cost/no cost and do-it-yourself fixes are a great place to start. The next step is to think about how your house is a system of interconnected parts.
Each home is composed of various components working together. These components include heating and cooling, ventilation, insulation performance, humidity, and unique habits of the homeowners. Each component is unique and serves a specific function. High energy bills, uneven temperatures from room-to-room, drafts, moisture, mold, mildew, and poor indoor air quality can all be the result of a breakdown in how the components work together as a system in your house.
If one component has a problem, it affects the ability of other components to function properly. Treating the obvious symptom without knowing the root cause can actually make the problem worse or create new problems. The process-of-elimination approach can cause frustration as you try solution after solution. Properly diagnosing and fixing the real culprit requires a house-as-a-system approach based on building science.
Just as a doctor would examine a patient, a BPI-certified home performance contractor can thoroughly tests your home with sophisticated diagnostic equipment, such as a blower door to measure air infiltration and a duct blaster to find leaks in the heating and cooling system. This thorough examination of the entire house allows for an astute and comprehensive diagnosis that addresses the unique issues of the particular house. The house-as-a-system approach is ultimately what makes home performance contractors ideal for improving the energy efficiency of a home.
Energy efficiency isn't just for people with a large budget or a very "green" lifestyle, it's accessible to everyone and provides benefits at home and to our society. Contact a local BPI-certified home performance contractor today to evaluate your house-as-a-system.
