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Home Performance with ENERGY STAR(R) Helps New Yorkers Trim Energy Use By Up to 40 percent
New Yorkers can go on a diet without counting calories and logging crunches. In fact, instead of spending money to get in shape, New Yorkers will save money by putting their homes on an energy diet.
Fortunately, reducing the extra energy a home eats up is often easier than eating less and exercising more. With Home Performance with ENERGY STAR(R), New York homes of any size or style can be improved to use up to 40 percent less energy while increasing a home's comfort, health and safety.
Sponsored by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the program's benefits are extensive. Residents who have used Home Performance with ENERGY STAR save an average of more than $700 per year on their energy bills. Many of the improvements made under the program result in improved comfort that makes for a home without drafts and a consistent temperature. Energy efficient home improvements can also reduce moisture and improve indoor air quality, both important for a family's health and safety.
Environmentally, an energy diet helps reduce pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. Nationally, 25 percent of the U.S. energy bill comes from household use. When homes use more energy than necessary, more carbon dioxide is released while producing that power. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), carbon dioxide is the primary contributor to global warming.
A home assessment charts the course
"So many people want to save energy, but just don't know how to get started," said Peter R. Smith, president and CEO of NYSERDA. "A home energy assessment is a valuable tool, because a trained and accredited professional shows you exactly where your home is wasting energy and how it can be improved."
Contractors participating in Home Performance with ENERGY STAR are accredited by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) and use state-of-the- art equipment to help pinpoint the source of excess moisture, heat loss and air infiltration. They will produce a detailed report showing recommended improvements and potential energy savings. The report shows an assessment of the insulation, windows, doors, heating and air systems, and ductwork.
Proper insulation
Whether the home is old or new, inadequate or improperly installed insulation can lead to high energy costs, uncomfortable rooms, and structural problems. Insulation is measured by R-value, which is its resistance to heat flow. The greater the R-value, the greater its effectiveness in slowing heat loss and maximizing energy efficiency and comfort, keeping you warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. BPI accredited contractors will perform a blower door test, measuring how much air is leaking out of your house and identifying where those leaks are. In addition, many BPI accredited contractors have infrared cameras to help identify lack of insulation in walls.
Windows and doors
Windows and doors can lose as much as 15 percent of the total heating energy in a typical home. The primary cause of the heat loss is not through the glass, but rather through the frame. Proper installation of insulation and caulking will reduce the amount of cold air leaking through the frame. If windows need to be replaced, consider U-value and Low-E coatings. U-value is the measure of the window's ability to insulate. Lower U-value means less heat flows through the glass. Low-E (low emissivity) window coatings are thin and transparent, permitting visible light to pass through, while effectively reflecting radiation and keeping your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. As part of the assessment, BPI accredited contractors use a smoke stick to identify cracks or gaps within or around the windows.
Safe and efficient heating and cooling systems
The tell-tale signs of an improperly functioning heating and cooling system include varying temperatures from room to room, a house that is too hot or too cold overall, or stuffy or clammy air. BPI accredited contractors will not only look at the efficiency and sizing of existing systems, but also test fuel-burning equipment like fireplaces, water heaters, dryers, ovens and furnaces for proper venting to avoid harmful gases like carbon monoxide from building up in a home.
Properly sealed ducts
Leaking ducts can decrease the overall efficiency of a heating and cooling system by as much as 20 percent. Properly sealing the leaks in a duct system can boost efficiency and lower energy bills. BPI accredited contractors have special duct testing equipment to measure and pinpoint where air is escaping. They can seal up the air leaks and test again to ensure that the home has just the right amount of airflow to keep you comfortable and safe.
Additionally, there are many steps that can get the energy diet off to a good start, even without making significant home improvements:
- Close the chimney flue damper when you're not using your fireplace. This
will keep warm air from escaping through the chimney. An open damper can
let out up to 8 percent of your heat.
- Keep it Clean. Replace furnace filters at least once every three months
and make sure to have oil-fired furnaces and boilers professionally
cleaned and checked once a year by a BPI accredited contractor
participating in Home Performance with ENERGY STAR. Gas heating
equipment should be checked every other year. Maintain your home's air
conditioning equipment by replacing or rinsing air filters monthly and
having the system checked for proper refrigerant charge once a year.
Also, keep registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators clean and
unobstructed by furniture, drapes and carpets. This will ensure better
heat circulation.
- Dusting makes a difference. Make sure there is some breathing room
around your refrigerator so that heat can escape easily. Give the coils
in the front and back a dusting to keep them running efficiently.
- Use ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light fixtures and bulbs.
ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures and bulbs last up to 10 times longer than
standard incandescent models and use two-thirds less energy. Lighting
products that have earned the ENERGY STAR label generate about 70
percent less heat than standard incandescent lighting, which means
they're cool to the touch and can help reduce energy costs associated
with cooling the home.
By replacing a home's five most frequently used light fixtures or the
bulbs in them with ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures and bulbs, a household
can save more than $60 a year in energy costs. The home's five most
frequently used lights typically include kitchen ceiling dome light,
living room table lamp, living room floor lamp, bathroom vanity light
and outdoor porch or post lamp. Additionally, lights in hard-to-reach
locations require changing less often when ENERGY STAR bulbs are used.
- Choose other ENERGY STAR qualified products. Only those products
meeting the high efficiency standards of the U.S. EPA and Department of
Energy (DOE) can earn the ENERGY STAR label. Look for the ENERGY STAR on
heating and cooling equipment, windows, clothes washers, dishwashers,
refrigerators, room air conditioners, dehumidifiers, TVs, VCRs,
computers and other home electronics. These various products can use up
to 50 percent less energy without sacrificing the features, quality and
convenience you want.
Install a programmable thermostat. To conveniently adjust the temperature of your home at certain times of the day, replace your thermostat with a programmable model. When used properly, an ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostat can consistently control your home's temperature and save energy and money.
Call 1-877-NY-SMART or visit www.GetEnergySmart.org to contact a BPI accredited contractor for a comprehensive home assessment through Home Performance with ENERGY STAR and to get more information about how to save energy.
All New York Energy $mart(SM) programs are funded by a System Benefits Charge (SBC) paid by electric distribution customers of Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation, Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., New York State Electric and Gas Company, National Grid, Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc., and Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation. NYSERDA, a public benefit corporation established by law in 1975, administers SBC funds and programs under an agreement with the Public Service Commission.
New York Energy $mart(SM) programs are designed to lower electricity costs by encouraging energy efficiency as the State's electric utilities move to competition. The programs are available to electric distribution customers (residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial) who pay into the SBC.
Source: New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
Web site: http://www.getenergysmart.org/
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