Conservation steps

1
Conservation steps

• Heating and cooling
• Degree Days
• A measure of the amount of heat lost in a season
• The number of degree days associated with anyone
  day is calculated by taking the difference
  between the average daily outside temperature and
  an average inside temperature (taken to be 65
  degrees)
• So for example, if the average outside
  temperature on a given day is 45 degrees, the the
  number of degree days for that date is 65-45 20
  degree days.
• Insulation
• R value, describes the thermal resistance of a
  material
• Function of the thickness and its thermal
  conductivity
• R l/k
• A higher R value means more thermal resistance
  and better insulating capability

2
Conservation

• Air-tightness
• Buildings leak air
• Not a bad thing, you need some air flow in and
  out of a building to remove unhealthy gasses in
  the air
• Too much reduces the energy efficiency of a
  building
• Doors
• Air leaks from the around the door as well as
  through the door.
• Replace old doors with more energy efficient
  doors
• Seal around doorframe
• Seal bottom of the door
• (most common place for leakage)
• If you can see daylight coming under the bottom
  of the door, it needs a better seal.

3
Conservation

• Windows
• Double pane windows loose ½ the heat as single
  pane windows.
• Windows with an air gap between the panes are
  even more energy efficient.
• Storm windows also help
• Window coverings (shades, curtains etc) also help
  keep heat in as they cover the windows when there
  is no sunlight.

4
Conservation

• Efficient heating and cooling units
• Newer units have a much higher energy efficiency
  rating than units that are more than 10 years
  old.
• Oil and gas units are now designed to reduce the
  amount of heat lost up the chimney in combustion.
• Dampers in chimneys reduce heat lost when system
  Is not running
• Insulation-in systems that use hot water run
  through pipes in the house, insulate the lines
  that are exposed to rooms with no heat (basements
  etc)
• Proper maintenance keeps the system running at
  maximum efficiency

5
Thermostat

• Turn down the thermostat
• Provides the biggest impact
• for every degree the thermostat is dialed down,
  you can save 1-3 percent on your heating or
  cooling utility bill
• Pre 1973-72 was the normal setting for the
  average household thermostat
• Now 65-69 is the range they are generally set at
• Must be sure to maintain a reasonable level of
  comfort
• Setting it lower when heating is not needed
  (middle of the night, when the house is not in
  use etc.) can produce additional savings.
• It is a myth that the saving are negated by the
  energy needed to bring the house back up to an
  acceptable temperature (no thermodynamic basis
  for this myth).
• Programmable thermostats make this a very easy
  thing to do
• Same idea applies in the summer, turn the
  thermostat up.
• Close off rooms that are on outside walls that
  are not in regular use.
• Close off vents in unused rooms or in rooms where
  thermodynamics tells you heat will flow to/from.

6
Fireplaces and Wood stoves

• Actually, only good for limited spaces, as they
  draw air from within the house out, so they
  remove warm air from the house.
• Fireplaces can be designed to minimize this
  effect
• Close the flue (when appropriate) , glass doors
  on the front of a fireplace help reduce air lost
  up the chimney and improve heating effect

7
Appliances

• Water heaters
• Every 10 degrees you dial down the thermostat can
  knock 3 to 5 percent off your water-heating bill.
• lower water temp to 120
• Use less hot water
• Insulate tank and pipes in unheated rooms
• Other appliances
• Use them less/turn them off when not in the room
• Like your mother always said, turn off the TV
  when you leave the room!
• Hang your clothes out to dry instead of putting
  them in the dryer
• Buy newer, more energy efficient models
• Turn of items that draw power even when they are
  off

8
Lighting

• Use more efficient light bulbs (halogen, compact
  fluorescent, LED)
• Do not over-light a room
• Pay attention to natural lighting
• Turn them off when not in the room
• Excessive exterior lighting is considered a form
  of pollution and is wasteful
• Light that does not illuminate the ground is
  wasteful
• If it impinges upon someones property (shining
  in a window), it is called light trespass
• If it shines up, it illuminates the night
  sky-called light pollution restricts your ability
  to see the stars
• Lights that have overlapping light cones are
  dangerous, they produce sharp shadows unsavory
  characters can hide in

9
Large organizations

• They can invoke many of the same techniques that
  homeowners should
• Insulation-identify and fix places of excessive
  heat loss
• Make sure lights are turned off when rooms are
  not in use
• Can use sensors for places like bathrooms and
  other rooms that are not continuously occupied
  during business hours
• More independent lighting illuminate only areas
  in use, especially off hours
• More efficient lighting
• Better heating/cooling control in office spaces
• Need employee buy-in. It doesnt do any good to
  turn the heat down if everyone comes in with
  their own space heater.
• Employee awareness-shutting down computers, etc
  completely at the end of the day.
• Many modern electronic devices continue to draw
  electricity even when they are off. Need to
  unplug them or turn them off at the power strip.
• More significant measures during periods of
  prolonged shut down
• Use their own power plants (green) and/or use
  cogeneration techniques

10
Leed Certifiation

• LEED is an internationally recognized green
  building certification system. 
• Third-party verification that a building or
  community was designed and built using strategies
  aimed at improving performance across all the
  metrics that matter most energy savings, water
  efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved
  indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of
  resources and sensitivity to their impacts.
• Gary Ransdall Hall is Leed certified

11
Take the bus!

• Driving
• Find alternate means of transportation (mass
  transit, bicycles, walking)
• Purchase a fuel efficient vehicle
• Drive at constant, slower speeds
• Combine trips
• Its a mode of transportation not a status symbol
  - get over it