Energy Conservation for Everybody

or What we did to get ready for our Solar Electric system Our House

• Two bedroom, One bathroom, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Finished Attic, Unfinished basement, Enclosed Front Porch

• Built in 1940

• Remodeled and Insulated since Energy Use

• Typical Energy Bill for Single Family Home is approximately $1900 per year

• How much energy do I use?

• Reading the Utility Bill NIPSCO Bill

Electric Use

• Electric Use is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh)

• Typical residential use is around 900 kWh/ month

• Compute daily electric load based on electric bill Annual Energy Bill

Other” represents an array of household products, including stoves, , microwaves, and small appliances like coffee makers and . http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_pie Sources of Energy

• Coal

• Oil

• Natural gas

• Calculate Environmental Impact of Electricity Emissions in our Region

• Typical residence using 900 kWh per month would produce, in one year

• 58 pounds of nitrogen oxide

• 159 pounds of sulfur dioxide

• 23,150 pounds of carbon dioxide CO2 Emission Rates

Our Goal: Reduce Electrical Use

Avg. KwH per Month

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Steps to Take

• Monitor Energy Consumption

• Replace Incandescent Bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

• Choose ENERGY STAR products

• Heat and cool more efficiently

• Improve Insulation and Seal air leaks

• Tell others Monitoring

• Watt Meter

• Calculating amount of energy an appliance uses Example

• Window : (200 Watts X 4 hours/day X 120 days/year) / 1000 Watts per kWh = 96 kWh

96 kWh X 10 cents/kWh = $9.60/year Typical Wattages

• : 725 watts

• (36"): 133 watts

• : 1000-1440 watts

• : 1200-1875 watts

• Electric : 5000 watts Lighting

• Compact Fluorescents

• Available in a variety of styles and range of colors

• Use 75% less energy

• Generate 70-90 percent less heat

• Lasts 10 times longer

• LED's ENERGY STAR recommendations

• Replace highest used fixtures with compact fluorescent bulbs

• Kitchen ceiling light

• Living room lights

• Bathroom vanity lights

• Outdoor porch lights • If every American home changed out just five high-use light fixtures or bulbs with ENERGY STAR fixtures or bulbs

• Each family would save about $60 every year in energy costs

• And prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from more than 8 million cars Appliances and Electronics

• Refrigerator

• and Clothes Dryer

• Entertainment System

• Computers

• Miscellaneous Refrigerator

• Conventional (Freezer on Top): 55-100 kWh/month

• Energy Star (Freezer on Top): 37 kWh/month

• Sun Frost: 15 kWh/month Refrigerator Tips

• Position refrigerator away from heat source

• Leave space between wall or cabinets and the refrigerator to allow air to circulate around condenser coils

• Keep coils clean

• Make sure door seals are airtight

• Keep refrigerator between 35-38 degrees F and freezer at 0 degrees F.

• Minimize amount of time refrigerator doors are open Washer and Dryer

• Clothes Washer: 350-500 watts

• Clothes Dryer: 1800-5000 watts

• ENERGY STAR/ Top loading/Front loading

• Dryer/Clothes lines Washer and Dryer Tips

• Wash full loads

• Wash in cold water

• Air dry clothes

• Set water heater to 120 degrees F. Entertainment System

• Television

• Powered Antenna

• Laserdisc/VCR/ DVD players

• Amplifiers

• Turntable

• Cassette Player Computers

• Personal desktop computer CPU awake/asleep: 120/30 watts • Personal desktop computer Monitor awake/ asleep: 150/30 watts • Laptop: 50 watts Our Computers

• eMac: 80 watts when on, 2-3 watts when asleep

• MacMini with 15" Flat Screen: 35-55 watts when on, 0 watts when asleep

• Airport Base Station: 3 watts

• Printer:

• Servers: Heating and Cooling

• Water Heater

• Furnace

• Air Conditioner

• Fans

• Dehumidifier Types of Heating Systems

• Forced air • Radiant Heat • Geothermal Typical Wattages

• Electric Water Heater (40 gallon): 4500-5500 watts • Furnace Fan: 750 watts Heating Tips

• Use ceiling fans

• Put on a sweater - that's what they're for

• Use rugs on bare floors

• Don't heat unused rooms

• Turn down (off) the heat overnight

• Clean the filters furnace

• Seal air leaks

• Use insulated window treatments

• Insulate attic What we've done

• Use Gas stove in living room/ dining room • Use to circulate the heat • Keep temperature low in house during the day • Turn furnace off at night • Wear more clothes in the house • Sleep under down comforters • Acclimate ourselves to cooler comfort range Cooling the House

• Air Conditioners • Fans (ceiling, floor, window, attic, whole house) • Dehumidifiers Typical Wattages

• Central Air Conditioner: 3500 watts

• Medium sized Window Air Conditioner: 900 watts

• Ceiling Fan: 65-175 watts

• : 55-250 watts

• Furnace Fan: 750 watts

• Whole House Fan: 240-750 watts

• Dehumidifier: 785 watts Cooling Tips

• Use timers on AC units

• Raise the temperature - use less AC

• Don't cool unused rooms

• Replace old AC with newer, more efficient model

• Clean the filters on the AC unit

• Use Fans

• Insulate Attic and Install Attic Fan

• Install a light colored metal roof • Plant Shade Trees

• Use Drapes and Blinds to Block sunlight

• Have overhanging Eaves

• Use solar screens

• Replace windows

• Reduce heat from lighting

• Reduce heat from cooking What we've done

• Replaced window air conditioner in upstairs with a solar attic fan

• Use ceiling fan to cool living room/dining room

• Use window fans as needed

• Use window fans (on timer) at night to cool upstairs

• Acclimate ourselves to warmer comfort range House design - Eaves

• properly sized eaves shade windows in the summer and let sun enter windows in the winter House design - Front Porch

• Our enclosed front porch, even though it is unheated and not insulated, does provide an air barrier between the outside and the inside, helping out the insulation Miscellaneous Appliances

• Microwave : 750-1100 watts

• Clock Radio: 10 watts

• Coffee maker: 900-1200 watts

• : 1200-2400 watts

• : 800-1400 watts

• Toaster Oven: 1225 watts Phantom Loads

A phantom load is the power consumed by a device when it is switched off

• TV: 6-7 watts

• VCR: 1-2 watts

• DVD: 6 watts

• Turntable: 1-2 watts

Solution: Plug devices with phantom loads into a switchable power strip Installing Solar

Solar Results - the first year

Grid Electric Use (Jan 2005 - March 2007)

400 Net Grid Electric Use

300 K i l o w 200 a t t

H 100 o u r s 0

-100 JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR Month • Solar electric system went into production in early March 2006

• From April through July it was producing more electricity than we could use, generating a net credit with NIPSCO

• In August and September it just met our needs

• From October 2006 through March 2007, solar electric did not meet our need, and during these months we were buying some grid electricity from NIPSCO • From January 2007 through March 2007 Total Energy Use Compared to Solar Production - 2007

we tracked how much 300 Solar Production electricity our solar Total Energy Use

panels were producing K i l 200 and how much o w a electricity we needed t t

in our house H o u 100 r s • Over this time period,

even though the winter 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr days are quite cloudy Month and dark, our solar system produced 56% of our total electrical needs • From March 2005 through February 2006 we purchased 3,375 kWh of electricity from NIPSCO

• From March 2006 through February 2007 we purchased just 350 kWh of electricity from NIPSCO

• Over the course of the year, approximately 90% of our electricity was from solar! Dreams, Hopes, Plans

• Better Windows • Window Quilts • Skylights • More panels • Solar hot water • Other heating options References

• http://revelle.net/lakeside/lakeside.new/understanding.html

• http://www.epa.gov/

• http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/difference.htm

• http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/powerprofiler.htm

• http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/

• http://www.energystar.gov/

• http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/howmuch.html