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Energy Saver: Tips on Saving Money and Energy in Your Home

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Energy Saver: Tips on Saving Money and Energy in Your Home Tips on Saving Money and Energy in Your Home Contents 1 Save Energy and Money Today 2 Audit Your Home’s Energy Use Professional Energy Audits, DIY Energy Audits, Your Whole-House Plan 6 Weatherize Your Home Air Sealing, Insulation, Energy Efficient New Construction and Additions 11 Heat and Cool Your Home Efficiently Smart and Programmable Thermostats, Air Ducts, Buying Heating and Cooling Systems, Home Heating, Heat Pumps, Home Cooling, Water Heating 20 Design Your Home for Efficiency Landscaping, Windows, Passive Solar Home Design, Cool Roofs 25 Save Electricity and Use Renewable Energy The Smart Home and Your Utility, Appliances, Home Office and Electronics, Lighting, Renewable Electricity 39 Renters and Rental Property Owners Renters, Rental Property Owners 40 Vehicles and Fuels Saving Money on Fuel, Buying and Driving Fuel-Efficient and Alternative Fuel Vehicles 43 Financing, Incentives, and Assistance Financing, Incentives, Weatherization and Home Energy Assistance 45 References and Resources Save Energy and Money Today You have the power to save money well as information on larger projects and energy in your own home. Saving that will help save you money over 1 energy reduces our nation’s demand the long term. for the resources needed to make energy, and improving your energy Find even more information about efficiency is like adding another clean saving money and energy at home by energy source to our electric power visiting our website, EnergySaver.gov. grid. The result is reduced utility bills To learn more about U.S. Department and money in your pocket. Improving of Energy (DOE) programs in energy your energy efficiency can also im- efficiency and renewable energy, visit prove the comfort of your home and DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and your quality of life. Renewable Energy website at energy. This guide shows you how easy it is gov/eere. to reduce your energy use at home and on the road. You’ll find quick tips you can use to start saving today, as The suggestions in this guide and on the EnergySaver.gov website can help you save energy, save money, and improve the comfort of your home. Audit Your Home’s Energy Use The first step to improving the comfort It also provides recommendations on and efficiency of your home is obtain- how to cost-effectively improve your ing a home energy audit, also referred home’s energy efficiency. Some of to as an energy assessment. A certi- the information on the Home Energy 2 fied auditor evaluates your home and Score Report can be included in real identifies and prioritizes the recom- estate listings and potentially influ- mended energy-saving improvements. ence home appraisals and financing. You can also conduct a basic do-it- Visit homeenergyscore.gov to find a yourself (DIY) energy audit. partner that offers the score. A more detailed home energy audit Professional Energy Audits will include diagnostic tests (such as A professional home energy audit a house air leakage test, duct air leak- determines how much energy your age test, or infrared scan) to identify home uses and evaluates steps you additional areas for improvement. can take to make your home more energy efficient. Some audits take Work with a certified energy pro- about an hour, do not require spe- fessional trained in the use of cialized equipment, and are relatively diagnostic equipment that can find inexpensive. More thorough audits air leaks, areas lacking insulation, require about four hours to complete, and inefficient or malfunctioning require specialized equipment, and equipment. The energy professional are more expensive, but they provide more detailed information on your home’s energy use. Some home energy professionals provide a simple assessment called the Home Energy Score. Like a miles- per-gallon rating for a car, the Home Energy Score is an easy-to-produce rating designed to help homeowners and homebuyers gain useful informa- tion about a home’s energy perfor- mance. The Home Energy Score helps homeowners, buyers, and rent- A professional home energy audit ers to compare U.S. homes in terms evaluates your home’s energy use and provides steps to make your home of estimated energy performance. more efficient. analyzes how well your home’s energy 2. Complete recommended systems work together and compares improvements: Qualified con- the analysis to your utility bills. A tractors install the home energy detailed energy audit will help you professional’s recommendations. use a whole-house systems ap- Some home energy professionals proach when making improvements can provide recommendations for or remodeling. Learn more about this contractors to complete the work. approach in the Design for Efficiency section of this guide. 3. Evaluate results: During this final phase, also known as the “test out,” safety tests and visual 3 inspections are used to evaluate the contractor’s work. Not all home energy professionals offer this service; ask yours whether it is part of the energy audit or if you can request this follow-up evaluation. Find a home energy professional to help you obtain a more detailed energy audit by visiting Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® A home energy professional may conduct a thermographic inspection to find air at energystar.gov/hpwes. You’ll be leaks in the home. able to find local programs that work with qualified, vetted contractors An in-depth energy audit includes trained to diagnose and improve three steps: your home according to the latest building technologies and standards. 1. Interview, tests, and inspection: Home Performance with ENERGY In this phase, also known as the STAR programs are required to have “test in,” a home energy profes- the quality of the contractors’ work sional interviews you about your checked by third parties to make concerns (comfort, high energy sure homeowners receive services bills, etc.), conducts safety and that comply with industry standards air leak tests, visually inspects and program requirements. Programs equipment and insulation, and may be able to help you find rebates, checks for signs of mold and a low-interest loan, or other financial moisture. The home energy incentives. professional then provides recommendations for steps that You can also obtain detailed audits will reduce your energy bills and and contracting services from home improve your home’s comfort. energy professionals certified by the Residential Services Network • Are you using window coverings (resnet.us) or the Building Perfor- for maximum heating, cooling, and mance Institute (bpihomeowner.org). lighting benefit? See the Windows Some utilities may operate programs section for more information. that offer assessments and may provide access to contractors who • Could you take advantage of work with the utility. time-of-day electricity rates and complete activities that use large amounts of energy—such as DIY Energy Audits laundry and dishwashing—at night? 4 You can use the Home Energy Saver See the section on Saving Electric- tool to conduct a do-it-yourself ity and Use Renewable Energy for audit. Home Energy Saver can also more on these utility offerings. help you plan next steps following your DIY energy audit (hes.lbl.gov/ • How can you adjust your heating consumer). and cooling to save energy? See the Heat and Cool Your Home Efficiently section for more Your Whole-House Plan information. After you know where your home is losing energy, use your findings to Plan your projects. Make a timeline make a plan. Create a whole-house, of projects to do now, in the near systems-based plan that considers future, and over the long term. Start how any one change will affect the by sealing air leaks and move on to energy efficiency, comfort, durability, other weatherization projects; see health, and safety of the whole the Weatherization section for house. Remember that changes in information. Also ask yourself the your energy usage habits are import- following questions: ant, but a plan that considers how all • Where are the greatest energy features of your house work together losses in your home? can achieve the greatest savings. • What projects would provide Plan your habit changes. Consider the greatest return on time and the questions below and review the money investment? other sections of this guide for addi- tional ideas. • How long will it take for an invest- ment in energy efficiency to pay for • Do you forget to turn off lights and itself in energy cost savings? The electronics? Which items could be Home Energy Saver tool provides unplugged when not in use? See estimates for return on investment, the Home Office and Electronics yearly savings, and payback times section for more information. (hes.lbl.gov/consumer). • How long do you plan to own Spring your current home? ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– • What would help make your home most comfortable now? ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– What projects should you plan ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– for the future? ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– • What can you do yourself? What should you hire out? ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– What is your budget? 5 Summer Purchase materials and complete projects. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– • Search for federal, state, local, and ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– utility incentives such as tax credits ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– and rebates on the Database of State Incentives for Renewables ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– and Efficiency (dsireusa.org). See the section on Financing, Incen-
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