Fresh AIRE

Upgrades, Retrofits Save Energy & Dollars at Home

It’s been a busy few weeks in our house. After two consecutive months of shockingly high energy bills - even after replacing nearly all of our incandescent light bulbs with CFLs - we decided to take the next step in making our home more energy efficient. We installed an insulating blanket around our hot water heater tank and invested in a new ENERGY STAR rated dishwasher and refrigerator.

With the water heater on the first floor of our three-story town home, the water in our upstairs bathrooms is almost always bone-chilling cold on those frosty winter mornings. This led to a big water conservation no-no in our house - running the water to warm up the shower. So we purchased the blanket from our local home improvement store and installed it in roughly 20 minutes. We already had all of the necessary tools and it was an easy fix. I’ve already noticed a difference in how quickly the water warms up.

In the kitchen, our 18-year old dishwasher and refrigerator were starting to show their age. Though it had yet to truly breakdown, the old dishwasher had become known affectionately as the dish dirtier since nearly all of the dishes required a pre- and post-rinse to come out clean. However, it did last well beyond its 10-year life expectancy according to the technician who installed our new Kenmore ENERGY STAR rated dishwasher.

With the promise of energy cost savings and the great deal we got at the Sears’ appliance sale, I don’t feel so bad about the money spent. I’ll keep you posted and let you know how these upgrades translate into energy cost savings on next month’s bill.

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Myllisa Kennedy

The PATH to Energy Savings

The Saturday, October 27, Washington Post Real Estate section had an excellent article that includes 10 tips to consider when remodeling.  It highlights the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's PATH program (Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing).  The article touches on many of the items that have been discussed on this blog, such as efficient lighting and right-sizing heating and cooling systems. 

PATH is primarily a partnership with the housing trades (builders, remodelers, financers, etc.) but has done a thorough job of pulling together comprensive information and tools that will help improve our nation's housing stock going forward.  For instance, their web site includes a Tip of the Month.  This month's is very timely with winter coming on: Air Seal and Insulate.

If you are considering remodeling (or even if not--you just want to know more about how your home uses energy efficiently or inefficiently), I'd like to remind you of my post from a few months back recommending the book No-Regrets Remodeling, an excellent resource to use prior to undertaking any remodeling project.
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Steve Offutt, Arlington

Rule of Thumb #6 - Size Matters

When we bought our house in Arlington in 2000, our agent noted the outside air conditioner and commented, "I like to see these big air conditioners.  They really keep the house cool."  He was so very, very wrong.  His comment was the equivalent of saying, "I really like these big refrigerators.  They really keep your food cold."  Huh?  It's not the size of your refrigerator that determines how cold it is.

When it comes to central air conditioning, bigger is not better.  In fact, smaller is generally better for several reasons--particularly in a humid climate like this one.  EPA Energy Star has a fact sheet about this very topic.

Here's your simple test.  On the hottest days of the year--when it's 95 degrees or above-- note whether your air conditioner cycles on and off.  If it does, it's too big.  An air conditioner should be sized so that it runs continuously on the hottest days of the year, essentially from 3 or 4 in the afternoon until 8 at night nonstop.  (If it runs constantly all the time, even when it's only 80 and doesn't seem to cool your house, you have a different problem and need to get it looked at.)

What's the dif, you ask?  A larger air conditioner sucks up more energy, costing you dollars and adding to harmful emissions.  Air conditioners do their best job dehumidifying and reach peak efficiency after they have been running for about 10-15 minutes, so if yours is cycling on and off, it's not dehumidifying well and it's running at lower efficiency.  People with air conditioners that are too big often lower the temperature to make up for this, exacerbating the costs of running it.

Here's an analogy.  You're driving on a street with timed traffic lights. Having a too-big air conditioner is like having a muscle car and racing from one light to the next, then stopping, then racing to the next one.  A right-sized air conditioner is like having a smaller car, driving along at an even 25 mph and hitting the lights all green.  You get where you're going at the same time, but use less gas driving the smaller one at a steady speed.

So what do you do?  Well, don't go out and replace your AC unless you were planning to anyway.  But when you do, make sure you show the EPA fact sheet to your contractor and make him or her do an accurate sizing calculation.  Then don't be swayed into rounding up for safety's sake.  If anything, round down in size for comfort's sake.  (On a side note, your ductwork is probably all wrong, too, making the situation even worse.  Aargh!)

But for now, the thing to do is have your programmable thermostat raise the temperature while you are out and lower it just before you come back.  Then your AC will run longer and more efficiently for at least that one cycle, saving you money and dehumidifying better. 
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Steve Offutt, Arlington resident and Director - Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE) .Transportation Projects

Rule of Thumb #5 - Your Couch Doesn't Care

Ceiling fan tip. Ceiling fans do not cool the air. However, they do cool you.  Ceiling fans work by moving air around.  Humans feel more comfortable in the heat when the air is moving. You've probably noted that you can sit outside on your deck in 82-degree weather and feel terrifically comfortable, but 82 degrees inside your house is uncomfortably warm. That's because outside the air is moving, and it makes you feel cooler.

So inside your house you can feel cooler, too, by using fans to move the air. Then you can turn up the thermostat a couple of degrees and save on air conditioning. It does absolutely no good, though, to leave a fan on in a room where there are no people. In fact, it's counterproductive, because the fan is using electricity and providing no benefit. Your couch does not care that the fan is on, and it does not feel any cooler. It's true: I asked it.

So use your ceiling fans to keep you cooler, but turn them off when there are no people around to keep cool.
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Steve Offutt, Arlington resident and Director - Arlington Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE), Transportation Projects
Oh, and hey!  If your ceiling fan has lights, change them out for more efficient CFLs too.

Greening My Condo

Quick! Think of an “environmentally-friendly home.” What image came to your mind – a single-famiy house with lots of trees, right? Well, sure, but as I learned last night, we condo dwellers are already environmentally-friendly, just by living in denser quarters, with shared resources and almost always near transit. And since 61% of Arlingtonhomes are multi-family (vs. 28% single-family detached), it makes sense for Arlington and AIRE to reach out to condo residents.

As a fairly recent condo convert (2 years ago), my husband and I feel pretty good about how our move has reduced our environmental impact: we’ve eliminated two cars; adopted bike riding for pleasure and errands; begun walking to work; begun walking to the grocery store, post office, pharmacy, and coffee shop.

And inside our condo unit, we’ve swapped out almost all the light bulbs for CFLs; wrapped an insulating “blanket” on our hot water heater; recycled everything we’re able to, including the ubiquitous plastic bag; stopped buying bottled water; and adjusted our thermostat.

But last night, at AIRE’s “Greening Your Condo Association” seminar, I learned that each of us has a responsibility – and a voice – to ensure that our buildings are as green as they can be. Environmentally-friendly actions benefit the bottom line and can help keep condo fees lower. For example: installing CFLs in hallways and common areas; encouraging the planting of drought-resistant and native plants; educating and encouraging residents on recycling of appropriate items.

In fact, some condo and apartment residents have the opportunity to positively influence the “greener” landscaping on a much larger piece of land – some up to 20+ acres! – than an individual house. The photo shows a “bird-friendly” garden planted at The Arlington condos near Shirlington.

To make an even bigger impact, residents can encourage the condo association to get an energy audit or make some investments into energy efficiencies, e.g., replacing a common boiler or furnace with an energy-efficient model. One participant last night spoke about making his condo building’s needed new roof more energy efficient or perhaps even a “green roof.”

It was great to see so many condo residents at the session last night – I’d say there were at least 50-60 in attendance – and folks are very enthusiastic and eager to do what they can to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprints. For the AIRE team, this was just the beginning of an environmental dialogue with the condo community.

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Diana Sun
Director of Communications, Arlington County

Fighting the Minivan Urge

Episode 5 -- The Smiths Take on Global Warming: Last weekend, the County Board approved a property tax reduction for clean emissions vehicles. (For us, I think it means we wouldn't pay property tax on the first $20,000 of a new "clean emissions" vehicle we bought.). That's GREAT -- and certainly provides an incentive to buy a hybrid. But let me back up a bit...

For over a year, my husband and I have struggled with the question of do we need a second car? And IF we get a second car, what kind? We're working parents, have two young kids and a nanny of four years who drives them in her own car. In the fall, however, the kids will likely start going to daycare (no more nanny with a car), and the need for second car will increase. Oh yeah, since I had kids, I also got the disease: I was convinced we needed a minivan. My husband couldn't even utter the word "minivan" for months -- and his eyes still bulge out even when I say the "M-word."

Anyway, since my involvement with the AIRE campaign (and with the recent board decision mentioned above), I've started thinking a bit differently. I find myself asking questions like, could we get by with only one car? If we get a second car, should we consider a small (safe) gas-efficient model -- and NOT a minivan at all? (So what if we don't have seven seats...we really DON'T need them all that often, right?)Should we be looking at hybrids? Are their any minivan hybrids? (Not from what I can tell...but a Toyota Sienna minivan hybrid is supposed to be coming.)

I wish I could be a better person, like Elenor Hodges, who has kids and does manage with only one car. But I'm not sure I can be that good. We'll see -- check back in a couple months to find out just what the Smith Family decides to do. Whatever we do -- efficiency and the environment will be top of mind.

P.S. Old toilets, tubs and sinks may not be destined for the landfill after all. This company (EnviroMODE) turns trashed porcelain fixtures into recycled tiles. Might be worth checking out if you're doing a bathroom renovation.

Jennifer K. Smith, 17-year resident of Arlington
Arlington County communications mgr. (& AIRE blog manager)

Today Show Chases Away My Night Scares

Last night, I went to bed scared to death. Why? Well, a couple days ago, I started reading "An Inconvenient Truth," and it was the last thing I read before turning out the light.

Yet this morning, I turned on NBC's Today Show and was filled up again with hope! (Things always look better after a good night of sleep, 'eh?) There was a long segment about "How to Go Green" (when you click on this link, be patient...a 30-sec ad comes first) that included some interesting energy efficient items. They had the standards such as CFL bulbs, then some nifty items like a water-powered alarm clock?! And a solar "Juice Bag" that can power various small devices. Oh yeah, I learned that front-loading washers use MUCH less water than top-loading washers -- about half. Hmmm...this might help win the "discussion" with my husband about getting a new energy efficient washer/dryer this year. And ENERGY STAR rated washers "spin out" more water, reducing drying time and saving energy.

I also saw a segment about someone who had converted a Civil War tear-down Victorian house into a green home of the future. Very cool. All the energy consumed by the renovated home (which is now a bed and breakfast) is made in the backyard! Check out the video segment (again, you'll have to wait through a short ad, but it's worth it).

I'll end with a quote that Matt Lauer used to introduce the segment: "You don't have to be a green tree-hugging environmentalist to worry about the planet and what you're doing to it."

Jennifer K. Smith, 17-year resident of Arlington
Arlington County communications mgr. (and AIRE blog administrator)

Don't Regret It!

Jennifer Smith has pointed to a nice resource on the web (see previous blog post) to help pinpoint opportunities to save energy in your home. If you're considering any remodeling for your home, an indispensable resource is this book, No-Regrets Remodeling, by the editors of Home Energy Magazine.

You can get it at Amazon for about $20, but it's also available directly through Home Energy Magazine for only $11.95. Before you spend thousands on making changes to your home, buy two copies of this book: one for you and one to give to your contractor before he or she starts work.

What's great about No-Regrets Remodeling is exactly that -- no regrets. By reading it first, you won't be slapping yourself on the forehead later regretting that you didn't take advantage of your remodeling opportunity to improve moisture control and reduce exterior noise and improve indoor air quality and improve comfort -- generally at little or no extra cost. It's also a very nice introduction to the basics of what is called "building science," the science of how all the systems and structure of a building work together (or fail to work together).

Even if you're not planning to remodel soon, this is a great reference to understand how your house works and what you can do to operate it better and use less energy in the process.