Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings: Save Money, Save the Earth

257 Pages·2007·1.4 MB·English

by  Jennifer Thorne Amann

WhatPeopleAreSayingAboutthe
Consumer Guide To Home Energy Savings
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connectedtoanelectricorgasmeter.” —Today’sHomeowner
“Oneofthebestresourcesforhomeownersthatwe’veeverseen.”
—AnneDucey,ConservationMarketingCoordinator,SeattleCityLight
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aboutenergyefficiencyanditsimpactontheenvironment.Butwhetherwe’re
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—BethBourland,TheSanFranciscoChronicle
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—CoastalMaineNews
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Guideincludesanassortmentofenergy-savingtips.” —FineHomebuilding
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—LibraryJournal
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“Mustreadingforhomeownersinthemarketfornewappliances...containsa
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“ThisbookcouldhaveeasilybeentitledTheEncyclopediaofHomeEnergy
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shouldhaveacopy.” —GreenLiving

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
Washington, D.C.
CataloginginPublicationData:
AcatalogrecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheNationalLibraryofCanada.
©1990,1993,1995,1996,1998,1999,2003,2007bytheAmericanCouncilforan
Energy-EfficientEconomy.Allrightsreserved.
BookdesignbyLindaRapp.CoverandillustrationsbyKatieAckerlyandDavidConover.
PrintedinCanada.SecondprintingNovember2007.
PaperbackISBN:978-0-86571-602-5
InquiriesregardingrequeststoreprintallorpartoftheConsumerGuidetoHome
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PortionsofthisbookhavebeenreprintedwiththepermissionofMassachusettsAudubon
Societyfromthefollowingguides:SavingEnergyandMoneywithHomeAppliances;
OilandGasHeatingSystems;HowtoWeatherizeYourHomeorApartment;AllAbout
Insulation;andContractor’sGuidetoSealingAirLeaks.
NOTICE:ThispublicationwaspreparedbytheAmericanCouncilforanEnergy-Efficient
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ConsumerGuidetoHomeEnergySavingsEditor
AmericanCouncilforanEnergy-EfficientEconomy
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Washington,D.C.20036-5525
aceee.org/consumerguide
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Contents
ListsofTables ..........................................viii
Acknowledgments........................................xi
HomeEnergyChecklistforAction ...........................xii
Chapter1 SaveMoney,SavetheEarth ......................1
Chapter2 TheBuildingEnvelope .......................15
Chapter3 VentilationandAirDistribution ................45
Chapter4 HeatingSystems ...........................61
Chapter5 CoolingSystems ..............................99
Chapter6 WaterHeating ...........................125
Chapter7 FoodStorage ............................149
Chapter8 Cooking....................................157
Chapter9 Dishwashing .............................167
Chapter10 Laundry ....................................173
Chapter11 Lighting ....................................183
Chapter12 HomeElectronics .........................203
Chapter13 OtherEnergyUsesintheHome ...............215
Appendix ForMoreInformation ......................223
Index ................................................231
AbouttheAuthors ......................................239
AboutACEEE ..........................................241
vii
ListsofTables
Table1.1
EnergyConservationandCO SavingsintheHome ...............4
2
Table1.2
CO EmissionsFromDifferentEnergySources ...................5
2
Table2.1
Cost-EffectiveInsulationR-ValuesforExistingHomes .............24
Table4.1
DollarSavingsper$100AnnualFuelCost .....................73
Table4.2
ComparingFuelCostsperUnitofDelieveredHeat ...............81
Table4.3
TargetHeatingSystemEfficiencyRatings ......................85
Table5.1
CeilingFanSize .........................................104
Table5.2
MinimumStandardsandENERGYSTAR
RequirementsforRoomAirConditioners .....................109
Table5.3
TargetEfficiencyRatingsforCentralCoolingEquipment .........119
Table6.1
FederalRequirementsforStorageWaterHeaters ...............129
Table6.2
Life-CycleCostsfor13-YearOperationof
DifferentTypesofWaterHeaters ...........................140
Table6.3
PeakHourlyHotWaterDemand ............................141
Table7.1
ComparisonofEnergyUseAcrossRefrigeratorTypes ...........151
Table7.2
CostofOwningaSecondRefrigerator .......................153
viii
Table8.1
EnergyCostsofVariousMethodsofCooking ..................163
Table10.1
RangeofEnergyandWaterUseforENERGYSTARWashers .....174
Table11.1
EquivalentIncandescentandCompactFluorescentWattages .......186
Table11.2
TheCFLLightColorSpectrum .............................187
Table11.3
DollarSavingsAchievedbySwitchingfromIncandescentto
CompactFluorescent ....................................189
Table12.1
CommonElectronicsOperatingModes .......................205
Table12.2
EnergyUsageofCommonHomeEntertainmentAppliances .......207
Table12.3
EnergyUsageofCommonHomeOfficeAppliances .............211
Table12.4
EnergyUsageofCommonRechargeableAppliances .............212
Table13.1
ElectricityConsumptionofSelectedMiscellaneousEnd-Uses ......216
Table13.2
NationalEnergyUseofSelectedMiscellaneousEnd-Uses .........217
Table13.3
EnergySavingsfromPoolPumpUpgrades ....................218
ix