Tag Archives: Building Envelope


Reduce your Electric Bill by 20% by Using Energy Efficient Lighting

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In the midst of a talk about making your home more energy efficient by sealing the building envelope , upgrading to a renewable energy HVAC system, putting on a reflective, insulated metal roof, and adding insulation , many people ask, “Does energy-efficient lighting really matter?” The quick answer is “Yes!”

Unsure about the cost of new improvements? Try this free online remodeling cost calculator suitable for improvements small and large .

For some families , lighting matters more than it does for others . If you are coping with young children who just can’t remember to turn the lights off when they leave the room or very old lighting fixtures, you may possibly see a big benefit of upgrading your old light fixtures . When you consider that lighting makes up about 20% of your electric bill, modernization for energy efficiency can result in a big savings for your household .

A licensed contractor can complete the necessary installations for you, or you can undertake the work yourself if you have the skills to do so. Don’t be afraid to call a service to take care of your fixtures for you. In fact, having them all replaced at once can be the quickest and most convenient way to go.

There are several changes you can make to improve the energy efficiency of the lighting in your house .

Switch your light bulbs to Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs. Keep in mind that CFLs initially cost more to purchase, but they should last at least 5 years. Use the right type of CFL in each fixture – use covered replectors in recessed fixtures, use three-way bulbs in three-way fixtures , and use dimmer bulbs in sockets connected to a dimmer switch. Be aware also that fluorescent bulbs use a little bit more power when they are turned on, but then use only about 25% as much energy as incandescent bulbs when they are on. If you plan to make the switch progressively, start by replacing bulbs in the most regularly used fixtures.

 

  • Upgrade lighting fixtures to EnergyStar rated fixtures. Like fluorescent bulbs, fluorescent fixtures may cost a bit more to acquire, but they will use 75% less energy than incandescent fixtures. They also provide light without creating as much heat .

 

  • Switch to LED lighting where it makes sense . Light-emitting diode (LED) lights use a completely new technology. LEDs use very little power to light an area . With typical use, they last more than twenty years and use about 75% less energy than incandescent lights. Because these lights produce only minimal heat, they are perfect for places where air circulation might be restricted, such as recessed fixtures .
  • Make use of switches and devices that help you save power . For example, if you have young children who regularly forget to turn off lights, use a motion activated switch or a timer that will turn the light off after a set amount of time. If everyone is out of the house during the day, but you want to come home to a safely lit house, put important lights on timers rather than leaving them turned on all day. Instead of leaving lights on at night or using night-lights in areas like bathrooms , use motion activated lights to help people find their way . If your family tends to use certain rooms at typical times of day, install timed dimmers on lights to use less energy when it is not needed. You can even use switches that adjust the brightness of the lights when there is more natural light in the room .

Taking into consideration that lighting accounts for about 20% of your total energy bill, energy-efficient lighting does make a real difference . By changing to energy-efficient fixtures and bulbs and using dimmers, timers and other distinctive switches, you can make a difference in your total energy usage.

.For guidance on these new fixtures and proper installation and maintenance, contact a local contractor for recommendations particular to your region.  

Home Power Audits – Your Possibilities for Household Energy Audits

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Have you ever thought of using less power in your household as you have always been confronted with high power expenses for the past months? Try out the household energy auditing!

What can a domestic energy audit do for you?

Basically a experienced person will come out to your residence and perform a thorough audit of everything that utilizes electricity in your house, as well as things like air leaks etc that leads to you to use more energy to heat or cool a certain space. They will also advise you on your heating and cooling systems as most households have outdated and inefficient systems in place. Lastly they will look at ways to use less hot water as this is the second biggest energy user in the average household.

Why do you need to employ a domestic electricity audit?

In its most basic sense, a house energy audit is the step of assessing the amount of power that you consume in your house and it also offers ways on how you will be able to consider the appropriate measures which you can apply to conserve your energy use and monthly bills to be paid for. 

Whom can you rely to conduct the house electricity audit?

Some people choose to do it themselves but I would highly recommend hiring a authorized person to do it. Of course you will be paying for the services of the household electricity auditor. With an expert, you know that he can make a thorough auditing of your household power consumption concerns. An assessor makes use of a series of apparatus and techniques to determine the precise energy structure existing in the home.

Among the apparatus used in house energy audit are infrared cameras are used to reveal those hard-to-expose angles of missing insulation and air penetration as well as the blower doors that gauge the leaks in the entire building envelope. But if you do want to cut back your expenditures, just try out the do-it-yourself-guides for domestic electricity auditing.

What are you supposed to do for the do-it-yourself home power audit?

When simply given adequate time, you can conduct your very own household energy audit and expose the vital troubles that exist in your household. Don’t fail to keep the checklist of all the issues and areas in the home that you’ve found out. Hopefully this article will help get you started in the right direction.

Look for air leaks. Make a list of all the leaks you find. Air leaks can result in 30% more heat usage and being able to seal these up is an easy and cheap way to conserve a lot of money. Also check for the indoor air leaks present along the gaps of the baseboard, junctures of the ceiling or walls, and the edge of the flooring as well. Check out and see if there is adequate air that flows in the switchplates, electric outlets, baseboards, window frames, attic hatches, weather-stripping around doors, window-mounted air conditioners, and fireplace dampers. In the external part of the residence, the exterior corners like the chimneys and the exterior brick and siding must be checked as to whether or not they meet. 
Look into the insulation. There are certainly minimum requirements for the insulation that exists in the home. The attic, ceilings, and walls of the household must meet the desired amount of the insulation levels. Checking the insulation levels of the loft, walls, and ceilings may be difficult, as you have to deal with some electric circuits therein.

Check out the cooling or heating equipment. The heating and cooling equipment must be checked out annually or as directed by the manufacturer. The routine checkup depends upon the age of the equipment of course.
On the other way around, if you prefer getting a household energy auditor, make a list of the existing issues in your household in advance. The inspector will take charge of the blower door tests and the thermographic inspection which are all vital when it comes to residential electricity audit.

Save money with led lights, downlights and led strip lights 

Air Testing in Energy Performance Certificates

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From April 2006 Building regulations require that new builds comply with ‘Part L’. This means that a percentage of new properties must go through air tightness testing, air leakage testing and air permeability testing.

Testing airtightness is the process to trace any unwanted wind and unrestrained airflow through the house . A lot of air leakage leads to heat loss which results in greater C02 emissions. Reducing C02 emissions is the purpose of ‘Part L’ in the new building regulations through airtightness testing, air leakage testing and air permability testing.

Both domestic and public buildings have to be examined for air leakage, air tightness and air permeability to adhere to L1 & L2 regulations.

If the home exceeds the specified size, or happens to be a domestic property , you can’t pass it across to the customer without the recognised air leakage test certificate .

Part L of the Buildings Regulations demands that all buildings that aren’t residential , and that have a total floor space greater than 500m2, be accountable to a compulsory air permeability examination . L2 demands that for residential dwellings a representative section of houses (in a development) be tested .

The airtightness of a building is called ‘air permeability’ or leakage rate. This leakage will occur through gaps, holes and cracks in the framework of the building envelope which aren’t always visible . This air leakage alters the building’s effectiveness and is now firmly embedded in Part L of the Building Regulations & Conservation of Fuel and Power. Making a building extensively air tight cuts down the amount of fuel needed to heat it. This then reduces the CO2 produced and reduces your carbon footprint – So it is definately valid and necessary .