One thing I've learned in life, if you're going to "Talk the Talk", you had better "Walk the Walk"!
Yesterday I had the pleasure of having Karen Bennett from SECO (Sumter Electric Co-Op) come to my home here in beautiful Tavares, FL. She came here to conduct an "Energy Audit" and I have to say, this was one enlightening and educational experience. The first thing she did was get right down to business by explaining what she was going to be doing and it was immediately apparent that this gal knew her stuff! She started out by asking questions about our energy habits that would impact our energy consumption, such as; how many ceiling fans did we have, what temperature did we keep the thermostat at during the day, during the evening, how old was our refrigerator, what type of windows did we have,
Here are some of the things I learned as I eagerly took notes and followed her around the house both inside and outside. Roof insulation is R-30 which is good, anything over R-38 has no additional benefit. I learned that you read the meter from Right to Left and that the dials rotate counter clockwise. I should insulate the water heater with a "blanket" and put that foam insulation stuff around the exposed copper pipes. Fans cool people not rooms, A/C filters...she recommended "Filtrite" 90 day filters,
What is the best temperature to keep the water heater at? According to the experts, 83 to 85 degrees when you're away on vacation. 78 to 80 during daytime occupancy and 68 - 70 during the winter. She also informed me that for every degree below 78 it increases the bill by 8% per degree! That is what I call "Exponetially Ridiculous". Another thing I really appreciated was when we went around the house, she showed me that we should check the condenser periodically by feeling the refrigerant line which is located by the ground coming into the condensers electrical components (Sorry, that's the best way to explain it). It should be "Cool" and "Damp". Inside the garage, at the air handler, that line should be cold. If there are any leaks on the ducts, they should be sealed with mastic.
What else could be done to cut down energy use or make my home more efficient? She recommended that you should vacuum under the refrigerator about once a month (more frequently if you have a dog like my that sheds)
Another interesting tip she gave me was the attic access door should have insulation on the attic side. If you can see light coming in through a door or window, that means you're losing your air conditioning whether it be heating or cooling. I thought it was pretty cool when she pointed pointed her digital (laser?) thermometer at the air vents, she said the temp should be around 60 degrees at the vent.
Where does most of our energy consumption go to? Glad you asked that, according to my local expert, Water Heating - 16%.....Refrigerator - 20 to 25 % and the air conditioner uses a walloping 50%!
I can't wait for our 6 days of winter......
She is also going to come back with her $20,000 "Thermal Imaging" camera to take some infra red pictures so we can see exactly where we're losing some of that 50% consumption from the A/C.
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