A Good Start to 2010 – Net 50 Energy Challenge
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We’ve had a good start to our Net 50 Energy Challenge this year. Our Electrical use is down to 2,170 KWH vs. 3,033 KWH in 2007 (29% lower) and 2,334 for 2009. Our Gas usage is down to 465 CCF vs. 645 in 2007 (28% lower) and 475 for 2009. Our Water usage, well, it’s pretty much the same as it has been at 23 CCF for the first three months of the year. These energy savings has netted us a cash savings of $236.14.
Hey, that’s paid for over half of my latest project. I’ve spent about $450 to insulate my Living Room.
Looks like I need to work on saving some water this year.
Dan Bossenbroek
May 1, 2010
Tags: Energy Conservation, Net 50 Energy Challenge Posted in: Energy Conservation, Net 50 Energy Challenge 
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If You Give a Mouse a Cookie You May Find an Architect Who is Just Trying to Paint His Living Room
If you are a parent, grandparent or teacher of young children then you are probably familiar with the series of books by Laura Numeroff. What starts as an innocent act – giving a mouse a cookie, turns into an extensive, swisting series of events. It turns out that giving a mouse a cookie is not a simple matter.
It also turns out that some home improvement projects can have the same effect on architects. In January, I started the seemingly simple project of painting the living room.
The first step was to do a little prep and repair work on the existing plaster: scrape down the high spots, patch 
a few cracks and replace a few small areas that had been poorly repaired in the past.
“Sweetie, while you are at it, what would it take to remove those ugly, old, non-functioning baseboard radiators?” I figured a few hours to rip them out, a few hours to patch the plaster and a few hours to install new baseboard. All in all, not too much extra work for a much better result.
Let’s just say that the baseboard radiators pulled off more of the plaster than expected.
In the midst of working I realized that the inside face of the windows was warmer than the inside face of the walls and that the Living room was rather uncomfortable.
“What if I insulated the exterior walls?”
For about $400 I could add two layers of 3/4″ R-5 rigid insulation and a layer of 1/2″ gypsum board, and the energy savings woudl pay for this in about three years.
I finished installing the vapor barrier today and started hanging the gypsum board. The steps that led up to this:
- Remove baseboard radiators,
- Remove window casing, sills and stools,
- Remove wooden fireplace mantle,
- Insulate double hung window counterweight pockets,
- Repair double hung window counterweights,
- Cut back carpeting,
- Install insulation and furring strips, and
- Install blocking for hanging pictures and window treatments,
More detailed descriptions of these steps shall follow in future posts.
Dan Bossenbroek.
March 29, 2010
Tags: Home Improvement, Insulation Posted in: Energy Conservation, Home Improvement, Insulation No Comments
How to Insulate Your Old Double Hung Windows
If you have old double hung windows and you have already installed storm windows, weatherized the sashes and do
ne everything that you can think of to make them energy efficient, there may be one more thing that you can do. Older windows have ropes attached to the sashes that run up the jambs and over pulleys and are attached to counterweights concealed in the walls.
The downside to storm windows is that they make your double hung windows much less effective in the summer time. By raising the lower sashes on the cooler side of the house and lowering the upper sashes on the warm side of the house, the warm air in the house will exit through the open upper sashes and draw cooler air in through the open lower sashes.
You can remove the counterweights for the upper sashes and insulate the concealed spaces in the walls.
First, secure the upper sash in place by driving a screw diagonally up through the bottom of the sash and into the jamb. You may not need 
to do this since many old sashes have already been painted in place.
Next, carefully remove the casing around the window. Run a utility knife around the perimeter between the casing and the wall in order to cut any paint or caulk that might be connecting the casing to the wall. Insert putty knives in between the casing and the wall and between the casing and the window jamb in order to begin to remove the casing. Continue this process with a pry bar, being careful not to damage the wall. This will expose the counterweight pockets next to the window.
After removing the casing, cut the cords for the counterweights for the upper sash and remove the counterweights. A great way to remove the nails from the casing without causing any damage is to clamp on to the nail on the back side of the casing with a vice grips. Pry the nail out a little. Straighten the nail and re-clamp the vice grips tight to the wood. Repeat this until the nail comes all of the way out of the back. This process will not mar the finish on the good side of the casing.
There are a couple of ways to insulate the counterweight spaces.
- Measure the width and height of the pocket. Cut rigid polyisocyanurate insulation to fit snugly into the pocket. Polyiso has one of the highest R-values available. Install two layers of ¾” insulation and push tight to the outside of the pocket.
- Get some PVC that has an inside diameter at least ½” larger than the diameter of the counter weight. Cut it to length – 1” less than the distance from the bottom of the pocket to the pulley. Insert the counterweight into the pipe. Secure the pipe to the window jamb. Stuff batt insulation into the remaining space in the pocket.
Replace the casing. Drill pilot holes for the finish nails to help prevent splitting the wood. Set the nails and fill the divots with wood putty. Lightly sand smooth, and finish to match the rest of the trim.
Tools: Drill, drill bits, screwdriver bit, putty knives, pry-bar, hammer, scissors, vice grips, utility knife, tape measure, finish nails, sandpaper and nail set.
Materials: 2” screws, wood putty, and rigid insulation or batt insulation & PVC pipe.
Dan Bossenbroek
February 2, 2010
Tags: Energy Conservation, Insulation, Windows Posted in: Energy Conservation, Insulation, Weatherize No Comments
How to Go Green with a New Vacuum Cleaner
My wife got a new vacuum cleaner this Christmas and it has made a difference in our lives. That may seem a little dramatic for just a vacuum cleaner, but for those of us that suffer from allergies it’s not.
It has been amazing how much cleaner the house smells after we vacuum. It used to smell like dog for a few hours. Now it just smells clean.
We don’t seem to need to dust as much any more either. I guess our old vacuum did a better job of kicking up dust than it did sucking up dust.
It has also helped us save on our electric bills. We used to have several air purifiers running 24/7. But so far we have not needed them yet. I’m sure that spring allergy season may put this to the test.
What do we owe this change to? A Dyson DC14. Although I’m sure most any model will suffice.
Another bonus is that we will never have to buy vacuum cleaner bags ever again. Just empty the canister once in a while and rinse the filters with water a few times a year.
What a deal! A cleaner house, lower electric bills, better indoor air quality, no hum of air filters, and one less thing to remember at the grocery store.
Dan Bossenbroek
January 28, 2010
Tags: Energy Conservation, Indoor Air Quality Posted in: Energy Conservation, Indoor Air Quality No Comments
Relative Humidity
If you have drafty windows you may be experiencing some of the effects of Relative Humidity. Warm moist air hits the cold surface of your window, it cools down and some of the moisture in the air condenses on the glass.
Relative Humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor in air at a specific temperature compared to the maximum capacity of the air at that temperature.
The benefits of high (20 – 30%) relative humidity in the winter are that the air feels warmer and it doesn’t dry out your skin so fast. In the summer, high relative humidity known commonly as just “humidity” is what makes a 90 degree day turn to a swealtering day.
The goals are to increase the realative humidity in your house in the winter without causing it to condense on the windows, while in the summer keeping it as low as possible. This is one of the primary mechanisms that your air conditioner uses to make the air in your house feel cooler.
January 22, 2010
Posted in: Eco-Glossary, Indoor Air Quality No Comments
New Year’s Net 50 Energy Challenge Update
Our latest investments were:
Shop light conversion: $36
This results in a grand total investment of $1,262.
Our utility bills have been paid through the end of 2009 and our total annual savings has climbed to $912.18
Progress: as of end of 2009 vs 2007
- Electricity – 67.7%
- Natural Gas – 80.5%
- Water – 83.0%
- Utility Costs – 75.3%
- Savings 2008 – $ 200.15
- Savings 2009 – $ 912.18
- Total Savings – $1112.33
What this means is that we are about half way to cutting our utility costs by 50% and we have already recovered 88% of what we have invested so far. Furthermore, we have only invested about 15% of what we will save over five years once we cut our utility costs by 50%. Our plan for 2010 is to invest another $900 or so, and increase our savings to $1,150 or more for the year.
So far some of the projects that we are considering are:
- Insulate the Crawlspace – $100 Actual Cost
- Insulate the Living Room – $450 Estimate
- Install a Dual Flush Conversion Kit – $55 Estimate
- Complete Weatherizing Walls and Windows – $45 Estimate
- Two DIY Rain Barrels with Soaker Hoses – $80 Estimate
Stay tuned, more updates coming soon!
Dan Bossenbroek
January 19, 2010
Tags: Energy Conservation, Insulation, Net 50 Energy Challenge, Rain Barrels, Water Conservation, Weatherize Posted in: Energy Conservation, Net 50 Energy Challenge, Water Conservation, Weatherize No Comments
How to Insulate your Crawlspace and Keep your Toes a Little Warmer.
You may not realize it, but hundreds of dollars might be slipping out from under your feet every year. Adding R-19 insulation to a 400 square foot crawlspace could save you $125 a year on your heating bills and pay for itself in about a year. With an investment of a few hours this energy saving home improvement project will save you money and your toes from getting so cold.
The first thing that you need to do is to remedy any moisture problems that the walls might have. Moisture and insulation are not a good combination. Make sure that all of your downspouts drain away from the house. The ground should slope away from the house too. If you have paved surfaces that adjoin the wall you should caulk the joint between the pavement and the wall.
Second, figure out if your crawl space is vented to the outside or deemed heated by the building code. Vents are typically 8” tall by 16” 
wide and are placed equally around the perimeter.
If your crawlspace is vented, you need to seal the vents. First close the vents if it’s possible, then cut a piece of rigid insulation, treated plywood, or aluminum flashing to fit snugly into the opening. Next seal the crack around this with caulk or foam insulation in order to make an air tight seal.
The main enemy of crawlspaces is moisture, so every step must be taken to keep moisture out. Cut strips of 6 mil plastic sheeting one foot wider than the crawlspaces walls are tall. Staple the edge of the plastic sheeting to the sill plate around the entire perimeter of the crawlspace. Overlap the sheets by 6” and tape all of the joints. Now you have a dry surface for the insulation to rest against.
The next step is to install the insulation on the walls of your crawlspace. Kraft faced fiberglass batt insulation works great in this application. If you purchase the batts to fit between the floor joists, it will be easier to install in vertical strips, but then you will be left with 1 ½” gaps between the pieces below the floor structure. Or you can add wood framing or cut strips of insulation to fit, but that’s a lot of work. If you install the insulation horizontally, you will need to cut slits in the insulation so that it will fit around the floor joists. Staple the insulation to the wood joists to hold it in place.
Most crawl spaces will need two horizontal rows of 22 ½” wide batts. Use duct tape to secure the lower row to the upper row.
Once the insulation is in place, you will want to seal all of the seams between the insulation. Duct tape will fit the bill here. Installing the insulation in long horizontal strips will help reduce the amount of seams that you will need to seal.
You will also want to seal the joint between the batt insulation and the floor joists and sub-floor. If your house is fairly new and 
everything down there is fairly clean you could use more duct tape. However, if your house is fairly new the crawl space is probably already insulated. So, if things are a bit dirty in your crawl space a good product to use to seal these cracks is foam insulation. Spray a small bead between the paper and the joists and floor above. Wait for an hour or two and then return to seal any remaining gaps.
Next you should cover the entire floor with a plastic sheeting vapor barrier. If you won’t need to go into your crawl space very often then 4 mil plastic sheeting will work, but 6 mil is recommended. Now that your crawl space is heated, you want to keep any unwanted moisture out. Overlap the joints of the plastic 6” and tape all the joints. Tape the joints between the plastic and the insulation as well.
Your crawlspace will now be heated, but there is no need to dump a bunch of extra air down there. So it’s a great idea to seal all of the joints in the ducts in the crawlspace. One might think that this would be the perfect use for duct tape, but I have found that aluminum tape works much better. It sticks much better and lasts much longer than duct tape. It is a bit more expensive, but you might want to use it everywhere in this project instead of duct tape. The one drawback if aluminum tape is that it will tear and puncture easier than duct tape, so a little more care must be used when installing it.
Since your crawlspace is now heated, the floor above it should be considerably warmer as well, and thus will be much more comfortable to walk around on in the winter.
Dan Bossenbroek
January 17, 2010
Tags: Energy Conservation, Insulation Posted in: Energy Conservation, Insulation No Comments
A Quick Shop Light Substitute
We have a cat, a sweet old cat. She came with my wife into our marriage. For various reasons (allergies, dog vs. cat aggression, and nasty things
some old cats do especially when un attended) she is relegated to the basement. The dark, dirty, unfinished basement. So naturally, we have compassion on the cat and leave some lights on for her.
Until recently these have been two 80 watt fluorescent shop lights that we left on all of the time and one more that was left on about half the time. At my current electrical rates that costs $203 a year!
The Solution: replace the shop lights with six 20 watt compact fluorescent bulbs in bare bulb fixtures with aluminum foil reflectors. The vertical orientation of the bulbs and the reflectivity of the aluminum foil do a better job of distributing the light than the shop light fixtures do.
The Result: Perceived light is about the same. Projected savings is over $110 a year! That’s 10% of our 2009 electricity bill!
I should have done this a long time ago.
Dan Bossenbroek
January 17, 2010
Tags: Energy Conservation, Energy Efficient Posted in: Energy Conservation, Lighting One Comment
How to Save Energy – 101 Ways from the Evident to the Extreme
Here’s a challenge: implement 12 (more) of these energy conservation products and strategies over the next year. Take another step toward energy independence.
1. Turn off the lights when you leave a room.
2. Install a motion / occupancy sensor in a room that you go in and out of frequently at night.
3. Switch to LED night lights, they use a fraction of the energy that standard night lights do.
4. Unplug your alarm clock and keep your cell phone next to your bed at night.
5. Turn off the, lights and go to bed early, nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
6. Turn off the TV and read a book instead.
7. Use a clothes dryer heat saver in the winter.
8. Line dry your laundry.
9. Plug all of your electronics: TV, VCR, DVD, stereo, computer, printer, cable router, network router into a power strip and turn the power strip off at night.
10. Replace incandescent bulbs with CFL’s (compact fluorescent lamps.)
11. Turn down your thermostat in the winter.
12. Turn up your thermostat in the summer.
13. Clean the condensing coil of your refrigerator.
14. Buy an Energy Star refrigerator.
15. Use a laptop instead of a desktop computer.
16. Turn off your computer when you are not using it.
17. Turn off your printer except when you are using it.
18. Turn off your monitor too.
19. Same goes for your speakers.
20. Buy a new computer since they use a lot less electricity than older ones.
21. Same goes for flat screen monitors vs. CRT monitors.
22. Upgrade to Windows Vista or 7, they have a “Sleep” function. Oh, yeah – Use it.
23. Allow food to cool to room temperature before you put them in the refrigerator.
24. Keep a pitcher of your favorite beverage in the refrigerator instead of using ice. It takes more energy to freeze water than to just keep it cool.
25. Insulate your attic and walls to the proper level.
26. Insulate the extra refrigerator or freezer in your garage or basement.
27. Crank the thermostat down another 2 to 4 degrees at night and turn on an electric blanket. Turn it on just long enough to warm up your bed or at least keep it on the low setting.
28. Move your kids into one bedroom in the winter and close off the registers in the empty ones.
29. Let your furry friends sleep on your bed in the winter. They can sure help to keep you nice and toasty warm.
30. Get rid of grandma’s refrigerator or freezer that you have in the basement or garage.
31. Install a programmable thermostat – lower heating bills = lower electrical bills.
32. Buy and use a space heater or two and heat up only rooms that you use while keeping the rest of the house at a lower temperature.
33. Bundle up and turn down the thermostat.
34. Snuggle under a blanket with a friend while you watch TV.
35. Use timers to turn lights on and off when you are not at home.
36. Use task lighting instead of lighting up the entire room.
37. Watch your favorite programs on your laptop instead of the TV.
38. Go solar to heat your water.
39. Listen to your MP3 player instead of cranking up the stereo.
40. Use window fans on cool nights instead of your air conditioner.
41. When you remodel, avoid carpeting, you can vacuum less often with hard floors.
42. Replace your air conditioner with one that is Energy Star rated.
43. Move to a smaller house or apartment.
44. Seal up your windows with insulating window film.
45. Install a radiant barrier in your attic.
46. Replace furnace filters when needed, this will help your furnace run more efficiently.
47. Upgrade your furnace with one with a higher efficiency.
48. Eat it raw or cold: veggies, bread (instead of toast), sandwiches (cheese vs. grilled cheese), and milk for example.
49. Cook with a sun oven.
50. Dine by candle light.
51. Get a four poster bed and hang blankets over the top and sides – then you can turn the thermostat down even more at night.
52. Weatherize your house, seal all of those cracks, gaps and holes
53. Customize your refrigerator and wrap it with 1 ½” of rigid insulation and any number of finishes: painted or stained wood veneer, chalk board, galvanized steel, vinyl tile, or cork tile.
54. Teach your kids not to stand with the refrigerator door open.
55. Practice what you preach.
56. Wash your hands in cold water.
57. Install energy saving heat reflective film on all your windows.
58. Move your refrigerator to an unheated porch, garage or breezeway in the cooler months.
59. Use an unheated vestibule, garage or enclosed porch to enter and exit your house. This will prevent cold blasts of air from invading your house every time you go in or out.
60. Add a dog door in above mentioned vestibule, this too will reduce the cold blasts.
61. Install solar powered lights at your patio, deck and/or garden.
62. Open up the curtains in the winter and on the north side of your house to let the sun in.
63. Install a solar tube type skylight and turn off the lights in that room even at night.
64. Set solar powered lanterns outside during the day and bring them inside at night for a taste of living off the grid.
65. Install LED lamps in your recessed cans. They use even less energy than CFL’s.
66. Don’t leave the television on for your dog during the day. Let them read the paper if they need to catch up on the news.
67. Install a whole house fan and use it instead of your air conditioner.
68. Use an antique sewing machine with a foot pedal.
69. Plug power strips into timers so you don’t need to remember to turn them off.
70. Can the jam, instead of freezing it. This goes for the extra produce from your garden too.
71. Generate your own electricity with a wind turbine.
72. Install a solar air heater, or two.
73. Install SolarChoice Blinds: a passive solar heater in the guise of vertical blinds.
74. Buy an Energy Star front loading washing machine.
75. Wear your clothes more than once between washes.
76. Only do full loads of laundry.
77. Wash your clothes in cold water, or at least warm instead of hot.
78. Fill up your dishwasher before you run it.
79. Use the energy saver setting on your dishwasher.
80. Switch to an Energy Star dishwasher.
81. Use a small plate instead of a large one whenever possible, to cut down on dishwasher loads.
82. Use one glass all day for your drinking water and it will take longer to fill up your dishwasher.
83. Try to use only one plate or bowl per person for each meal, this will lead to fewer dishwasher loads.
84. Serve food in the pots that you cooked the food in and it will take longer to fill the dishwasher.
85. Skip taking a shower once in a while.
86. Install an instant hot water heater – hot water will be at the tap sooner.
87. Insulate your hot water pipes.
88. Skip shaving once in a while.
89. Switch to low flow showerheads.
90. Put the scraps from your plates in to a worm bin instead of down the disposal.
91. Take shorter showers – keep them to five minutes or less.
92. Plant a tree or more to shade your house.
93. When you take a shower turn off the water while you lather and wash.
94. Two young kids in the same tub = ten to twenty gallons of water saved.
95. Get your kids involved and teach them to turn the lights off when they leave the room (for instance).
96. Adjust your water softener so that it regenerates only as necessary.
97. Lightly steam your vegetables instead of boiling them to death.
98. Take tandem showers: as soon as one person is done the next hops in.
99. Give your dog a bath in the water your kids just bathed in.
100. Jump in the shower before the water gets warm and enjoy a refreshing start to your day.
101. Trade your furnace in for a small fire breathing dragon. This may be difficult as they are uncommonly rare.
Have fun and start saving (more)!
January 10, 2010
Tags: Alternative Energy, CFL's, Energy Conservation, LED's, Weatherize Posted in: Alternative Energy, Energy Conservation, Lighting, Weatherize 2 Comments
Cost effective LED lamps now available.
LED technology continues to improve, and now Cree Lighting has a lamp that replaces 75 Watt Flood
ligh bulbs in existing 6″ recessed can light fixtures. They are cost effective for those can lights that are on for several hours every day, like in your kitchen or on a porch. These lamps can save you $300 in electricity compared to incandescent bulbs over the life of the lamp. They are rated to last 50,000 hours! That’s 17 years at 8 hours a day. Shop now for LED products from Cree Lighting.
January 5, 2010
Tags: LED's Posted in: Energy Conservation, Lighting No Comments
