by Ruth Haag

Created on: October 06, 2008

Discussions of home energy savings usually focus on using less energy to heat and cool a house, in order to achieve a lower utility bill. We like that, too, but we also like to think about how many days each year we can be independent of energy use in our home and office. We ask ourselves, "How many days each year do we have our heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system turned off?"

To concentrate on what we can do to increase the number of days without any HVAC, we use two steps:

1. We increase our range of temperature tolerance

2. We push ourselves to keep the HVAC system turned off

When you insist on having the temperature in your building at 72F year-round in Northern Ohio, you have to use supplemental energy for HVAC most days of the year.

Most folks with whom we talk have begun to live with 65F in the winter and 75-80F in the summer. This increased range of tolerance greatly decreases the need for running an HVAC system during April, May, September and October of most years in our area.

Once you have expanded your temperature tolerance, you can increase your number of days of HVAC independence by increasing your use of passive or natural methods to regulate temperatures.

Use your curtains

Often we are all told that we need to get "replacement windows" in order to save energy. Of course, this message mostly comes from replacement window salespeople. In fact, purchasing or making insulated curtains can provide much more benefit, and can cost MUCH less. A triple pane window will afford an R-factor of 2.8, while an insulated shade can provide R-4.0.

The temperature on a bright September afternoon on the sill of our single pane window was 100F. When we dropped our home-made insulated shade, the sill temperature came down to 78F.

So drop your insulated shades to block out the heat in the summer, and raise them to let in the daytime sun in the winter. Drop them during winter nights.

As a guide to making these shades, we like "The Shade Book" by Judy Lindahl (ISBN 0-9603032-2-7). It provides step-by-step instructions. If you don't want to take the challenge, show the book to a local sewing person. We are confident that they can easily make the shades.

Open your windows

Before the widespread use of air conditioning, many buildings, and the people in them, survived the summer months by just opening the windows.

You can open your windows and create cross ventilation for your room. You may need some nice paper weights if you open a window beside your office desk.

If

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>