2. Home Energy Seminary Save Money! Protect the Climate!

3. Home Energy Seminary 1.Introduction: Climate Change 2.Home Energy: Lights 3.Appliances: Fridges, Washing machines, AC 4.A little Physics: Understanding your home! Building diagnostics Insulation vs. Air-tightness 5.Windows 6.Heating Systems

4. Short Primer on Climate Change Is NOT the Ozone Hole! Is caused by gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. These gases come from burning fossil fuels and other sources. They form a blanket around the earth. More greenhouse gases  more heat in the atmosphere  change in the global climate.

5. The Bad News about Climate Change

6. "To me the question of the environment is more ominous than that of peace and war...I'm more worried about global warming than I am of any major military conflict." -- U.N. Weapons Inspector Hans Blix, (March 14, 2003)

7. 150 100 50 0 Thousands of Years ago Temperature change ( o C) Carbon dioxide (ppmv) Current CO2 level: 380 ppmv Current temperature Pre-industrial CO2 level: 280 ppm “Business-as- usual” scenario CO2 level in 2100: 700 ppmv Climate Change and CO2 Concentration

8. 1941 : Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park was 2,000 feet thick. 2004 : same shoreline Photos: 1941: courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey; 2004: National Park Service photo by Bruce Molina

9. Per Capita Climate Gas Emissions

10. Cumulative CO2 Emissions from 1800-1988: The Ecological Debt of the North Graph by Martin Storksdiek

11. Average Bangladeshi produces 0.2 tons of CO2 Average American produces 21 tons of CO2 Millions of Bangladeshi will loose their home and livelihood due to sea level rise. Climate Change & Equity

12. “As the global climate changes, extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, heat waves, heavy rainfall, tropical storms and hurricanes are expected to increase.” (Dr. David Easterling, National Climatic Data Center, 9-26-00) Flooding of the Ohio river ( NOAA Photo Library; www.photolib.noaa.gov)

13. Drought Popenguine, Senegal (United Nations Photo Library www.un.org/av/photo) Climate Change & Extreme Drought Severe drought as a result of global warming threatens to spread across half the Earth's land surface by 2100, turning one third of the planet into a desert. (Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, 2006)

14. Severe Impacts on Agriculture Great regional differences are expected. Shorter growing seasons Droughts Floods Water shortages More Weeds More Pests

15. Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health Increase in vector-borne diseases Increase in heat-related deaths Increase in urban air pollution: increase in respiratory illnesses

16. All pictures on this poster are from the NOAA Photo Library; www.photolib.noaa.gov Temperature rise due to climate change could leave up to 30 percent of species at risk of extinction by the end of this century. IPCC 2007

17. The Solutions to Climate Change We have to cut emissions by 80% in the coming decades. We have to move away from fossil fuels and increase efficiency dramatically. We have about a decade to start to dramatically cut emissions.

18. Efficiency An estimated 94% of materials become waste before a product is even manufactured. Only 6 per cent of materials extracted each year are embodied in durable goods!

19. The Good News about Climate Change

20. The Solutions to Climate Change can address many other problems: Energy Security National Security Job Security Local Air Pollution

21. Reducing Your Carbon Footprint What is big? What is small?

22. The Big Ones: How much you travel: Airplane and Car emissions How you live: House size, SFpP, quality of house What you eat: Lots of meat, vegetarian, vegan? How many kids you have. How much stuff you buy.

23. Your Car Transportation is responsible for ¼ of US CO2 emissions. Americans are responsible for almost 50% of global car emissions. You know best how to reduce your car emissions….. Now you just have to find a way to actually do so….

24. Air Travel Emissions at high altitudes have a much greater warming potential. 1. Boston – Washington – Boston: Approx. 0.5 tons of CO2 That’s the per capita annual emissions of a Sri Lankan. 2. Boston – Frankfurt – Boston: Approx. 4 tons of CO2 There are 115 countries that have lower yearly per capita emissions…..

26. Meat: Meat production has increased by 500 percent since 1950. 43% of the world's beef is raised on factory feedlots. Livestock emit 16 % of the world's annual production of methane. An estimated 70 percent of all antibiotics in the U.S. are fed to pigs, poultry, and cattle merely to promote growth and compensate for the unsanitary and confined conditions on factory farms. By volume, livestock in the country consume eight times more antibiotics than humans do. With its high meat content, the average U.S. diet requires twice as much water per person per day as an equally nutritious vegetarian diet. A diet high in grain-fed meat can require two to four times more land than a vegetarian diet. www.worldwatch.org/node/1495

27. Population We are 300 million now! Yippee! We emit as much CO2 as China & India combined! (that’s 2,5 billion folks) Each American emits as much as 6 Chinese or 17 Indians…..

28. Average Bangladeshi produces 0.2 tons of CO2 Average American produces 21 tons of CO2 Millions of Bangladeshi will loose their home and livelihood due to sea level rise. Climate Change & Equity

29. Stuff Buy less of it…

30. Reducing the Carbon Footprint of your home

31. Home Energy Seminary Save Money! Protect the Climate! Americans spend more than $160 billion a year to heat, cool, light and live in our homes. Homes use about 21% of the energy we use as a nation. Homes contribute about 17% of our national emissions of greenhouse gases.

32. Get an Energy Audit A professional will be able to analyze your house and give you advise. You’ll get most out of it, if you are well educated! Prepare well and ask lot’s of questions!

33. Massachusetts Call 1-866-527-Save. The audit is free and you can get some attractive rebates. Take advantage of it - you paid for it on your energy bills! You’ll get most out of it, if you are well educated! Prepare well and ask lot’s of questions!

34. New York Sate NY Home Performance with ENERGYSTAR® program: Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp., Consolidated Edison of New York, Inc., New York State Electric and Gas Corporation, Rochester Gas & Electric Corporation, National Grid, Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. Low interest loans and rebates are available for energy efficiency upgrades. http://www.getenergysmart.org

35. Switch To Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFLs)! More expensive upfront ($1-$12) but they'll save $30-$50! Many different types of CFLs available (including for small fixtures, 3-ways, etc). Last 10 times longer! Watch for available rebates.

36. Compact Fluorescent Bulbs: Take 1-2 min to reach fullest brightness. Are less bright when it is cold. If you are concerned about brightness, buy a brighter one! Should not flicker after 1-2 seconds.

37. Compact Fluorescent Bulbs: Are not all of equally good quality: try them out before you buy many.

38. Compact Fluorescent Bulbs: Regular CFB don’t work in dimmable fixtures. Buy a dimmable CFB. Check out www.efi.org for specialty bulbs.

39. Compact Fluorescent Bulbs: Have a small amount of mercury: call your city about disposal. (But they still use less mercury than would have been produced at the power plant when you use a regular incandescent bulb)

40. Fluorescent Bulbs (CFLs) Facts! If every household in the US replaced 5 fixtures with CFLs: Savings: 800 billion kWh The equivalent of shutting down 21 power plants.

41. Halogen Torchieres Nice light but… Energy Hog! Uses 300W – 500W…. (a normal bulb uses 60W) Halogen torchieres are also a fire hazard! Buy a torchiere with CFB!

42. Appliances: Energy Star: www.energystar.gov Look for the energy star label! More than 35 product categories are available with the ENERGY STAR label. Careful! Energy Star appliances are rated by size class. Look for the smallest appliance that fits your needs!

44. Refrigerator If your refrigerator is more than 8 years old, it makes sense to replace it. The new one will pay for itself in energy savings in about 3-6 years. Again! Energy Star appliances are rated by size class. Look for the smallest refrigerator that fits your needs! Side-by-side are least efficient.

45. BAD: Top-loader GOOD: Front-loader Washing Machines 40 to 60% less water 30 to 50% less energy 50 to 70% less detergent

46. Top-loader: 40 gallons of water per load. Front loader: 20 - 25 gallons. You could save as much as 7,000 gallons of water per year! Gentler on clothes. Decreases drying time considerably. Do a better job cleaning clothes. Be modern, get a front-loader! Top-loaders are the technology your grand-parents used!!! PS Only do full loads. Use cold water as often as possible. Front –loading Washing Machines

47. Conventional Dryer 800-1000 kW/year $80-$120/ year Be old-fashioned! Dry your clothes like your grand-parents did!!! Tip: If you do not have time to hang all your clothes, hang the heavy, and thick things: towels, sheets, socks…

48. Use Fans Instead of AC! Only 10-15% of the energy an AC uses. (Shut the fan off when you leave the room, because it does not actually cool the air but just move it. The exception to this is a window fan to get cool night air from the outside into the house.)

49. Be cheap! Turn it off! Most electricity is used by things that are on a lot and use a lot of power: Refrigerator (500kWh-1300 kWh per year) Freezer (500kWh-1300 kWh per year) Desktop Computer (300-1000 kWh per year) Lights Don’t forget to turn your heat or AC off /down!

50. Great Myths Turning off your computer will harm it. WRONG! This used to be true back when computers had green screens and punch cards……

51. Great Myths Leaving your heat on is more efficient than turning it down because you need so much energy to heat the house back up. WRONG! Think about it! It’s as if you’d claim that putting down your suitcase while waiting for the bus uses more energy than holding it up the whole time, because you’d have to pick it up again.

52. Convection The flow of hot and cold gases This is how heat travels through leaks, cracks and gaps in your house. A Little Physics: How Heat Travels:

53. Will she be warm enough in the winter? Convection: Air leaks: This is why you wear a wind breaker over your woolen sweater!

54. Blower-Door Test

56. What You Can Do: Use weather stripping and caulking! It’s cheap, it works! Stay warm! Save Money! Protect the Climate! From the simple to the sophisticated, air sealing pays!

57. Heat exchange between adjacent molecules Conduction This is how heat travels through materials. Some materials conduct heat better than others. Insulation slows the movement of heat.

58. Conduction Insulation: This is why you wear a woolen sweater in winter and a cotton sweatshirt in the summer!

59. Infra -red Photography

60. Windows are rated by: Conductance: U-value Low U-value = high insulation properties You want: Low U- Value Insulation is rated by: Resistance: R-Value High R-value = high insulation properties You want: High R- Value How Conduction is measured:

61. Two components to good weatherization: Minimize air leaks Optimize insulation

62. How Your House Loses Heat

63. Insulation (conduction): Get your walls and attic insulated! Insulating your walls and attic, along with addressing leaks around your doors and windows, can save as much as 30 % on your heating bill. Insulate before you replace windows: it will cost you much less and save you more. Watch out for active knob-and-tube wiring before you insulate!

64. Insulation materials Fiberglass

65. Insulation materials Cellulose

66. Fiberglass Vs. Cellulose

67. Fiberglass vs. Cellulose Fiberglass: like a woolen sweater + easy to install + can be cheaper + moisture tolerant - does not stop air flow - poor fire protection - most of the times poorly installed Cellulose: like a down jacket + stops air flow + better fire protection + can fill up nooks and crannies. - does not tolerate moisture very well

68. Slide by Paul Eldrenkamp @ Byggmeister

69. Cellulose Installation This should be the very first home improvement you do! Pay back is 1-5 years Cost: $1000 - $5000

70. Insulation Materials Spray-foams Icynene; 2-part polyurethanes; Soy-based Rigid foams

71. General Insulation Strategies Use an insulation that air-seals and insulates –Spray foam –Dense-pack (or wet-spray) cellulose When practical, insulate the outermost plane –Attic roof rather than floor joists –Crawlspace floor and walls rather than ceiling –Basement walls rather than ceiling Slide by Paul Eldrenkamp @ Byggmeister

72. Radiation Electro-magnetic waves emitted from hot objects This is the how the sun heats the surface of the earth. This is why it can get very hot in a car in the summer.

73. Window Replacement +New high-quality windows are definitively more energy-efficient and will cut your heating bills. +You’ll get rid of lead paint. +New windows are easier to operate and clean. - High-quality windows are expensive ($300-$600 per opening) - They have a very long pay back (30-50 years) - Esthetics

74. Window Replacement The Don’t’s Don’t get single pane. Don’t be lured by the cheap price of some windows. You really get what you pay for. The Do’s Get double or triple pane windows. Get high quality windows. Make sure to get an experienced installer who will pay attention to details (and insulate the weight box) Get Low-e coating with argon fill. Wood or fiberglass frames are best.

75. Windows: Invest in good storms, weather stripping, caulk, plastic

76. Heating Systems

77. Largest energy expense in the home. What system? Steam, hot water, forced air? Gas, oil, electric, wood Heating Systems

78. Sizing? Most systems are oversized To tell how much, see how long it runs out of each hour during cold weather. If less than half the time, a smaller system will save energy.

79. Replacing your system: Insist on a heat loss analysis (ACCA Manual J) If your plumber sizes the system by the old system, take your business elsewhere!

80. Efficiency Check www.energystar.gov Go for over 90% efficiency. (Gas boilers can achieve higher efficiencies.) Check for rebates!

81. Don’t trust just your plumber! A little upfront research can make a big difference. Get this book, it will change your life: www.aceee.org/consumerguide/index.htm Replacing a Heating System

82. Stay away form electric heat. It’s very expensive!!!! No electric water heater No electric furnaces No space heaters Exception: If you want to heat only a small space in a large house Electric Heat

83. #2 Heating Oil 1/3 more carbon emissions than natural gas Natural Gas More climate friendly! More chimney friendly! Less air pollution! No oil tank! More expensive than oil…. Oil or Gas? … unfortunately, doing the right thing is not always the cheaper thing… Also: Efficiency can make up for it. No oil tanks, no hazards…

84. High-cost but low-impact issues Vapor barriers –Vapor diffusion not a big problem in our climate –Big difference between a vapor barrier and an air barrier –Vapor barrier paints Slide by Paul Eldrenkamp @ Byggmeister

86. High-cost but low-impact issues Roof venting –Cold roof vs. hot roof (vented vs. unvented) –Instead of investing heavily in venting, invest in better roof insulation Slide by Paul Eldrenkamp @ Byggmeister

87. Roof venting: Ice dams Slide by Paul Eldrenkamp @ Byggmeister

88. Summary Solve the big problems first—health & safety issues Control moisture and pollutants at source Air-seal and insulate (with the same material if possible) Perform pre- and post-weatherization evaluations (blower door, infrared) Slide by Paul Eldrenkamp @ Byggmeister

89. Saving energy in your home does more than just save money! It’s a step towards securing the future for our children! Thank You!

90. Tufts Office of Sustainability www.tufts.edu/programs/sustainability