The “Half” Plan Cut energy use and green house gas emissions in half and save a ton of money

We Will Cover … What’s a “Half” plan? Energy and CO2 reduction projects –Including some 1 year payback solar heating projects Results Making your own “Half” plan

What’s the “Half” Plan? We wanted to see if we could cut our energy use and green house gas emissions in half. Is it possible? What does it cost? How much money does it save? How hard is it? Lifestyle changes?

Where Does The Energy Go? Must address all of these areas to make the goal Does not include embedded energy in Products, air transport, …

Where Does The Energy Go? Must address all of these areas to make the goal Does not include embedded energy in Products, air transport, … Target 47,000 KWH/yr Target 32,000 lbs CO2/yr

The “Half “ Plan Our 20 Energy Saving Projects Conservation Solar Transportation

The “Half “ Plan Our 20 Energy Saving Projects  Conservation Solar Transportation

Make Storm Windows From Bubble Wrap A simple, cheap, quick way to reduce window heat loss Energy Saving960 KWH/year * CO2 Saving490 lb/year Cost Saving $75 per year 10 Year Saving $1200 Initial Cost $38 (or nothing) (2%) * 36 gal propane

Tame the PC’s PC, printer, monitor, router … use a lot of power Plug everything into a power strip Daytime: Hibernate when idle for 15 minutes Nighttime: Shut off everything with power strips Energy Saving1780 KWH/year * CO2 Saving3560 lb/year Cost Saving $178 per year 10 Year Saving $2840 Initial Cost $20 (4%) * for 2 PC’s and peripherals

Seal & Insulate Heating Ducts We sealed and insulated all accessible attic and crawl space ducts Studies show that losses of 15 to 30% are the norm in homes Energy Saving940 KWH/year * CO2 Saving480 lb/year Cost Saving $75 per year 10 Year Saving $1,195 Initial Cost $20 (2%) * 35 gal propane conservative estimate

Seal Heating Ducts (cont’d) Use Duct Mastic Seal every joint you can get to Insulate ducts in attic or crawl space

Efficient Lights Use efficient lights! Compact fluorescents, regular fluorescents, LED’s, … Less than one year payback Rebates Energy Saving1170 KWH/year * CO2 Saving2340 lb/year Cost Saving $117 per year 10 Year Saving $1860 Initial Cost $50 (2%) * for 29 CF’s

Efficient Lights (cont’d) The savings add up fast  There are CF’s for just about any situation A variety of light “colors” for cool to warm

Eliminate Phantom Loads Many electrical appliances use power even when turned “off” Use a Kill-A-Watt to find the phantoms Use power strips to cut all power Or, replace high drain phantoms Energy Saving570 KWH/year CO2 Saving1140 lb/year Cost Saving $57 per year 10 Year Saving $910 Initial Cost $70 (1%)

Replace Energy Hog Appliances Old refrigerators, dishwashers, … may use 3 or more times as much power as new the Energy Star equivalents Our new fridge saves 2 KWH per day Energy Star website for ratings Energy Saving720 KWH/year CO2 Saving1440 lb/year Cost Saving $72 per year 10 Year Saving $1147 Initial Cost $800 (2%)

Stop Cold Air Infiltration Caulk around windows etc. Seal all penetrations from living space to attic Energy Saving1980 KWH/year * CO2 Saving1010 lb/year Cost Saving $50 per year 10 Year Saving $2485 Initial Cost $38 (4%) * 73 gal propane

Add Insulation Blow in more attic insulation Increasing our attic insulation from R22 to R47 gave us a 2 year payback* Energy Saving1590 KWH/year * CO2 Saving810 lb/year Cost Saving $126 per year ** 10 Year Saving $2010 Initial Cost $260 (3%) * 60 gal propane ** Includes lower effective R value of FG insulation under cold conditions. ** Only half of our attic can be done.

Add Insulation (cont’d) Free blower loan Easy to do But, do infiltration sealing first

Insulate Crawl Space We Converted our crawl space to an insulated, conditioned space Energy Saving1090 KWH/year * CO2 Saving560 lb/year Cost Saving $86 per year ** 10 Year Saving $1370 Initial Cost $210 (2%) * 40 gal propane ** For crawl space under ¼ of house

Insulate Crawl Space (cont’d) Conditioned space Seal floor with poly Insulate walls Insulate rim joist Plug vents Alternate – insulate the crawl space ceiling

Inside Storm Windows Multi wall polycarbonate storm windows High R value Easy to make Fits any window Lightweight Energy Saving2700 KWH/year * CO2 Saving1100 lb/year Cost Saving $220 per year 10 Year Saving $3500 Initial Cost $450 (6%) * 100 gal propane For 30% of total window area

Inside Strom Windows (cont’d) Multi wall polycarbonate storm windows Cuts easily Easy to handle Secure with Velcro or screws Adds R 2.5

Thermal Shades Reduce night time window heat loss Adds up to R 4 Better with some type of edge sealing Energy Saving3160 KWH/year * CO2 Saving1525 lb/year Cost Saving $258 per year 10 Year Saving $4,110 Initial Cost $1,086 (7%) * 117 gal propane For 32% of window area

Electric Mattress Pad A surprisingly large energy saving with a big increase in comfort Energy Saving1270 KWH/year * CO2 Saving510 lb/year Cost Saving $103 per year 10 Year Saving $1640 Initial Cost $125 (3 %) * 47 gal propane

Venting Dryer Inside Energy Saving630 KWH/year * CO2 Saving290 lb/year Cost Saving $63 per year 10 Year Saving $1000 Initial Cost $20 (1+%) * 24 gal propane We vent our dryer to the inside of the house during the winter to recover the heat NOT for gas dryers !

Other Conservation Projects ProjectEnergy Saving (KWH) CostSaving Per Year Storm Door220$200$17 Turn Stuff Off440$0!$44 Washing Machine350$400$35

The “Half “ Plan Our 20 Energy Saving Projects Conservation  Solar Energy Projects Transportation

Solar Space Heater Simple solar space heater Energy Saving2,527 KWH/year CO2 Saving1,320 lb/year Cost Saving $206 per year 10 Year Saving $3,280 Initial Cost $350 (5%) Based on half time use – one year payback with full time use.

Solar Space Heater (cont’d) How it works Cool air enters bottom vent Screen absorber heats air Heated air rises out top vent No fans, no controllers, no electricity.

Solar Space Heater (cont’d)

Direct Gain Solar Heater Energy Saving2,912 KWH/year CO2 Saving1,525 lb/year Cost Saving $238 per year 10 Year Saving $3,785 Initial Cost $380 (6%) Direct gain heater Free heat and daylighting Night insulation Easy to build Two year payback

Direct Gain Solar Heater (cont’d)

Direct Gain Heater (cont’d) How does it do at -20F? -20F 70F Inside Outside

The “Solar Shed” Collector Energy Saving6,970 KWH/year * CO2 Saving3,360 lb/year Cost Saving $568 per year 10 Year Saving $9,048 Initial Cost $4,000 (15%) * 260 gal propane This project is not included in the Half totals yet, as we just got it up and running in January A combination garden shed and solar collector that collects and stores heat for use in the house

“Solar Shed” (cont’d) The “Solar Shed” concept New Garden Shed House Solar Collectors Heat Storage Tank Heat pipe to house Hydronic Heaters

“Solar Shed” (cont’d) Construction

Future Solar Electric Postponed to last due to lower return Energy Saving1,710 KWH/year CO2 Saving3,420 lb/year Cost Saving $170 per year 10 Year Saving $2,720 Initial Cost $9,000 (4%) This project will double our total our investment while providing only 4% of total energy saving.

The “Half “ Plan Our 20 Energy Saving Projects Conservation Solar  Transportation Projects

Bought a Prius Our single most effective energy saving project A terrific car 2 year payback for us Happiness is driving 400 miles and filling up on 8 gallons Energy Saving23,900 KWH/year* CO2 Saving11,900 lb/year Cost Saving $1,880 per year 10 Year Saving $29,960 Initial Cost $3000 (49%) * 650 gal gasoline 49% of Half target!!

The “Half “ Plan Results to Date

Results To Date Reduc- tion Near Future Energy Saved49,000 KWH/yr 53%9,200 KWH/yr CO2 Reduction31,700 LB/yr 49%4,300 LB/yr $’s Spent$7,525$4,400 $’s Saved$4,010 per yr$750 per yr Two year payback on projects to date

Results Top 7 Projects -- Cheap and Effective Energy Saved 8,030 KWH/yr CO2 Reduction7,950 LB/yr $’s Spent$193 $’s Saved$670 per yr Top Seven: PC’s, Seal Ducts, Bubble Wrap Windows, CF’s, Phantom Loads, Vent Dryer, Seal Infiltration.

The “Half “ Plan Planning Your Half Program

Doing Your Own “Half” Plan Making a “Half” Plan 1.Make a BIG list of project ideas 2.Estimate energy and CO2 savings for each project 3.Prioritize Projects 4.Make it Happen !

Doing Your Own “Half” Plan 1) Make a BIG list of ideas Consider anything –Include all of your energy uses –Include conservation, solar, … Sources of ideas –Attached resources list

Sources of Project Ideas Some good sources for ideas: Build It Solar My site -- Look at the Projects page and the Half Plan pages. Utility audit program – these can be quite good, and some even include blower door tests to check your house for infiltration. Rocky Mountain Institute The “Energy Briefs” papers are very good. Energy Star Lots of good information on Energy Star rated appliances as well as a wide variety of other energy efficiency subjects. ”The Carbon Buster’s Home Energy Handbook”, Stoyke, 2007 The EERE site Home Power Magazine, Mother Earth Magazine, …

Doing Your Own “Half” Plan 2) Evaluate each project for how effective it will be in reducing energy, CO2 emissions, and cost. This is the key to getting the best results for the money you have to spend Projects rates of return will vary over a very large range – this step helps you pick the good ones.

Tools To Evaluate Projects Insulation Upgrade Calculator This simple calculator can be used to evaluate insulation upgrades, window improvements, storm windows. The “Half Plan” Examples These example projects each include details the details on how the energy saving was calculated. “The Carbon Buster’s Home Energy Handbook ”, Godo Stoyke, 2007 Many concrete examples of energy reduction projects. Carbon emissions calculator --Infinite Power Car Carbon emissions -- Hybrid Cars dot Com If you get stuck – contact me I’ll do my best to help or find someone who

Doing Your Own “Half” Plan 3) Prioritize -- Decide what order to do projects in –Cheapest and best payoff first –Some may need to go earlier –The most interesting ones

Doing Your Own “Half” Plan 4) Do the projects The fun part! Keep track of your bills for rebates and tax credits

Can it make a difference? If 100 million families each reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 20 tons, it would reduce total US green house gas emissions by 25%