Energy Efficiency Guru

[change_seeker]

I've never heard of Amory Lovins before, but he talks about the residential housing energy efficiency topics that I have always been interested in:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/26/amory-lovins-energy-efficiency-interview-cheapest-safest-cleanest-crisis

Gets me thinking about our current home which is VERY energy in-efficient.  I've always been intrigued by net-zero aka Passive House technologies that require very little energy to heat/cool.

[nereo]

Interesting article, thanks for sharing

Having spent a year doing energy Efficency upgrades at our old place and now tackling a new (to us) home I agree that there’s a ton of cheap improvements that can be done to most of our housing stock which will save money, improve comfort and reduce energy consumption.  Some things - like caulking and foam sealing - have costs under $20 and ROI measured in months.

[joe189man]

ptf

[BlueMR2]

I've actually been amazed by how I've not seen measurable improvements from doing all the standard insulation upgrades.  Our bills were already quite low compared to others, so I guess the previous owners did all the big things.  I've replaced the furnace with a higher efficiency (went from 92% to 96%), replaced old single pane aluminums with new double pane, had exterior insulated siding installed, did all the caulking around all the openings, had attic insulation checked (and the contractor declined to add anymore, said it was packed full as it was), added insulation internally everywhere I could (including attic fan and even plugs/switches on outside wall). 

Gains in measured efficiency are totally lost in the noise, I can't say my bills have dropped a single dollar nevermind starting towards a real ROI in my lifetime.  HOWEVER, the house feels a LOT more comfortable year round in the corner rooms.

[NaN]

I've actually been amazed by how I've not seen measurable improvements from doing all the standard insulation upgrades.  Our bills were already quite low compared to others, so I guess the previous owners did all the big things.  I've replaced the furnace with a higher efficiency (went from 92% to 96%), replaced old single pane aluminums with new double pane, had exterior insulated siding installed, did all the caulking around all the openings, had attic insulation checked (and the contractor declined to add anymore, said it was packed full as it was), added insulation internally everywhere I could (including attic fan and even plugs/switches on outside wall). 

Gains in measured efficiency are totally lost in the noise, I can't say my bills have dropped a single dollar nevermind starting towards a real ROI in my lifetime.  HOWEVER, the house feels a LOT more comfortable year round in the corner rooms.

This. Comfort is huge. It makes me wonder if the houses poorly insulated (post WWII) were polluting more than the highly efficient insulated stone/brick/etc home that used a coal block to heat?

We did the same as you, replaced single pane windows with double, added insulation where we could, and it did improve our comfort. I just don't know why we went all inefficient post WWII and sacrificed gains on comfort from well insulated homes. Even with a heater blasting the thermal gradient in the house with the single pane windows was huge.

Well I know. The scam of oil and gas.

[Chaplin]

I've actually been amazed by how I've not seen measurable improvements from doing all the standard insulation upgrades.  Our bills were already quite low compared to others, so I guess the previous owners did all the big things.  I've replaced the furnace with a higher efficiency (went from 92% to 96%), replaced old single pane aluminums with new double pane, had exterior insulated siding installed, did all the caulking around all the openings, had attic insulation checked (and the contractor declined to add anymore, said it was packed full as it was), added insulation internally everywhere I could (including attic fan and even plugs/switches on outside wall). 

Gains in measured efficiency are totally lost in the noise, I can't say my bills have dropped a single dollar nevermind starting towards a real ROI in my lifetime.  HOWEVER, the house feels a LOT more comfortable year round in the corner rooms.

Sounds like you have a big leak or vampire drain somewhere. A pump running continuously, a heated floor in a garage, an insulation gap that isn’t affecting comfort, etc.

[NorCal]

In talking to a lot of people on the topic, I’ve learned how different each house is. I live in a well insulated house built in 2010, and very little of the typical advice on sealing the building envelope applies. But it would be totally different if I lived in a 40 year old house.

The best thing I did was to get a home energy monitor. It helped me understand where my energy was going, and what I could do about it. I’ve found a couple hundred dollars of annual savings as a result.

[nereo]

In talking to a lot of people on the topic, I’ve learned how different each house is. I live in a well insulated house built in 2010, and very little of the typical advice on sealing the building envelope applies. But it would be totally different if I lived in a 40 year old house.

The best thing I did was to get a home energy monitor. It helped me understand where my energy was going, and what I could do about it. I’ve found a couple hundred dollars of annual savings as a result.

Which one did you go with @NorCal ?

[NorCal]

In talking to a lot of people on the topic, I’ve learned how different each house is. I live in a well insulated house built in 2010, and very little of the typical advice on sealing the building envelope applies. But it would be totally different if I lived in a 40 year old house.

The best thing I did was to get a home energy monitor. It helped me understand where my energy was going, and what I could do about it. I’ve found a couple hundred dollars of annual savings as a result.

Which one did you go with @NorCal ?

I purchased the Sense.

After a lot of research, I recommend the Emporia if you have everything in a single main panel.  I recommend the Sense for anyone who has sub-panels in the house.

The Sense is more expensive, and you also need to pair it with some Kasa smart plugs to get the most out of it (since it doesn't detect some modern appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers and washing machines).  Once I had the Sense and Kasa plugs in the house, it also enabled some more smart-home capabilities that are useful, but not entirely energy usage related.  As an example, I get an alert on my phone if my sump-pump ever turns on, and I have a similar alert set on my garage door when I go on vacation.

[LennStar]

We did the same as you, replaced single pane windows with double, added insulation where we could, and it did improve our comfort.

Every time I read about single panes I flinch.
Even the 200+ year old houses around here have 2 single panes (There is a good hand size between them, making a sort of isolating chamber), and they only still have single panes because of old building protection.
Passive houses gernerally have triple panes.
My cousin lives in one (nearly) passive standard. Floor heating, air through vents and a fire place that also heats water, and doesnt get that hot as a result. Which is good because a good flame would create too much heat even for the big combined kitchen/living room area. 

[nereo]

We did the same as you, replaced single pane windows with double, added insulation where we could, and it did improve our comfort.

Every time I read about single panes I flinch.
Even the 200+ year old houses around here have 2 single panes (There is a good hand size between them, making a sort of isolating chamber), and they only still have single panes because of old building protection.
Passive houses gernerally have triple panes.
My cousin lives in one (nearly) passive standard. Floor heating, air through vents and a fire place that also heats water, and doesnt get that hot as a result. Which is good because a good flame would create too much heat even for the big combined kitchen/living room area.

What do the Germans call the “super-insulated, highest energy-star rated windows” sold in the US?

Spoiler: show

A window.