Energy-Saving Tips For Dummies

Chapter 1

The Energy-Efficient Household

In This Chapter

Understanding the energy crisis

Reducing your heating and cooling bill

Rating energy-efficient appliances

Finding effective lighting solutions

Plugging into solar energy and other renewable power sources

Designing for energy savings

Most people agree that humans are polluting and using natural resources faster than the environment is able to regenerate itself. Environmental problems such as global warming are exacerbated by the large amount of greenhouse-forming gases emitted into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels. And higher temperatures are changing weather patterns so dramatically that they have led to an increased number of natural disasters around the world.

When you limit your consumption of energy and other resources to a level that enables the earth to regenerate itself, you’re well on the way to living sustainably.

In this chapter, I talk about the energy crisis and look at how you can reduce the pressure you put on the planet by reducing energy consumption in the home. You don’t have to buy or build a brand new ‘green’ house to become more energy efficient — you can do plenty to reduce the amount of power you use by paying attention to which of your appliances consume the most electricity. Understanding this approach helps you prioritise your energy budget.

I show you that heating and cooling appliances are among the biggest users of energy in your house, but with insulation and other energy-efficient measures incorporated into the design of your home you can significantly reduce how often you need to use them. Many people are surprised to discover that hot water is also a major energy hog. A solar hot-water service is a great way to reduce your electrical energy consumption in a big way.

Understanding Why the Energy Crisis Is ‘Booming’

Electrical energy powers millions of homes and businesses around the world. Currently, the cheapest and most reliable way of providing electricity to cities and towns is to burn fossil fuels, such as coal, in power plants. Transport also consumes energy produced by refining another fossil fuel — this time, oil. And burning fossil fuels also creates greenhouse-forming gases, such as carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere, which create a blanket that traps heat between it and the earth.

Alternative energy sources that produce little or no greenhouse emissions are now available and, as demand increases, becoming more affordable. As well as switching to alternative sources of energy, some simple lifestyle changes can greatly reduce your energy consumption.

Burning fossil fuels is a major environmental problem, but another aspect to this crisis demands attention. Demand for fossil fuels has been so high that the planet is running out of them. This imminent depletion may force world leaders to look more seriously at alternative, cleaner sources of energy.

As well as controlling how much energy you consume, you can contribute to the health of the planet by being careful about where you get your energy from. I explain why conventional energy sources are unsustainable and provide you with alternatives that are much kinder on our planet. This includes buying ‘green’ power or generating your own power. (See the section ‘Becoming an Alternative Energy Convert’ later in this chapter.)

Holistic Approaches to Heating and Cooling

How do you heat and cool your home? Perhaps you take the edge off the heat in summer by putting on your air-conditioner for a little while. Or maybe you turn on electric heaters in the winter to keep the temperature pleasant in the rooms you use most often.

The appliances you use to heat and cool your home may be costing you more than you realise, though (refer to the section ‘Using Energy-Efficient Appliances’ to find out how much the average Australian household relies on electrical energy to heat and cool the home). In the following sections, I explain how you can avoid reacting to extremes of temperature with extreme energy usage.

Most artificial heaters and coolers use some sort of electrical energy. Here’s a run-down on how they work:

Reverse-cycle air-conditioners: To lower temperatures, these appliances use coolants that produce greenhouse gases, just like a refrigerator does (to find out more about how refrigerators work, see Chapter 2). However, the newer type of air-conditioners, called inverters, manage electricity more effectively to cool a room, which means they’re cheaper to run and produce less greenhouse gas. (Check out Chapter 2 for more information about what to look for when buying an air-conditioner.)

If you already have air-conditioning installed in your home, employ some strategies to minimise how often you use it. For example, try only using the air-conditioner for small amounts of time to lower the temperature in your home, and make sure your home is insulated to maintain the temperature. Needless to say, don’t leave the air-con on when you go out, or when doors or windows are open.

Evaporative coolers: These units don’t use coolants that emit damaging greenhouse gases, but they do use more electricity than smaller electric fans and ceiling fans. Also, evaporative coolers don’t work well in humid climates because they can’t deal with the moisture in the air. Evaporative coolers suit dry climates, like the outback of Australia.

Ceiling fans: Often overlooked in the rush to buy cold air, ceiling fans are the traditional artefacts of a hot climate lifestyle; they keep the air moving and prevent heat from building up. Overhead fans, combined with properly shaded windows, aren’t going to bring the temperature in your home down to 22 degrees Celsius when the temp in the shade outside is 40 degrees Celsius, but they can create a pleasant and relaxing environment.

Electric radiant heaters: Most electric heaters only heat the objects in front of them; they’re not very good at heating the air in a room.

Better alternatives to electric radiant heaters are fan or convection heaters, which circulate the heat throughout the room. Even better are gas heaters.

Fireplaces that use wood: The good news is that you don’t need electricity to stoke the wood in a fireplace (although some fake fireplaces are powered by electricity). The bad news is that wood fires produce high levels of air pollution because they release gases as the wood burns (just like a bushfire does). They’re also an inefficient heating method because much of the heat goes up the chimney (although you can address this by installing a slow-combustion model that redirects the heat from the chimney back into the room).

Insulation is the key

Insulation is a big sustainable, energy-saving deal. A well-insulated home can maintain the inside temperature throughout the day and night. Insulation reduces your need for electrical heating and air-conditioning. If your place is insulated, you only need to use heaters and coolers when temperatures are above or below average for a small amount of time to get the temperature back to a comfortable level.

Even old homes or apartments that weren’t designed to be energy efficient can be greatly improved with insulation by keeping the heat out in summer and keeping the warmth in during winter. And if you’re renting your house or apartment, working with the landlord to install insulation may save you money in the medium term by reducing your electricity bill.

Insulation is one of the key design elements to look for when you’re buying or building an energy-efficient home or improving your existing home. I discuss the types of insulating material available in more detail in the section ‘Insulation’ later in this chapter.

Beating the heat

The Australian summer can be a stinker. Sometimes you may wonder how people once survived 40-degree days without the help of air-conditioners and electric fans. Even average outside summer temperatures can make life quite stuffy inside.

Glass windows can let a lot of heat into your home. In fact, covering your windows to protect your rooms from the summer sun is the most effective way of keeping the heat out. Installing awnings and screens and even planting vegetation in the line between the sun and the window work wonders. Here are some other simple things that you can do to ensure that you keep much of the heat generated outside from getting inside.

Verandas, eaves and awnings: The traditional colonial homestead was surrounded by verandas on all sides. This wasn’t just the mark of an outdoors lifestyle; the shade provided by those verandas and the movement of cool air past the external walls of the house kept these homes much cooler in summer. By contrast, large houses on relatively small suburban blocks with small eaves provide almost no shade, which can turn these houses into ‘ovens’ on hot days.

If you’re building or renovating, ensure that your eaves protect your windows and walls from the summer sun, but allow the low winter sun to stream in through the windows. Alternatively, use awnings or other screens to achieve the same effect.

Shutters: From the icy plains of northern Europe to the deserts of northern Africa, shutters traditionally protect homes from the vagaries of the weather. Strangely, they’re almost absent from Australian suburban home design these days.

Curtains...