October Tip of the Month:

Save money & energy with a white roof

Why a white roof?

(from: http://www.epa.gov/hiri/strategies/coolroofs.html)

Dark-colored, low-reflectant surfaces reach temperatures of 150 to 190°F and contribute to:

• Increased cooling energy use and higher utility bills;
• Higher peak electricity demand, raised electricity production costs, and a potentially overburdened power grid;
• Reduced indoor comfort;
• Increased air pollution due to the intensification of the "heat island effect"; and
• Accelerated deterioration of roofing materials, increased roof maintenance costs, and high levels of roofing waste sent to landfills.

In contrast, white roofs (also know as cool roofs) stay up to 70°F cooler than traditional materials during peak summer weather. Benefits of cool roofs include reduced building heat-gain and saving on summertime air conditioning expenditures. By minimizing energy use, cool roofs do more than save money – they reduce the demand for electric power and resulting air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Potential Savings

Monitoring of over 10 buildings in California and Florida demonstrates that cool roofs save residents and building owners 20-70% in annual cooling energy use. These products reduce heat transfer to the indoors, lowering air conditioning costs.

An estimate of cool roof energy savings can be determined by considering the following factors:

• Air conditioning: cool roofs can reduce summertime energy use in air conditioned buildings. In buildings without air conditioning, cool roofs can improve comfort by reducing top-floor temperatures.
• Roof insulation: cool roofs save more energy when installed on buildings with low roof insulation.
• Attic radiant barrier: these structures reduce the energy saving potential of cool roofs.
• Attic ventilation: buildings with low attic ventilation see a greater benefit from a reflective roof.
• Local climate: cooling energy savings are typically greatest in areas with long, sunny, hot summers.

Benefits of a White Roof Study from Berkeley Lab

Energy Conservation

(from www.eere.energy.gov/consumers/tips)

Click here to download Energy Saver$: Tips on Saving Energy & Money at Home from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Did you know that a large portion of the energy spent in a home is wasted? And electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars. And as for the road, transportation accounts for 66% of all U.S. oil consumption.

The good news is that there is a lot you can do to save energy and money at home and in your car. Start making small changes today. The key to achieving these savings in your home is a whole-house energy efficiency plan. To take a whole-house approach, view your home as an energy system with interdependent parts.

For example, your heating system is not just a furnace—it’s a heat-delivery system that starts at the furnace and delivers heat throughout your home using a network of ducts. Even a top-of-the-line, energy-efficient furnace will burn a lot of fuel if the ducts, walls, attic, windows, and doors are not insulated and leak.

Taking a whole-house approach to saving energy ensures that dollars you invest to save energy are spent wisely. Energy-efficient improvements not only make your home more comfortable, they can yield long-term financial rewards. Reduced utility bills more than make up for the higher price of energy-efficient appliances and improvements over their lifetimes. In addition, your home could bring in a higher price when you sell.

Easy ways to save energy

• Set your thermostat comfortably low in the winter and comfortably high in the summer. Install a programmable thermostat that is compatible with your heating and cooling system.
• Use compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.
• Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle.
• Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.
• Plug home electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips; turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use (TVs and DVDs in standby mode still use several watts of power).
• Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120°F.
• Take short showers instead of baths.
• Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
• Drive sensibly. Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and
  braking) wastes gasoline.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR® label on home appliances and products. ENERGY STAR products meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Which appliances use the most energy?

Check out our Appliance Energy Cost Chart (PDF).

Properly CFL disposal in New Smyrna Beach

Please use one of these two options to dispose of CFLs:

1. The Tomoka Landfill on Tomoka Farms Road and the DeLand transfer station both take CFLs from residents for disposal at no charge.
2. The Home Depot on SR 44, as part of a company-wide program, will take your old bulbs, as a courtesy for customers. Bring your expired, unbroken bulbs to the kiosk near the service desk, put them in the provided plastic bag, and place in the recepticle. There is also a kiosk next to the CFL recepticle that accepts cell phones and rechargeable battery for recycling.

Spot and Repair Leaky Ductwork

Leaky ductwork in your A/C system can cause your energy costs to skyrocket. Find out how to spot leaky ducts and what to do to repair them from the Department of Energy-click here!

SEER Ratings and What They Mean (http://www.smarterwayinc.com/seer.asp)

SEER rating is the method used to describe the efficiency of a particular equipment system. SEER stands for "Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio."

The systems purchased today typically range from 10.00 SEER to 18.00 SEER. If you have a home and the current system is 10-15 years old, you may have a system that ranges from 6.0 SEER to 10.00 SEER. Of course at the time it was installed, 10.00 SEER was considered "High Efficiency." Today, with all the focus on conservation and energy savings, that "High Efficiency 10.00 SEER" from 10-15 years ago is growing obsolete.

In the chart above, the left column indicates operating costs and the gradually decreasing scale shows how with a higher SEER rating (numbers along bottom of chart) the operating costs are reduced. In essence, if you would have spent $100 to operate an 8.00 SEER system, by installing a 14.00 SEER system, your operating costs would drop to $57 as opposed to the $100 spent operating the lower efficiency system. These are estimates only, and designed to show that with the higher the SEER rating, the lower the operating costs.

If you have a 6.0 SEER, and you installed a new 12.00 SEER or 13.00 SEER system, you would cut your power consumption in half (in regard to your A/C system). Considering that in many cases the central air system represents the largest draw on power in your home, any improvement is a wise decision.

The systems today are very advanced as you move up in the efficiency range. They cost a bit more at initial purchase, but when you calculate the energy savings -vs- dollars spent they pay for themselves fairly quickly.

Here's an example:

Current system is 6.0 SEER and power bill runs $150.00 per month.

A 10.00 SEER system is $1500 and your power bill may be $125 per month.

Upgrade to a 14.00 SEER system for an additional $800 and your power bill drops to $90 per month.

The price between the 10.00 SEER and the 14.00 SEER is $800. The monthly savings equate to $35 per month (14.00 SEER -vs- 10.00 SEER). Take the $800 difference and divide that by the $35 savings and you would pay off the improved system through energy savings in 22.86 months.

The benefits are:

• improved power bill
• increased value of home
• your system won't be obsolete in 2 years

Bear in mind, the ratio of savings varies from household to household as people live differently in each case. The example given above is strictly as an example and there is no guarantee that you will see that exact example in your home.

Links

Load Management

Home Energy Audit

US Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

The Alliance To Save Energy

Federal Income Tax Incentives

Florida Solar Energy Center

The Energy Hog