North Carolina
Cooperative Extension
Family & Consumer
Sciences Program
E-Conservation Program Frequently Asked Questions
Water Heater
Question: How should I choose an energy-efficient water heater?
Answer: There are four things to consider when choosing a new water heater: size, fuel source, efficiency, and cost. The answers to each of these questions will be family and household specific.
DOE’s website contains important information about each of these concerns:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=12810
Before purchasing a new water heater you should check with your utility company to see if they offer any rebates or incentives for purchasing energy-efficient water heaters.
HVAC
Question: Are there steps to make sure you are investing in a reliable service contract for your HVAC?
Answer: A maintenance contract . . . . .
Here are a few simple rules to guide you when investing in an HVAC service contract.
- Ask for referrals. Friends, family, and co-workers are often the best resources.
- Ask for references. Obtain at least three from your HVAC contractor and call them.
- Check out your contractor’s license.
- Check for complaints with the Better Business Bureau.
- Find special offers. At different times during the year heating and cooling companies will offer a special rate with a maintenance agreement.
- Expect a home evaluation. The contractor should spend a significant time inspecting your current system to access your needs. He or she may make suggestions about your current system to make it more energy efficient.
- Pass it on. If you are satisfied with the service share that information with others.
Duct System
Question: How do leaks occur in the duct system?
Answer: Homes are not static systems, and conditions change as your home ages. For example, tape adhesive dries out and caulking erodes. Workers or animals in your crawlspace or attic may disrupt ductwork. Many systems have supply vents in each room, but only one centrally located return vent for the whole home. When we close doors for privacy, air in that particular room can’t reach the return vent—but the supply duct is still bringing in conditioned air. It has to go somewhere, so air gets forced out any space available. Meanwhile, enough air isn’t entering the return duct, so unconditioned air from the attic, basement, garage, or crawl space gets sucked in through weak spots, cracks, or crevices. This situation can be avoided by having supply and return ducts in each room or by adding vents in doors or in the space between the doorframe and ceiling. Also, keep furniture clear of air registers and return air vents. Anything that interferes with air circulation will make the system less efficient.
Question: How does the duct system work?
Answer: Air distribution or duct systems are designed to supply rooms with air that is “conditioned”—that is, heated or cooled by the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment—and to re-circulate or return the same volume of air back to the HVAC equipment. Your duct system has two main air transfer systems, supply and return. The supply side delivers the conditioned air to the home through individual room registers. The return side picks up inside air and delivers it to the air handler of your central system. Here heat and moisture are either removed or added and then delivered to the supply side. All the air drawn into the return duct(s) is conditioned and should be delivered back through the supply registers.
Compact Fluorescent Lamps
Question: Can I really save by switching to compact fluorescent lamps?
Answer: Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are initially more expensive, but they can save you money in the long run. Here’s how: a 26- or 28-watt CFL provides approximately the same amount of light as a 100-watt incandescent bulb. However, it will last about 8,000 hours (compare to an incandescent bulb, which usually lasts about 1,000 hours). Using the CFL saves over 70 watts worth of energy. Less wattage means less energy used, which translates into savings for you.
Ceiling Fans
Question: Can ceiling fans lower a utility bill?
Answer: Ceiling fans can help lower your utility bill if you also increase your thermostat setting. With a ceiling fan running, you can raise the thermostat setting by 2 to 4 degrees during the cooling season with no reduction in comfort. Increasing the room temperature by even two degrees can cut your cooling costs 4 to 6 percent. Ceiling fans give the sensation that a room is cooler than it actually is because they create a breeze. This breeze will help perspiration evaporate from your skin so that you feel cooler.
Question: Should you use ceiling fans in place of air conditioning?
Answer: No. Unlike your air conditioning system, ceiling fans do nothing to lower humidity levels. When we use air conditioning, we are not only cooling the air, we are also removing moisture from it. Ceiling fans are best used in conjunction with air conditioning.
Question: Is it ever appropriate to use ceiling fans alone?
Answer: Using ceiling fans alone is advisable only when the relative humidity is less than 50%.
Question: Should I leave the ceiling fan running at all times?
Answer: No, because they cool people, not rooms. Ceiling fans are less costly than air conditioning, but they still use electricity. Turn the fan on only when someone is in the room.
Insulation
Question: How does insulation work?
Answer: Insulation acts much like a jacket. Just as a jacket serves to keep in your body heat and provide a thermal barrier against the outside, insulation does the same with a home’s building envelope. Heat naturally flows from warmer to cooler temperatures. During the winter months, warm indoor air flows toward cooler unheated spaces (such as a garage or attic). In the summer months, the unheated outdoor air flows toward a home’s cooled interior. Whenever there is a temperature difference, you will find heat flow. Insulation works by decreasing the heat flow and creating a barrier between or resistance to the heat flow.
You can learn more about home insulation and its benefits, types, and amounts at:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11320
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/insulation/
Question: How does someone determine the amount of insulation needed in his or her home?
Answer: There are recommended amounts for your home based on where you live. Different parts of the country have different needs. Below are two excellent resources to help you determine the insulation needs in your home.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11320
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