Energy Articles for Home Improvement and Repair

technologies use more energy (and therefore, money) than any other system in your home or small business. In fact, 44% of your typical home energy bill goes for heating and cooling. What's more, heating and cooling systems in the United States add to global warming by pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and they generate sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, the chief ingredients in acid rain.

You can help cut your energy bills and help the environment by using more energy-efficient heating and cooling products, or by using products that are fueled by clean, renewable energy sources, such as geothermal heat pumps and solar water heaters. In addition, you can use solar energy to provide natural lighting through special building designs.

• Turn Off Computers to Save Money
  Guidelines for when to turn the Computer and monitor off.
  
  
• Turn Off Lights to Save Money
  The energy and cost effectiveness of when to turn lights off depends on the type of light(s) and the price of electricity.
  
  
• Exterior Door Replacement
  Modern exterior doors often fit and insulate better than old ones. Considerations for replacing exterior doors.
  
  
• Storm Doors
  Adding a storm door that costs about $200 or less is generally a good investment if your existing door is old, but still in good condition
  
  
• Weather Stripping
  Replacement weatherstripping is often available at most building supply and hardware stores. There are a wide variety of materials to choose from including: foam rubber, EPDM rubber, felt, bent metal, and plastic.
  
  
• Plastic Storm Doors
  Storm doors are intended to be permanent additions to a home. Tips on how to make a temporary storm door.
  
  
• Skylights for Your Home
  Skylights and roof windows can provide interior building spaces with the warmth and brightness of natural daylight. Their ability to enhance almost any interior has made them increasingly popular. However, installing a trouble-free, energy-efficient skylight can be very difficult. In order to gain the maximum benefit from a skylight, it is important to understand designs, materials, positioning, and proper installation.
  
  
• Comparing Heating Fuels
  Selecting the fuel and heating system depends on many factors. These include: the cost and availability of the fuel or energy source; the type of appliance used to convert that fuel to heat and how the heat is distributed in your house; the cost to purchase, install, and maintain the heating appliance; the heating appliance's and heat delivery system's efficiency; and the environmental impacts associated with the heating fuel.
  
  
• Reading Gas & Electric Meters
  The standard electric power meter is a clock-like device driven by the electricity moving through it. As the home draws current from the power lines, a set of small gears inside the meter move. A gas meter is driven by the force of the moving gas in the pipe, and also turns faster as the flow increases.
  
  
• Heat Pumps
  nearly one-third of all homes built today in the United States have at least one heat pump. The convenience of a single appliance that delivers both heating and cooling is appealing especially to those building new homes or replacing older Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.
  
  
• Retrofitting to Solar Heat
  Adding (retrofitting) a solar space heating system to your home is one way to combat increasing energy costs and to raise your home's market value. Information on issues, options, and factors to consider when investigating any solar retrofit.
  
  
• Weather Stripping & Caulking
• Power-Saving Devices for Appliances
  Electronic devices for reducing the energy consumption of electric motors have entered the market place. These devices basically regulate the power delivered to an appliance's motor by continuously adjusting the 60 cycle sine wave from the utility to match changes in the load on the motor.
  
  
• Energy Efficient Standards
  Appliances covered by Energy Efficient Standards include refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, freezers, room air conditioners, fluorescent lamp ballasts, incandescent reflector lamps, clothes dryers, clothes washers, dishwashers, kitchen ranges and ovens, pool heaters, television sets (withdrawn in 1995), and water heaters.
  
  
• Home Automation Systems
  Lighting, heating, cooling, ventilation, appliances, entertainment, and security can all be operated automatically. The homeowner programs, controls, or monitors the house by a computer or even by telephone.