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Energy Usage 101
   

Energy Basics

Your home's energy consumption will vary from month to month depending on the outdoor conditions during a particular billing period. Usually, about 40-50% of your total energy bill is used for heating and cooling and is called seasonal consumption. The remainder, or baseload consumption, can be roughly estimated by averaging 3 months when there was little to no heating or cooling (May, June, Sept for example).

Energy audits can help reduce your total seasonal loads by up to 50% through a variety of cost-effective recommendations.

Your comprehensive home energy audit can help you save up to 25% off your yearly energy bills. Our Energy Professionals can help any homeowner find sensible, cost-effective means to improve the energy efficiency of their home.

In houses with forced-air heating and cooling systems, ducts are used to distribute conditioned air throughout the house. In a typical house, however, about 20-55 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks and poorly sealed connections. The result is higher utility bills and difficulty keeping the house comfortable, no matter how the thermostat is set.

Your Home's Problems:

Over-Simplified

Many air leaks and drafts are easy to find because they are easy to feel - like those around windows and doors. But holes hidden in attics, basements, and crawlspaces are usually bigger problems.

Sealing these leaks with caulk, spray foam, or weather stripping will have a great impact on improving your comfort and reducing utility bills. Click on the house diagram to see common air leak locations that you should aim to seal.

Insulation keeps your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. There are several common types of insulation - fiberglass (in both batt and blown forms), cellulose, rigid foam board, and spray foam. Reflective insulation (or radiant barrier) is another insulating product which can help save energy in hot, sunny climates.

When correctly installed with air sealing, each type of insulation can deliver comfort and lower energy bills during the hottest and coldest times of the year.

Save 15-30% Off Energy Bills

Take a look at the graph on the left. By air-sealing their attics, HVAC, crawlspaces, and exposed band joists in the garage and eaves, this home managed to cut it's seasonal heating bill alone by 33%. Air escaping the home has the largest affect on indoor temperatures in the winter time, but there is also some reduction in summer cooling bills.

Identifying the leakest parts of your home's numerous systems can help our Energy Professionals make appropriate suggestions for cost effective insulation retrofits and energy upgrades.

The best part is that even robust insulation upgrades usually pay for themselves in only a few short years. Some homeowners will qualify for up to $500 in tax credits too. That's the equivalent of almost an $1800 deduction to some families!

Behavioral conditioning is the responsibility of the host family, but an understanding of energy usage, control, and system inter-dependancy will keep even the novice DIY'er on the right track.

Every day, EDGE staffmembers get to save our clients money and reduce energy usage across our area.

 

Increase your comfort.

Save your Green. Go Green.

 

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