Making a home Energy-Star compliant (or close to it)

[Gregory P]

Originally Posted by talktime

I'm looking for links/information on making my home a bit more efficient. I live in Berewick/KB Homes, so any data specific to this area would be appreciated.

There are some big things you can do but
all the little things have a huge impact.
Some of these you've probably already
heard but I'll bang out a quick list here.

- Unplug or shut down all the chargers
throughout the house. Don't leave them
plugged in once the charge is complete.

-Shut the entire powerstrip down at night
where the tv is setup. Everything there
eats up power in standby.

-Shut down the computer setup (printers, etc.)
when not in use...at least at night.

-ALL light bulbs. I see people making the switch
to compact florescent but usually only 1/2 the
bulbs. Change them all.

-Change to high efficiency shower headers
and faucet aerators.

-Seal those drafts with caulking from the outside,
weatherstripping from the inside. If you have
removable threshold with the adjustment screws,
check that for a tight fit.

-Insulate the attic access stairs. Builders might
throw a little insulation there but you can
do better. And weatherstrip the door itself. It sucks
up warm air in the winter.

-You can install auto-on/off light switches so you
can be lazy about flipping the switch yourself.

If I think of more I'll post here but take the little
things seriously. They really WILL make a difference
for you.

Greg

[CouponJack]

Originally Posted by Gregory P

There are some big things you can do but
all the little things have a huge impact.
Some of these you've probably already
heard but I'll bang out a quick list here.

- Unplug or shut down all the chargers
throughout the house. Don't leave them
plugged in once the charge is complete.

-Shut the entire powerstrip down at night
where the tv is setup. Everything there
eats up power in standby.

-Shut down the computer setup (printers, etc.)
when not in use...at least at night.

-ALL light bulbs. I see people making the switch
to compact florescent but usually only 1/2 the
bulbs. Change them all.

-Change to high efficiency shower headers
and faucet aerators.

-Seal those drafts with caulking from the outside,
weatherstripping from the inside. If you have
removable threshold with the adjustment screws,
check that for a tight fit.

-Insulate the attic access stairs. Builders might
throw a little insulation there but you can
do better. And weatherstrip the door itself. It sucks
up warm air in the winter.

-You can install auto-on/off light switches so you
can be lazy about flipping the switch yourself.

If I think of more I'll post here but take the little
things seriously. They really WILL make a difference
for you.

Greg

Greg, great post. I agree w/you on almost all of those..

Can I get your opinion on something? I have two areas which can be insulated better I believe. My crawl space I'm thinking of insulating the side walls. I also need to sheetrock my walls in the garage. IYO, which would you tackle first?

[talktime]

I've been working on limiting the number of items in the house in "power saving" mode. A couple years back I woke up at night took a walk through the house. I was amazed at how many little lights were on all over the place.

I hadn't thought about the attic "door" (no stairs), which is a slice of drywall the builder put up. I believe I will make it a full door with insulation and weatherstripping.

I've still not had a chance to walk the house with incense to track the drafts. Once I get over this cold I'll need to focus on that.