Energy Efficient Homes for Dummies

✍ Scribed by DeGunther, Rik

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 386
• Series: For Dummies (Home & Garden)
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Hands-on, practical solutions to save money by making smart energy changes

One of the best and most affordable strategies people can employ to combat global warming is to improve the energy and water efficiency of their homes. Energy Efficient Homes For Dummies provides homeowners with advice, tips, and projects to reduce costs, increase energy efficiency, and cut down on waste and pollution. After performing a do-it-yourself home energy audit, readers create an action plan based on their personal goals. Readers are presented with a wide range of potential solutions, from making better use of blinds and awnings to exploring geothermal options in order to reduce household costs and their impact on the planet.

Rik DeGunther (Rescue, CA) is the founder of Efficient Homes, an energy consulting firm that focuses on home energy audits and the design of efficient heating and cooling systems.

✦ Table of Contents

Energy Efficient Homes For Dummies®......Page 5
Table of Contents......Page 15
Introduction......Page 25
Part I Solving the World’s Problems from Your Front Porch......Page 31
Examining the Four Main Spokes of the Efficiency Wheel......Page 33
Opening Your Eyes to Inefficiency......Page 37
Becoming More Efficient......Page 39
Chapter 2 Energy Sources and Sinks......Page 41
Energizing North America......Page 42
Looking at Energy Costs: Raw and Otherwise......Page 45
Using It Up: Where Energy Goes......Page 47
Turning Your Eye to Improved Energy Efficiency......Page 49
Getting a Handle on Your Energy Usage......Page 53
Paying Up: The Various Rate Structures......Page 57
Figuring Out What You Spend......Page 59
Keeping Up With the Joneses: A Real-Life Scenario......Page 63
Calculating Your Own Carbon Footprint......Page 67
Auditing Your Home to Find Areas for Improvement......Page 69
Understanding the Different Types of Assistance......Page 75
Researching Your Subsidy Options......Page 79
Financing through Loans......Page 80
Leasing Energy-Efficient Equipment......Page 83
Working with Banks: Their Way or the Highway......Page 84
Setting Efficiency Investment Goals......Page 85
Analyzing Investments......Page 86
Looking at Real-World Investment Scenarios......Page 92
Part II Reducing Inefficiencies throughout Your Home......Page 97
Getting Started with General Guidelines......Page 99
Avoiding Some of the Worst Offenders......Page 100
Burning Up with Combustion Products......Page 107
Natural Hazards......Page 108
Final Decluttering Tips......Page 111
Finding Leaks......Page 113
Fixing the Leaks You Find......Page 118
Inspecting and Repairing HVAC Ducts......Page 122
Insulating Your Home ( Not Insulting It)......Page 123
Working with Windows......Page 128
Chapter 8 Getting the Most Out of Your Heating and Air-Conditioning System......Page 131
Understanding Human Comfort......Page 132
Solving Some of the Most Common Inefficiency Problems......Page 137
When Your HVAC’s on the Blink......Page 139
Buying a New System or Supplementing the One You Have......Page 142
Hiring an HVAC Contractor......Page 143
Chapter 9 Lighting Your Home More Efficiently......Page 147
Picking the Right Light: Your Options......Page 148
Going for Efficiency without Sacrificing Aesthetics......Page 153
Calculating How Much You Can Save......Page 155
Using Clever Switches to Reduce Your Bill......Page 157
Chapter 10 Watering Down Your Water Consumption......Page 161
Drinking to Your Health......Page 162
Directing the Flow of Traffic with Faucets......Page 169
Savings in Showers and Baths......Page 171
Wasting Water in the Toilet......Page 173
Watering Your Landscaping......Page 176
Looking at Typical Appliance Consumption Numbers......Page 179
Analyzing Appliance Consumption in Your Home......Page 181
Keeping Water Heaters in Check......Page 182
Making the Most of Pools and Spas......Page 186
Washing and Drying without the Crying......Page 190
Keeping Your Cool with Refrigerators......Page 193
Lessening the Load on Your Dishwasher......Page 194
Eating Up Power with Stoves and Microwaves......Page 196
Enjoying the Fine Life with TVs and Computers......Page 197
Buying New Appliances......Page 198
Lighting Your Home with Sunshine......Page 201
Heating Your Home with Sunlight — or Not......Page 206
Garnering Sunlight with Greenhouses and Sunrooms......Page 214
Taking Advantage of Natural Air Movement......Page 217
Getting the Air Moving with Fans......Page 223
I Need to Vent! Moving Air in Your Attic......Page 229
Strategizing Your Ventilation Plan......Page 231
Improving the Quality of Your Home’s Air......Page 234
Keeping a Record of What You Throw Away......Page 237
Using Less of Everything......Page 238
Reusing Saves More Energy than Recycling......Page 241
Recycling the Right Way Saves Everybody Energy......Page 245
Part III Putting Alternative Energy Sources to Work for You......Page 247
Open Fireplaces: The Granddaddy of Them All......Page 249
Surveying General Categories of Stoves......Page 251
Using a Wood-Burning Stove......Page 254
Heating with a Gas Stove......Page 260
Looking at Electric Fireplaces......Page 261
Deciding Which Stove Is Right for You......Page 262
Abiding by Safety Guidelines......Page 265
Supplementing Your Domestic Hot Water Heater with Solar Energy......Page 267
Solar PV Systems: King of the Energy-Efficiency Hill......Page 273
Powering Pumps and Motors Directly......Page 279
Using Wind and Water for Solar Power......Page 280
Heating Your Swimming Pool with a Solar System......Page 283
Radiating Heat with Radiant Heat Systems......Page 287
Old-Style Radiators......Page 288
Radiant Heat Floor Systems......Page 289
Heating Up the Joint with Masonry Heaters......Page 291
Using Biomass for Fuel......Page 295
Getting the Lowdown on Biomass Stoves......Page 297
Burning Up with Pellet Stoves......Page 298
Burning, Not Popping, Corn......Page 300
Other Biomass Uses You Probably Aren’t Interested In ( For Good Reason)......Page 301
The ( Very) Basics of Geothermal Heating and Cooling......Page 303
Deciding Whether an Air-Source Heat Pump Is Right for You......Page 307
Deciding Whether a Ground-Source Heat Pump Is Right for You......Page 308
Part IV Considering Efficiency When You Buy, Build, or Sell a Home......Page 313
Checking Out the Characteristics of Green Communities......Page 315
Roughing It by Going Off-Grid......Page 321
Picking a Spot for Your New Home......Page 325
Designing Your Home......Page 329
Choosing Your Materials......Page 332
Pounding Nails: What to Know When Construction Begins......Page 336
Chapter 22 Buying and Selling an Energy-Efficient Home......Page 337
Buying an Existing Efficient Home......Page 338
Buying an Existing Home to Upgrade......Page 343
Selling Your Efficient Home for Big Bucks......Page 345
Part V The Part of Tens......Page 347
Installing a Programmable Thermostat......Page 349
Sealing the Ducts in Your HVAC System......Page 350
Installing a Flow Constrictor Shower Head......Page 351
Plugging In Fluorescents......Page 352
Changing HVAC Filters on a Routine Basis......Page 353
Tuning Up Your HVAC System Regularly......Page 354
Close Doors and Dampers......Page 355
Use Warm or Cold Water instead of Hot......Page 356
Do All Your Laundry at Once......Page 357
Plant a Tree Where It Counts......Page 358
PV Systems......Page 359
Solar Water Heaters......Page 360
Window Blinds......Page 361
Sunrooms......Page 362
Solar Attic Vent Fans......Page 363
Landscaping......Page 364
Index......Page 365