Which Energy Project should I do next?

Yes? Then I am so happy you are here!

In this post I am going to introduce you to the Energy Pyramid. This will give you insight into the ideal path that should be taken when improving the energy and sustainability of a building. I will touch briefly on each topic to familiarize you with them and then dive into the first major topic, Conservation. I will leave subsequent posts to dive into the others.

I want to begin by saying that this post is a rule of thumb, not law. Of course if there are urgent things that arise like your boiler failing during mid-winter than of course replace your boiler before adding insulation to your home. That also goes to say, if you have already put solar panels on your home, but could use better insulating windows, it’s okay. There is still benefit to saving energy. If you already have solar panels but continue to make energy improvements on your home, you will then be able to store more energy if you have a battery backup, or receive an payback from the utility company.

With that said, let’s begin:

THE Energy Pyramid

In general, this is what you want to follow when improving your home, moving from the bottom to the top of the pyramid.

Conservation – First, remove excess and conserve what you already have.
Efficiency – Second, improve the efficiency of the energy consuming equipment in your home.
Demand – Third, optimize when you are using energy compared against your utility rate.
Renewable Energy – Finally, obtain your energy from a renewable source.

Conservation - “Learn to live with less so that you appreciate more.” - James Ryan

By removing excess I mean TURN OFF THE DAMN LIGHTS! If you are leaving an empty room, turn off the lights, that’s energy you don’t need to be using.

Conserve energy by sealing and insulating your walls, windows and doors. That is where you will see the largest loss of heat.

Efficiency - "Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow." - William Pollard

Is your equipment past it’s EUL? EUL is Effective Useful Life. Manufacturers will give an approximation for how long an appliance is expected to last. Typically, after this time efficiency is greatly reduced due to old age.

If you can afford to replace your appliances, updating to a new and efficient model can greatly reduce your energy load due to improved technology from anything to your stove to your HVAC unit.

Demand - "I am like any other man. All I do is supply a demand." - Al Capone

This is where energy usage can get a little complicated for the average homeowner, but with me it’s nothing you can’t handle!

Your utility provider has a rate for your energy use. More and more companies are moving to a Time of Use (TOU) structure. This means that energy costs different amounts during different times.

Generally speaking, there are two peaks, midday and after work. Midday because it is the hottest time of the day and requires the most cooling. After 5pm, because that is when everyone gets home from work and turns everything on.

By knowing when your energy costs the most you can begin to be more strategic about how you use the energy in your home.

For example, don’t turn on your dishwasher, washing machine, stove, and shower all at once…if you can avoid it.

Renewable Energy - "You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains." - Steve Jobs

Finally, renewable energy! The reason why everything else comes before sizing new solar panels for your home is because it will reduce your energy consumption and demand, ultimately making the size of your solar system smaller and save you money.

Don’t have the money to invest in a renewable energy generation system of your own? You can still get your energy from a renewable source! More and more communities are coming together to provide cleaner energy sources, called Community Choice Aggregations or CCA. As of writing this post, January 2022, there are only 10 states that have a CCA but there are resources available if you want to help make this happen in your state!

Conservation

Remove the Excess

Within the bottom and very first level of the pyramid, Conservation, I like to think of this as really two steps: remove excess and conserve what you need.

I think it’s worth repeating, TURN OFF THE DAMN LIGHTS! This is the first thing for a reason because it is the easiest and actually has a significant impact on your bill. Your lighting energy use can be anywhere from 10 to 20% of your total bill. There are a lot of tips on how to save energy online already so I won’t go into too many but I’ll mention a few creative ones to get your brain juices flowing:

Wash your clothes in cold water. If you work from home like me, a majority of your day to day clothes probably aren’t that dirty. WIth exception of those sweatpants you’ve been wearing for two weeks…
Turn off the oven a few minutes before your food is done, the heat in the oven will continue to cook your food, and don’t peak! The more you open the oven, the more heat you lose.
Turn off heated dry on your dishwasher, air dry instead.

Conserve the Necessity

Conserve the energy you have already used. Heat flows in three main ways: convection, conduction, and radiation. To converse energy you generally want to reduce all three types of heat flow.

Convection - is the flow of heat through a fluid like water or air.

A lot of heat can be lost through leaky doors and windows. Closing up your fireplace in the summer and adding weather stripping around doors and windows can greatly reduce drafts.

Another important aspect of airflow is building pressure. A building can have negative or positive air pressure. Have you ever been in a large building opening a door and it feels like it’s being sucked closed or a wind gust pushing it open? That building has negative pressure, sucking the door in, or positive pressure, blowing the door out. If your attic fans are oversized, it’s possible they are creating a negative pressure inside your home blowing too much air out. For a residential home, the goal is to have balanced, neutral, air pressure. Since a house has lots of natural ventilation (windows and doors) the pressure may fluctuate, this is normal.

A certified Energy Engineer in your area can perform a blow test on your home to find the most impactful areas to seal up for you, or determine whether air balancing is needed for your central air system.

Conduction - is the flow of heat through a solid.

The second type of heat transfer is solved through insulation. Whether in the winter you are trying to keep the heat in or in the summer you are trying to keep the heat out, insulating your walls, attic, and ground floor will all help save the energy you just used to bring your space to a comfortable temperature. In addition, adding insulation to ductwork or piping helps reduce heat loss before the fluid gets to you.

The type of insulation is all dependent on your home, budget, climate, and existing conditions, so talk with a local contractor to get more information on what you need here as well.

Radiation - is the flow of heat through electromagnetic waves.

Lastly, radiation from the sun.

Sunlight can be very beneficial to not only making you feel awake and happy but can also be used to heat your home by letting it in through the windows during chilly days. Alternatively, getting curtains, shades, or overhangs can make a big difference in the summer to help with cooling.

However, the sun isn’t just coming in through your windows. If you have ever felt the difference in being in a black shirt in the summer heat versus a white shirt, you know exactly where I’m headed. Color and material affect how much heat is absorbed through radiation. The same goes for buildings. A black building will absorb more heat than a white one.

To keep your house cooler, it could be as simple as opting for a lighter paint color.

For some, an option could be a Cool Roof. A Cool Roof installation is not recommended for buildings that have shingles, it is often a spray on, paint like, material made to keep up with the weathering for a roof. It will reflect the most light and make a dent in your summer cooling bill.

Summary

All in all, a building experiences all three types of heat loss and everything can’t be avoided but the most heat loss that is reduced, the more efficient your home or building will be.

I hope this helped give you some insight into how to prioritize your next energy projects.

Do you have any specific questions? Leave a comment below or send me an email.

Are you considering upgrading your boiler to an all electric heat pump? This blog may help.

If you were just looking to add insulation to your attic, have you considered adding insulation to your exterior walls as well?

Let me know below!

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