Use by Up to 30 Percent
NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 6 // -- New Jersey residents can go on a diet this year without counting calories and logging crunches. In fact, instead of spending money on getting in shape, New Jersey residents can save money by putting their home on an energy diet.
Fortunately, reducing the extra energy a home eats up is often easier than eating less and exercising more. With Home Performance with ENERGY STAR(R), sponsored by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) and New Jersey's Clean Energy Program(SM), homes of any size, style or price range can be improved to use up to 30 percent less energy, saving money and reducing environmental impact.
The benefits are extensive. Reducing energy use saves money on monthly bills. Many of the steps involved in making a home energy efficient also make the home more comfortable by eliminating drafts and maintaining a consistent temperature throughout the house. Plus, energy efficient home improvements can also reduce moisture and improve indoor air quality, which is important for a family's health and safety.
Environmentally, an energy diet helps drop pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. Nationally, 25 percent of the U.S. energy bill comes from household use. When homes use more energy than necessary, more carbon dioxide is released to produce that power. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), carbon dioxide is the primary contributor to global warming.
A home assessment charts the course
"So many people want to save energy, but just don't know how to get started," says Jeanne Fox, president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. "A home energy assessment is a valuable tool, because you can have a trained and accredited professional show you exactly where your home is wasting energy and how it can be improved."
Contractors participating in Home Performance with ENERGY STAR are accredited by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) and use state-of-the- art equipment to help pinpoint the source of excess moisture, heat loss and air infiltration. They will produce a detailed report showing recommended improvements and potential energy savings. The report shows an assessment of the insulation, windows, doors, heating and air systems and ductwork. Financial incentives, including low-interest financing is also available to get the work done.
Make sure the home is properly insulated
Whether the home is old or new, inadequate or improperly installed insulation can lead to high energy costs, uncomfortable rooms, and structural problems. Insulation is measured by R-value, which is its resistance to heat flow. The greater the R-value, the greater its effectiveness in slowing heat loss and maximizing energy efficiency and comfort, keeping you warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.
Check all windows and doors
Windows and doors can lose as much as 15 percent of the total heating energy in a typical home. When buying new windows, consider U-value and Low-E coatings. U-value is the measure of the window's ability to insulate. Lower U- value means less heat flows through the windows. Low-E (low emissivity) window coatings are thin and transparent, permitting visible light to pass through while effectively reflecting radiation and keeping your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
Check heating and cooling systems for safety and efficiency
The tell-tale signs of an improperly functioning heating and cooling system include varying temperatures from room to room, the house feels too hot or too cold, or the air is stuffy or clammy. In addition, it's important to have fuel-burning equipment like fireplaces, water heaters, dryers, and furnaces checked for proper venting to avoid harmful gases, including carbon monoxide, from entering your home.
Stop the leaks in the duct system
Leaking ducts can decrease the overall efficiency of your heating and cooling system by as much as 20 percent. Properly sealing the leaks in your duct system can boost efficiency and lower your energy bills. BPI Accredited contractors have special duct testing equipment to measure and pinpoint where air is escaping. They can seal up the air leaks and test again to ensure that your home has just the right amount of air flow to keep you comfortable and safe.
Additionally, there are many steps that can get the energy diet off to a good start, even without making significant home improvements:
- Close the chimney flue damper when you're not using your fireplace. This will keep warm air from escaping through your chimney. An open damper can let out up to 8 percent of your heat.
- Keep it clean. Replace furnace filters at least once a month and make sure to have oil-fired furnaces and boilers professionally cleaned and checked out once a year by a BPI accredited contractor participating in Home Performance with ENERGY STAR. Gas heating equipment should be checked every other year. Maintain your air conditioning equipment by replacing air filters monthly and having it checked for proper refrigerant charge once a year. Also keep registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators clean, and unobstructed by furniture, drapes and carpets. This will make things run smoother and better.
- Dusting makes a difference. Make sure there is some breathing room around your refrigerator so that heat can escape easily. Give the coils in the front and back a dusting to keep them running efficiently.
- Choose ENERGY STAR qualified products. Only those products meeting the high efficiency standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) can earn the ENERGY STAR label. Look for the ENERGY STAR label on heating and cooling equipment, clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, room air conditioners, dehumidifiers, TVs, VCRs, light fixtures and bulbs, computers, windows, and programmable thermostats. They use up to 50 percent less energy without sacrificing the features, quality and convenience you want.
- Use ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light fixtures and bulbs. ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures and bulbs last up to 10 times longer than standard models and operate on two-thirds less energy. In addition, lighting products that have earned the ENERGY STAR generate about 70 percent less heat than standard incandescent lighting, which means they're cool to the touch and can help reduce energy costs associated with cooling the home.
By replacing your home's five most frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them with models that have earned the ENERGY STAR, a household can save more than $60 a year in energy costs. The home's five most frequently used lights typically include kitchen ceiling dome light, living room table lamp, living room floor lamp, bathroom vanity light and outdoor porch or post lamp.
- Install a programmable thermostat. To conveniently adjust the temperature of your home at certain times of the day, replace your thermostat with a programmable thermostat. When used properly, an ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostat can consistently control your home's temperature and save you about $100 every year in energy costs.
A list of BPI Accredited contractors and more information about Home Performance with ENERGY STAR is available at http://www.njcleanenergy.com/homeperformance/index.html or by calling 1-800-418-9560. Home Performance with ENERGY STAR is funded by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and New Jersey's Clean Energy Program(SM).
About the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU)
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is a state agency and regulatory authority mandated to ensure safe, adequate, and proper utility services at reasonable rates for New Jersey customers. Critical services regulated by the NJBPU include natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, telecommunications and cable television. The Board has general oversight responsibility for monitoring utility service, responding to consumer complaints, and investigating utility accidents. To find out more about the NJBPU, visit our web site at http://www.bpu.state.nj.us
About the New Jersey Clean Energy Program
New Jersey's Clean Energy Program, established on January 22, 2003, in accordance with the Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act (EDECA), provides financial and other incentives to the State's residential customers, businesses and schools that install high-efficiency or renewable energy technologies, thereby reducing energy usage, lowering customers' energy bills and reducing environmental impacts. The program is authorized and overseen by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), and its website is http://www.njcleanenergy.com.
About the Building Performance Institute (BPI)
The Building Performance Institute (BPI) is an organization dedicated to promoting excellence in the building trades. BPI is the national resource for building science-based certification and accreditation. For more information, visit http://www.bpi.org.
