Home Energy articles from November 2003

Home Energy archives from November 2003

Powering furnaces.(Editorial)
November 1, 2003... Home Energy readers are particularly fortunate this month, because Scott Pigg's article on furnace electricity consumption clearly documents an important issue. While efficiency advocates have worked to understand from published data how...

SEER ratings?(Letters)(seasonal energy efficiency ratio)
November 1, 2003... This is a question about the SEER rating of a home central A/C unit that was recently installed. The contract specified--and we paid $400 for the option--a Carrier Unit identified as model number 38TRA030 with a SEER rating of 13. This was...

Burn, baby, burn.(Letters)(BTUs produced from a single candle burning)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Could you please tell me how many Btu are produced from burning one candle in a room? The reason I ask this question is my husband complains when I burn a scented candle in the summer time. He says it will produce too many Btu, making the room...

Erratum.(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2003... In an article in the May/June '03 issue,"Laying the Foundation" the graph on p. 37 shows the market share of CFLs in California and in the United States. The labels on the graph lines should be reversed.

Where the heck are hand-held energy tools?(Software)(handheld software applications for HVAC industry)
November 1, 2003... Q. I run a small HVAC contracting firm. In addition to HVAC work, we also do a little general contracting. Our office uses a variety of software tools, ranging from Excel spreadsheets to Project Kalc, for estimating heating system efficiencies....

Reducing air handler electricity use: more than just a better motor.(Appliances)(residential heating/cooling systems)
November 1, 2003... These days, manufacturers are able to produce relatively efficient appliances for people's homes. It is not uncommon to see A/C units with SEER 14, or furnaces with annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) greater than 90%. Unfortunately,...

The tankless alternative.(Appliances)(research on tankless hot water heaters)
November 1, 2003... Tankless water heaters and a novel piping design are a winning combination when it comes to water-heating energy efficiency. Researchers at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center, continuing technical efforts sponsored...

Show me the money.(Market Transformation)(Energy Star ratings add to home value)
November 1, 2003... In a subdivision of Gainesville, Florida, homes that meet Energy Star standards are reselling for more than the identical models without the Energy Star upgrades. Buyers of the now five-year-old 1,550 [ft.sup.2] Carmichael home models (see...

Energy Star found in factories.(Market Transformation)(manufactured home industry using extensive testing)
November 1, 2003... Energy Star has made its way from the kitchens, dens, laundry rooms, and light fixtures of the United States to the whole house. Now the Energy Star reach has extended to the factories where manufactured homes are created. The Florida...

An open-and-shut case.(New Construction)(MemBrain vapor retarder product)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... A new "smart" vapor retarder product can make a big difference in preventing mold in buildings with tight building envelopes. MemBrain, produced by CertainTeed Corporation, has molecular-scale pores that open and close according to the relative...

Dryer venting: when was the last time you checked a dryer's vent hose?(Appliances)
November 1, 2003... In 1998, a letter to Ann Landers about clothes dryer fires triggered many testimonials urging readers to check their dryer venting. Each year about 15,000 fires start in dryers and cause 10 to 20 deaths in the United States. Reduced air...

They guard the nation's coasts--efficiently: these sailors never had it so good--housing in Hawaii, plenty of hot water, and low utility bills.(Solar Hot Water)
November 1, 2003... As if miles and miles of sandy beaches weren't enough of a draw; high energy costs, a uniform solar resource, and an active solar industry combine to make Hawaii a great location for cost-effective applications of solar water heating. Ambient...

Garbage bags and laundry baskets: homemade air flow diagnostic tools get professionally tested.(Diagnostics)(HVAC contractors' testing tools)
November 1, 2003... Garbage bags can be pretty handy components of an HVAC contractor's tool kit, recent research at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has confirmed (see "Air Flow Measurements in the Bag, "HE Sept/Oct '02 p. 8). Toting around a laundry...

The electric side of gas furnaces: the motors that drive the fans in air handlers use more power than you might think.(Appliances)
November 1, 2003... In much of the United States, space heating is by far the largest energy user in the home, and the venerable forced-air furnace is the most popular means to meet this need. Furnaces are present in nearly 50 million homes around the country....

The value of energy efficiency: a close look at nailing down the added value of efficiency leads to some concrete suggestions.(Market Transformation)
November 1, 2003... If you sell an energy-efficient home, is it worth more than its conventional counterpart? And if it is, how much more? If you upgrade the energy efficiency of a house, will that increase its resale value? lf it does increase in value, by how...

Keeping your basement dry: reducing the volume of dehumidified air makes reducing basement mold less costly.(New Products)(Air Current Technologies' ACT2003 Drying System)
November 1, 2003... How many times have you gone into a basement and noticed a mustry odor or dampness? Chances are pretty high that this happens often. We might accept that this is the way basements smell, and assume there is nothing we can do about it. However,...

Some research begins at home.(Field Notes)(Integrated Building and Construction Solutions )
November 1, 2003... At Integrated Building and Construction Solutions (IBACOS), our mission is to enable the industry to build high-quality homes. To further that mission, IBACOS is constantly looking for opportunities to research, evaluate, and test new systems...

A dire need for more trees.(New and Notable)(National Urban Forest statistics)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Ongoing urban sprawl and highway construction have left U.S. cities with 20% fewer trees than they had just 10 years ago, according to the environmental group American Forests. In a study released as part of the annual National Urban Forest...

Innovating demand and response.(New and Notable)(EnergyPro thermostat)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... A new two-way radio frequency (RF) thermostat by Honeywell may promote growth of demand-and-response programs because it's cheaper to install than current two-way thermostats. Honeywell estimates that its EnergyPro thermostat can cut...

State-by-state Weatherization.(New and Notable)(DOE's Weatherization Assistance)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The Web site for DOE's Weatherization Assistance program has been updated to provide convenient information on getting involved with each state's weatherization program. Go to www.eere.energy.gov/ weatherization and click on State...

Solar manufacturer offers certification.(New and Notable)(Sharp Electronics Corporation )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Sharp Electronics Corporation is offering a training program for licensed contractors seeking to become certified in the specification and installation of grid-connected Sharp inverters and Sunvista residential solar systems. The three-day...

Houses that work redux.(New and Notable)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... As part of its work with the DOE Building America program, Building Science Consortium (BSC) has released Houses That Work II (HTWII). HTWII is a comprehensive, free, online, technical resource for climate-specific, residential design and...

Good tidings from tides.(New and Notable)(sub-sea power station)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Homes in the extreme north of Norway started getting energy from a sub-sea power station driven by the rise and fall of the tides. The power system, which looks like an underwater windmill, generates enough electricity for 30 households. "This...

Controlling kitchen kilowatts.(New and Notable)(energy consumption of dishwashers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Look for more accurate energy efficiency labeling on new dishwashers, as a result of a new test procedure released by DOE in September. The test, which measures the energy consumption in smart dishwashers--those with soil sensors--uses three...

Calendar.(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... November 6-7, 2003 Building Envelope Technology Symposium, Dallas, Texas. Contact Roof Consultants Institute, 1500 Sunday Drive, Ste. 204, Raleigh, NC 27607. Tel: (800)828-1902; Fax: (919)859-1328; Web site: www.rci-online.org. ...