Archive for the ‘Energy Efficiency’ Category

Here at AC Doctor we are always trying to find ways to help homeowners save money and energy, but what about renters? Renters have to be very careful about any modifications they make. Many changes to the house could break the terms of the lease. Fear not, there are some things you can do! There are small changed that will impact your energy bill that you can make without permission from your landlord. Replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent or halogen light bulbs and unplugging appliances when not in use are two very easy, very basic ways to cut energy costs. Even if you land lord provides the big appliances such as refrigerator, stove, and oven, you can still look for Energy Star rated small appliances. Nowadays, TVs, DVD players, and even cable boxes come with Energy Star ratings. You can also buy an LCD TV instead of a plasma one to save energy. In winter months, putting heavy, dark curtains over your windows will add a layer of insulation to help cut heating costs. If you have a window AC unit, put a cover over it in winter months to help block the hole in the wall.
There are other changes you can make with your land lord’s permission. Talk to your him before filling holes with caulk or foam sealant. Even though this may seem non-invasive, it is still considered an improvement or alteration. You will also want to try and convince your land lord to upgrade your old fridge to an Energy Star fridge. Remember, if you already have an Energy Star fridge (or other provided appliance), it cannot be replaced with one of lower quality.
It may take a little convincing to get your land lord to agree to some of these changes, but remind him that most of these energy saving upgrades are eligible for rebates. Offering to share the costs and then let him take the rebate credit could go a long way toward getting you a more energy efficient home. Don’t forget that you do have a bargaining chip: these are tough times and the real estate market is even tougher; no land lord wants to have a house back on the market, and most will do what they can to keep you.

Here at ACDoctor, we are all concerned with energy efficiency. We want to preserve our resources for future generations, and we want to share our knowledge with the rest of the world in an effort to preserve those resources.
According to a study conducted by Columbia University, Ohio State University, and Carnegie Mellon University, 55.2% of people studied cited cutting back on energy usage as the best way to conserve energy as opposed to 11.7% saying energy efficient appliances were most effective. Now, I can completely understand this way of thinking. I run my laptop off its battery as often as possible, make use of natural lighting during the day, unplug anything with a LED light when I’m not using it, but ultimately, the biggest difference in my energy bill comes from having a high efficiency air conditioner. I have also upgraded to CFL light bulbs, and I do have to say they make a huge difference! They do not emit as much heat as a regular light bulb and the light is much softer. I don’t mean the light isn’t as bright, Before upgrading my unit, I used ACDoctor’s energy calculator to see what my energy savings would be just from upgrading to a high efficiency AC unit and I was amazed! Comparing a unit with a SEER 10 rating (my old unit) to a unit with a SEER 16 rating I found I will save $272 a year and cut my energy usage by 2,430 kWh! Over the lifetime of the unit, that adds up to $2,875 and 34,020 kWh saved! That’s comparable to removing 5 cars/year from the road and planting 6 acres of forest. (Yes, you can see all of this when you check out our energy calculator.)
Granted, the new unit plus installation cost me around $6,000, but once I take into account my energy savings, that’s really only $3,125. Oh yeah, you can also get a federal tax credit for buying a high efficiency AC. The tax credit expires December 31, 2010, but it can save you up to 30% or $1,500. This is a credit on the TOTAL cost, which includes installation, so my expected tax credit is $1,500. Subtract from that the $3,125 that is not covered under my energy savings, and I’m only out $1,625. You can cut that down even more with state and city rebates. I do understand that it can be hard to justify spending $6,000 out of pocket, but when I think of the acres of trees that I’m saving and the CO2 I’m removing from the air, it’s definitely worthwhile!
So, now that I’ve doubtlessly convinced you to upgrade your AC, call your local ACDoctor Certified Contractor to find out which unit is best for you!

I’ve always heard that leaving your air conditioner running when you are not home is more energy efficient that turning it off. Everyone always said if you bump the thermostat up it takes less energy to cool your home than if your turn your system off during the day and then back on when you get home. I can see the logic in this, but even if you set your thermostat to 85 degrees during the day, your system will still kick on whenever the temperature reaches 85 degrees. While it is true that you will use less energy to cool your home from 85 to your preferred temperature than you use cooling from the outdoor temperature, the amount of energy you use to cool your home after the system has been off all day may be less than the energy used to keep your system on all day. Systems made these days are not put under undue strain by being turned off and then back on, as long as it is not being turned off and back on in less than 15 minutes. The choice to leave your system on or turn it off is ultimately yours, however, before you decide do a little experiment. One day set your thermostat at a higher temperature before you leave and check your meter. When you get home, check your meter again to see how much energy you used. On another day that is projected to have the same temperatures, turn your system off and check the meter when you get home, before you’ve turned your system on again. Check the meter again when your home is cooled to your preference (which should only take about 10 minutes) and compare the energy used for those two days. For some people, it may be more cost effective to leave the system of, while for others it is more effective to turn it off. For those of you that want to leave it on, remember this: for every degree you set your thermostat above 80 you can save up to 3% on your energy bill. So setting your thermostat at 85 when you are gone can save you up to 15%. Granted, this 15% decrease is only for the length of time your thermostat is set to 85, but these days we’re all looking for even the tiniest savings!