Energy consumed in a home is one of the most important factors when considering the home’s design and performance. Finding ways to conserve our energy use on a daily basis has become more significant over the years than choosing materials or considering energy sources when looking at improving our homes energy efficiency.
Energy conservation can be achieved in two ways according to Allen Zimmerman, professor of engineering technology at Ohio State University. Mr. Zimmerman suggests that by reducing our energy supplied to us from National Grid, Key span and others, and by reducing the end point use of this energy by the use of appliances, computers, high energy equipment in the home, we can better conserve energy use right at home.
Professor Zimmerman has outlined in Home Energy magazine how homeowners and others alike can measure the actual energy use in your residence by using calculated indicators to measure the thermal energy, electrical energy and total energy performance of a home. Using a home electrical energy index (HHEI) and/or a home heating index (HHI) can help you calculate the energy usage of your home. Residential housing, which accounts for approximately 20% of the total energy consumption in the United States, can use the home energy index (HEI) as an indicator of how energy is being used in that residence.
Nevertheless, incorporating efforts to improve energy does not automatically provide instant savings. Although the efficiency of residential building shells, space-conditioning equipment, lamps and appliances has improved significantly over the years, our constant development of new technologies which adds to our energy usage keeps this issue on the table. Home Energy Magazine has reported that the total residential energy consumed in the United States is increasing at a rate that’s expected to continue indefinitely. More emphasis needs to be placed on the second form of energy conservation- reducing the amount of energy used in the home.
There are numerous things that homeowners can begin practicing to reduce the total energy consumption in their home. Adjusting thermostats (lower in the winter and higher in the summer); turning off lamps in rooms less frequently used; lowering the temperature setting on a water heater; turn off electrical equipment completely when not in use and space conditioning only occupied rooms. All of these measures can help to reduce the overall energy consumption of a home depending on the lifestyle of its occupants. These measures taken alongside using calculations from the indicators like HHI and HEI can help conserve the energy we use and contribute towards a greener planet.
Now more than ever is the time to start transforming the energy industry. In the New York area, AirNow is a company of reliable technicians highly trained and certified to diagnose service space conditioning units for residential and commercial use. Make an appointment with a technician to learn how you can conserve on energy usage in your home, get rebates from LIPA and of course, make sure your space conditioning system is working at its peak efficiency.
