Green Tip #42 – Learn about your Home Water and Energy Inefficiencies
by Dave Haflich
We are determined to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in our home – in our case, scary and expensive amounts of propane. So, we are trying to find a cost-effective way to electrify our house, supported by our solar system. This seemed relatively simple on the surface, but trying to figure out:
1 how much more solar power we need to support
2 the most appropriate heat pump technologies
3 best supported by now and soon to come rebates that are compatible with each other
4 and installed by approved contractors
has proved to be somewhat complex (just like this “sentence”). More on that in future Green Tips.
Along the way, it became apparent that an energy assessment of our home could provide valuable information. Surprisingly, residential energy auditors aren’t as common as I expected and are pretty expensive.
Luckily I stumbled across, probably via scpadvancedenergycenter.org, the DIY Toolkit that’s available for free check out at most branches of the Sonoma County Library.
The kit includes tools (which must be returned) and energy and water conserving items (4 LED light bulbs, weatherstripping, outlet gaskets, two low flow shower heads, faucet aerators, etc) to keep and use in your home! Also included is “The Do-It-Yourself Energy and Water Savings Guide” which explains how to use everything (but has to be returned ☹).
I had a great deal of fun using and learning from the toolkit but now am faced with knowing that I need to replace all the sealing brushes in our windows that open. I hope some of you are able to get some benefit from the kit, too.
