Energy Efficiency...
a new look.

The issue of energy efficiency is still with us despite various initiatives to reduce energy consumption. We’re still using more energy than power stations produce at peak times in the Los Angeles area.

A lot of initiatives have been implemented in the residential area, such as Energy Star and rebates, to entice consumers to buy more efficient appliances.

The same could be true for insulation.

Infa-red imaging is now becoming more available, thus spotting incorrectly installed insulation is becoming easier. (see a movie)

There are so many factors that play on each other. Cooling coils, filters, Freon charge, dirt, blockages, leaky ducts, incorrect layout, carpets and people are just a few of these factors that come to mind.

All of the above factors influence each other and improve each other or degrade each other. What a headache!

The next question is, how am I doing (in dollars improved) and what should I focus on next?

This is a good problem to solve. Normally you have to wait a month for the electric bill. The outside temperatures vary massively from month to month (affecting usage) and the performance of other building equipment is all lumped in the electric bill, so it’s difficult to isolate one component.

There are systems out there that will tell you everything you need to know, but they’re so expensive that the return on investment is hardly worth it. Still, they are getting cheaper. Again, getting educated on each component and the technology of how to make each component energy efficient is something we can all improve upon. This could include building insulation, roofs, doors, windows, lights, electrical devices and mainly HVAC systems.