Case Studies > Energy Efficiency
 
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Smart Energy Source monitors energy efficiency projects and analyzes data to share with the initiatives' partners.  For more information, select one of the following projects.

♦ Energy Efficiency Standards
♦ Leveraging Resources
♦ Energy Audits
Videos Minimize

Simple Energy Saving Tips

Cutting Cooling Bills

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Technology & Tips Minimize
♦ Geothermal: How it works
♦ Tip: Sealing an Electrical Outlet
♦ Heat pump water heater technology
Geothermal power

Geo = Greek = Earth
Thermal = Greek = heat

Earth has a lot of energy stored that can be extracted. This geothermal energy is there from the beginning, the formation of our blue planet, from radioactive decay of minerals, and from solar energy absorbed at the surface. It has been used for space heating and bathing since ancient Roman times.

You can save money using Geothermal power, it is reliable, and environmentally friendly. Direct applications such as heating of buildings, homes have been used for decades. Emissions from Geothermal are much lower than those of conventional fossil fuels.

Geothermal power has the potential to reduce the effect of global warming if widely deployed instead of fossil fuels.
Sealing Electrical Outlets

If you’re looking for a cheap easy way to save energy in your home, one of the best DIY improvements is to install foam electrical outlet gaskets. Receptacle cover gaskets really do work. They can reduce your heating and cooling bill by as much as 20% by helping to retain heating and cooling in your home. If you place your hand over your outlets in the Winter on a windy day, you will feel cold air blowing through them.

The purpose of foam gaskets is to seal off the wall cavity behind outlets & switch areas from the living space. If an energy audit firm conducts what is called a "blower door test," you will be amazed to find a generous amount of outside air blowing out at you from these points. A blower door test depressurizes the home to expose air entering the home from the outside. In other words, it turns the house into a giant vacuum chamber. Some people will tell you that you only need to insulate outlets and switches on outside walls.

Conducting a blower door tests confirms that this is not true. Inside wall receptacles and switches need to be sealed since electrical wires run across walls allowing outside air to enter the inner-wall cavities. Inner-wall cavities are also fed by pipes and exposed to crawlspace/attic air (and other unconditioned areas) making the inner wall cavities subject to cold air.
Heat pump water heater

A compressor and evaporator are integrated into the electric water heater unit and the evaporator draws in ambient heat from surrounding air using two variable speed fans. Condenser coils wrap the tank all the way to the bottom to transfer this heat into the tank and heat the water.

This innovative process creates the same amount of hot water as a traditional electric water heater, but can reduce water heating expenses up to 62% to save $320* per year. And that could have a dramatic impact on monthly utility bills for years to come!

Energy Efficiency

Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency,
is using less energy to provide the same level of energy service. Efficient energy use is achieved primarily by means of more efficient technology or processes rather than by changes in individual behavior.  Energy efficiency is what it is. Energy conservation is what we do.

If the device we plug into the wall uses less energy than the device it replaces or it uses less energy than similar devices we could have purchased, that device is energy efficient. If we decide to unplug our electrical appliances when we aren’t using them or turn down our thermostats and put on a sweater or put our computer on standby, we are conserving energy.

Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable (naturally replenished). Energy efficiency and renewable energy are said to be the twin pillars of sustainable energy policy (The Twin Pillars of Sustainable Energy: Synergies between Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Technology and Policy).

Cost-saving Measures
Intro about cost saving measures.  More information

Energy Audits
The goal of an audit is to develop a specific list of existing problems that may, when corrected, save the homeowner significant amounts of energy expense. Home energy audits identify where energy is being lost from a home. Audits can also determine the efficiency of a home's heating and cooling systems.  Home energy audits identify drafts and leaks around doors and windows or in the ductwork through which conditioned air flows. They can also determine whether a home has adequate insulation in its walls, ceilings, attic, and foundation. Audits can highlight ways to conserve hot water and electricity. There are two ways of obtaining a home energy audit— homeowners can do it themselves or hire a professional home energy auditor.  More information Residential Buildings: Conducting Energy Audits : US department of Energy

 

CaulkingEnergy Makeover
The Energy Makeover program is designed to assist home owners with rising energy costs. It also encourages good stewardship of our natural resources through basic energy efficiency practices. The program promotes partnerships with faith based/non-profit organizations, government (local, state and national agencies), businesses and utility companies. More information
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Infrared ImageInfrared Cameras
A thermographic camera, sometimes called an infrared camera, is a device that forms an image using infrared radiation, similar to a common camera that forms an image using visible light. Instead of the 450–750 nanometer range of the visible light camera, infrared cameras operate in wavelengths as long as 14,000 nm (14 µm). Thermal imaging photography finds many uses. For example, firefighters use it to see through smoke, find persons, and localize hotspots of fires. With thermal imaging, power line maintenance technicians locate overheating joints and parts, a telltale sign of their failure, to eliminate potential hazards. Where thermal insulation becomes faulty, building construction technicians can see heat leaks to improve the efficiencies of cooling or heating air-conditioning.

Blower DoorBlower Door
A blower door is a diagnostic tool designed to measure the air tightness of buildings. And to help locate air leakage sites. A blower door consists of a calibrated fan for measuring an airflow rate, and a pressure-sensing device to measure the air pressure created by the fan flow. The combinations of pressure and fan-flow measurements are used to determine the building air tightness. The air tightness of a building is useful knowledge when trying to increase energy conservation or decrease indoor air pollution, or control building pressures.


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