So, we talk a whole lot about Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EEC) on a macro level, I thought it would be fun to bring it down to an individual level. So, my challenge for all is for everyone who reads RK to reduce their energy consumption by 20% by 2010, which is just the meager goal I got from EnergyStar. But if we manage more than that, great!
So, first things first, we all have to establish a base year. I am picking 2007 for myself since this was really before I did any major improvements to energy efficiency of my home. It's going to be a tough choice on the year because 2007 was slightly colder year than normal weather, but it was also a hotter year.
Just so you are familiar with terms, utilities use two important terms for weather HDDs and CDDs. HDDs are heating degree days; and CDDs, you guessed it, are cooling degree days. Both are calculated when the average temperature for the day is over or under 65 degrees. So, below 65 = HDD, and above 65 = CDD. You add all those differences for every day up and you get HDDs or CDDs for the month or year. In 2007 heating season we had more HDDs; and in the cooling season, we had more CDDs.
Okay enough with that. =) So, the first place I went to establish my baseline was EnergyStar's Home Energy Yardstick. You'll need several things in order to do this. You need your finished, conditioned square footage of your home. If you don't know, you're county may have that information online via their real estate assessment. You also need the 12 month totals both usage and dollars for your utility bills. If you don't already have this in say Quicken, you can get it easily from the utilities by enrolling in their web service. Otherwise, it's just adding the bills up (assuming you kept them).
So, here my 2007 baseline info:
So, after the heating season last year, I put in new windows and doors. The windows are double-paned, with an inert gas fill, and low-e film on the glass. This year, I got an energy audit this year. And I implemented the insulation recommendations at the beginning of April. With that so far, my gas usage is down 11% and my electricity usage is down 16% year-to-date v. prior YTD. There were 9% fewer HDDs this year, so the gas reduction is not as big a deal. But looking at the electricity comparison tool on Dominion's site, 80%+ of the reduction has been my reduction versus weather.
Now, I recognize everyone is going to be different. Living in a multi-level townhome, like I do, present different challenges than a one-story ranch house. But who doesn't like competition and a challenge. I know I have a ways to go yet. What about you? Please include in your comments how you measure up. It'll be fun. And if you put me to shame, that will be fun too. =)