Home Energy Score Explained

What is Home Energy Score?

                               

Home Energy Score is a new program developed by the US Department of Energy or DOE in conjunction with the US Environmental Protection Agency to aid in the conservation of energy, thus improving home efficiency that enhances comfort and indoor air quality.

This program is seen to reduce up to 20% or more from utility bills which allow families to save money as well. Knowing your home energy score will give you a quick understanding and better assessment on how your home rates with regard to energy efficiency.

How to assess the Home Energy Score?

This is how it goes: your home is assessed by looking at the actual energy usage based on your current 12 months of utility bills and compared to other homes in your area. Then it will be scored on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest efficiency rating.

Of course taking into account some statistical factors such as local weather, home size, number of family members living in the house. Having a score of 1 means poor performance and are strongly suggested to apply the home improvements as recommended by the assessor if you want to have an energy-efficient home and cost-saving utility bills.

How will I benefit from Home Energy Efficiency?

Apart from the obvious reduction of utility bills,  it will boost your home’s value making it a potential market to home buyers. Homes with environmental certification are said to be sold 22% less time than those who doesn't have certification, studies show.

Having your home energy score assessed, a customized energy upgrade recommendation can be provided to you and an estimate on how much the average utility bill reduction is expected out of these improvements. Take note, have your home energy assessed only by a qualified assessor.

It educates you about what other home energy improvement opportunities can be done to decrease environmental impact of your home. That said, living in an energy efficient home enhances your family’s quality of life.

Houses with home energy efficiency will experience and enjoy warmer temperature during winter and and cooler environment during summer while benefiting from affordable home operations all throughout the year.

Who are qualified to do the Home Energy Assessment?

                                                               

                                   

There are independent home energy assessor who are qualified to perform such assessment. They use a certain software in assessing data from your home system, taking into account some factors such as appliances, home systems, age of the home and region. It will then be rated on the scale of 1 to 10. For homes rated 1 strongly suggest extensive energy improvements while 10 gets the highest rate in terms of home efficiency.

As part of their assessment, they will also provide home improvement recommendations as well as an estimated energy efficiency and bill reduction.

Among the home improvements that you can practically apply in your homes are:

• sealing air leaks and adding insulation
• improving heating and cooling system
• replacing ductwork
• replacing windows
• upgrading lighting, appliances and water heating equipment's
• installing renewable energy systems

With all the benefits you can get out of energy-efficiency home improvements, what are you waiting for? Contact your qualified energy-efficiency assessor today!

Ductless Air Conditioning System

Choosing an air conditioning system depends on what individuals or families prefer. Nowadays, people would prefer air conditioning system that are cost efficient and energy saving. More and more people are now putting weight on the efficiency of the product as well as its being environment friendly.

Ductless air conditioning system can give you that benefit. The mini split air conditioning is a ductless conditioning system. They don’t need to make bigger holes on the walls for the ducts, they only require a hole about 3 inches in diameter and that’s just it. Ductless air conditioning systems are like central air conditioning systems that have 2 major components, the indoor and outdoor components. The indoor is the evaporator and the condenser unit is the one set-up outside the house.

The difference between mini split and central air conditioning system is that you can control which part of the house you want to make cooler. You can have at most four evaporators with the multi-zone mini split air conditioning, with each port independent from the others. You can turn off those units that are not in use to be able to save energy and on your electricity bills.

With the mini split system, you can make a multi-tasking application. You can make one place cool down while heating up other rooms. This is very convenient because you can turn off evaporators on places which are not at use which means you  can save a minimum of 30% energy consumption as compared to the central air conditioning system. Each of these evaporators can operate at its maximum function and you’ll get the same coolness as the central system.

The mini splits are very flexible to install and the evaporators are slim and can be mounted on the wall or suspended on the ceiling drop. You can have from 2 – 4 evaporators depending on how many you like. Unlike standard air conditioning systems, these ductless systems produce no noise inside since the condenser unit is installed outside your house or office.

The most important matter to consider in order to attain an effective performance of your system is never to install ductless air conditioning system by yourself. Installing a ductless air conditioning system is very complicated. It requires a certified hvac technician to properly install them.  They have undergone upgrades and trainings regarding the proper installation of ductless air conditioning systems.

If you want to invest on your HVAC, simply choose the type that benefit you the most. When purchasing a ductless air conditioning system, choose those units or models from trusted manufacturers to ensure 100% quality performance as desired. To know that you got the right unit, make sure that they have a SEER Rating, Cooling and Heating Options, Energy Star Certification and warranty. These are very important details you need to consider to determine a good quality hvac.

Easy Ways To Care For Your Tankless Water Heater

Equipments should be well maintained to be able to maximize its usage and the benefits you can get out of it. If upkeep is neglected, your equipment will not last longer than it should. There’s no secret into keeping your things functional for a long time but only through proper care and maintenance.

Tankless water heaters are not exempted to this rule. Caring for your equipments or things is very important. These things don’t know how to take care of themselves, owners should see to it that maintenance are properly done. It is also important that you have to set a schedule for cleaning. Doing so also allows you to monitor and check if there are any problems or perhaps there are parts that needs replacement or repair.

Maintaining your tankless water heater is not that tricky or complicated. You can refer to the manufacturer’s manual or consult a professional  that specializes in tankless water heaters if you have any doubts or confusion on the procedure. If you don’t want to take any risk, you can have a plumber to do the job for you. They are well trained and they will surely do the job correctly and easily.

Upkeep Procedures To Keep In Mind

1. Maintenance scheduling

Proper maintenance schedule for your tankless water heaters should be monthly. There is a need to clean out sediments or mineral deposits inside your heater monthly to avoid excessive presence of those chemicals that can damage your equipment. They should be flushed out by pumping about 3 gallons of any lighter acids such as diluted vinegar into your tankless water heating system. They are effectual in removing mineral deposits to prevent them from blocking your pipes.

Mineral deposits can be harder to flush out if it has been sticking there for a while. This is the reason why monthly flushing should be carried out.

2. Hard water issues

Hard water is also brought about by mineral deposits in your pipes. These mineral deposits can cause erosion to your pipes which can be very hard to remove. Using water softeners may be able to solve these problems but not all the time. If this will be the situation, you should call a plumber to do the checking and apply any remedy needed to fix the problem at hand. They know better on how to solve these issues.

3. Electrical wirings

As water is a good conductor of electricity, it is of most importance that the wires of any appliances or equipment are properly secured to be surely safe. Imagine what would happen to you getting electrocuted while having a shower because the wires were exposed to water.

You should see to it that all wirings are in good condition and doesn’t have any cuts whatsoever. If ever you have found one, seal them well with electrical tape or to be sure have an electrician check them out. Electricity is not a good thing to play around with. It is better to be sure than regretting later.

4. Annual check up

Annual checking should be done to your water heating system by a qualified and trained technician to see if everything is in good order and functional. It is also during the annual maintenance that your equipment is diagnosed if a repair or replacement is necessary. It is good to always be sure about the condition of any equipment you have at home to avoid any possibility of danger that are detrimental to your safety.

See? It’s just that simple. Tankless water heaters are very convenient and easy to maintain.  Have one in your household now and never worry about losing hot water supply.

Image Source: easywater