1. Victoria Adams Stephanie Cogswell Daureen Lingley Emily Werner
Energy Efficiency
Victoria Adams
Stephanie Cogswell
Daureen Lingley
Emily Werner 1

2. Importance of Home Energy Efficiency
Residential energy consumption accounts for over 20% of global energy use.
In 2001, homeowners, on average, spent $1500 on energy costs.
Energy bills are usually the largest portion of housing costs after rent or mortgage payments.
In 2007, residential carbon emissions grew to million metric tons of carbon.
Increasing price of energy.
Residential energy consumption accounts for over 20% of global energy use.
In 2001, homeowners, on average, spent $1500 on energy costs
Energy bills are usually the largest portion of housing costs after rent or mortgage payments.
In 2007, residential carbon emissions grew to 1241 million metric tons of carbon
Increasing price of energy

3. Energy Efficiency Topics1
Energy Efficient Mortgages 2
Designing & Remodeling 3
Incentives & Rebates 4
Appliances & Home Electronics
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4. What is an Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM)?
A mortgage that credits a home's energy efficiency in the home loan.
Let you borrow extra money to pay for energy efficient upgrades to your current home or a new or old home that you plan to buy.
EEMs recognize that reduced utility expenses can permit a homeowner to pay a higher mortgage to cover the cost of the energy improvements on top of the approved mortgage.
Like most people these days, you probably already do your share of “green” practices like recycling and turning off the water when you brush your teeth. But you probably thought that really big things, like renovating or upgrading your home to make it more energy efficient were financially out of your reach.
Energy efficient homes use less energy and are therefore less expensive to own.
People who have more efficient homes spend less per month on utility costs and theoretically should have more to spend on their monthly mortgage payments—and can therefore afford a larger mortgage.

5. In 1994, the pilot was expanded to ten states.
History
In 1992, Congress mandated a pilot demonstration of Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEMs) in five states under Section 513 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992.
In 1994, the pilot was expanded to ten states.
In 1995, the pilot was expanded as a national program.
Green Energy Act of 2008
Section 9
Section 8
Section 25
In 2008, the GREEN act of 2008 was passed to make the EEM (among other things) more effective, efficient and publicly known. It addresses unclear usage statistics through more accurate information collection.
Specifically, Section 9 of this bill modifies the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act o f1975 to track EEMs more precisely. With more precision, the success of the program will be easier to determine and more readily available.
Also, Section 8 of the GREEN act of 2008 calls for an interagency, “campaign to inform and educate residential lenders and prospective borrowers regarding the availability, benefits, advantages, and terms of energy efficient mortgages.”
Additionally, Section 25 of the GREEN Act establishes ‘green banking’ centers that would provide information to prospective borrowers. These centers would be an educational resource for anyone interested in audits, cost-effective home improvements, and anything else pertaining to EEMs.
Finally, the GREEN Act of 2008 mandates promotion by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

6. Types of EEMs Conventional EEM FHA EEM: VA EEM:
Most powerful of the EEMs
Borrow up to 15% of the home’s appraised value for improvements.
FHA EEM:
Not as powerful as the conventional EEM.
Borrow up to 5 % of your home’s value (though not more than $8,000) or $4,000, whichever is greater
VA EEM:
Past and present military personnel
Allows you to spend up to $6,000 for energy efficient upgrades
Regardless of the value of the home.
Conventional EEM: This type of loan is offered by lenders who sell their loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It is the most powerful of the EEMs as it allows you to borrow up to 15% of the home’s appraised value for improvements.
FHA EEM: This type of EEM is not as powerful as the conventional EEM, but you will be able to take advantage of the benefits of FHA financing. You can borrow up to 5 % of your home’s value (though not more than $8,000) or $4,000, whichever is greater
VA EEM: This version of the EEM Mortgage is for past and present military personnel and allows you to spend up to $6,000 for energy efficient upgrades when purchasing an existing home regardless of the value of the home.

7. Backed by private and government mortgage programs
How EEMs Work
Backed by private and government mortgage programs
No additional down payment.
In most cases you already qualify for an EEM.
Funded by a lending institution, such as a mortgage company, bank, or savings and loan association
Aren’t second mortgages, rolled into primary mortgage.
-Designed to help you make your home more energy efficient
-Backed by private and government mortgage programs
-Do not have to qualify for the additional money and do not make a down payment on it.
-Basically, if you already qualify for a regular mortgage, then in most cases you already qualify for an EEM.
-The mortgage loan is funded by a lending institution, such as a mortgage company, bank, or savings and loan association
-Aren’t second mortgages, rolled into primary mortgage. (Only pay one bill a month)

8. Home Energy Rating System (HERS)
Overall rating index of the house as it is.
Blower door test
Manometer
Recommended cost-effective energy upgrades
Estimates of the cost, annual savings, and useful life of upgrades
Improved rating index after the installation of recommended upgrades
Rating index is between 1 and 100.
usually costs between $300- $800.
- Overall rating index of the house as it is takes insulation, windows, heating and cooling systems, and local climate into consideration.
Blower door test (quantifies the volume of air leaking from the house)
Manometer
Smoke Stick (determine locations of air leaks)
-Recommended cost-effective energy upgrades (This just means that the total cost of the upgrades has to be less than the total value of the energy saved over the operative life of the improvement. So, if a new double-paned window costs $300, it needs to save over $300 in energy costs of the course of its life)
-Estimates of the cost, annual savings, and useful life of upgrades
-Improved rating index after the installation of recommended upgrades
-Rating index is between 1 and 100 (a lower index indicates greater efficiency)
-usually costs between $300- $800 (This could be paid by the buyer, seller, lender, or real estate agent. Sometimes the cost of the rating may be financed as part of the mortgage)

9. tankless water heaters New HVAC units with air ducts new insulation
Efficiency
double paned windows
tankless water heaters
New HVAC units with air ducts
new insulation
Weatherizing
energy efficient heating and cooling systems
fixing or replacing a chimney
installing active and passive solar technologies
double paned windows
tankless water heaters
New HVAC units with air ducts
new insulation
Weatherizing
energy efficient heating and cooling systems
fixing or replacing a chimney
installing active and passive solar technologies

10. What are the benefits? Increases Purchasing Power
An average of 6.8% more families would be able to qualify for a mortgage through an energy efficient mortgage.
Stretch debt-to-income qualifying rations on loans
Reduce carbon footprint
Increases Market Value of Homes
The market value of a home increases $20 for every $1 decrease in the annual energy costs.
An estimated increased home market value of between $4,250 to $10,625.
Comfort
Cooler in the summer
Warmer in the winter
Savings
Save money every month from day one
Gas prices are rising
building a home to exceed the Model Energy Code would result in an annual savings of $170 to $425.
Increases Purchasing Power
An average of 6.8% more families would be able to qualify for a mortgage through an energy efficient mortgage.
Stretch debt-to-income qualifying rations on loans
Reduce carbon footprint
Increases Market Value of Homes
The market value of a home increases $20 for every $1 decrease in the annual energy costs.
An estimated increased home market value of between $4,250 to $10,625.
Comfort
Cooler in the summer
Warmer in the winter (This means not having to deal with drafts in the winter, not worrying about the cost of cranking the AC when company comes over, and having peace of mind that your children, pets, and older visitors will always be in a comfortable, healthy environment)
Savings
Save money every month from day one
Gas prices are rising
building a home to exceed the Model Energy Code would result in an annual savings of $170 to $425.
This means not having to deal with drafts in the winter, not worrying about the cost of cranking the AC when company comes over, and having peace of mind that your children, pets, and older visitors will always be in a comfortable, healthy environment

11. Who benefits?
Buyers
Qualify for a larger loan on a better home
Save money every month from day one
An average of 6.8% more families would be able to qualify
Stretch debt-to-income qualifying rations on loans
Sellers
Sell your home more quickly
Make your house affordable
Increase the resale value
Remodelers/refinancers
Get EEM benefits without moving
Make improvements which will actually save you money
Buyers
Qualify for a larger loan on a better home
Get a more comfortable home
Save money every month from day one
An average of 6.8% more families would be able to qualify for a mortgage through an energy efficient mortgage.
Stretch debt-to-income qualifying rations on loans
Sellers
Sell your home more quickly
Make your house affordable to more people
Increase the potential resale value of your home
Remodelers/refinancers
Get all the EEM benefits without moving
Make improvements which will actually save you money
Increase the potential resale value of your home.

12. Statistics – EEMs lower your carbon footprint!
Heating and cooling account for 50–70%.
60% not properly insulated.
In houses with central air and heating, about 20% of the air is lost due to faulty, outdated duct work.
Updating your home’s insulation can save you up to 20% on heating and cooling costs or up to 10% of your total yearly energy bill.
-Overall, heating and cooling accounts for 50–70% of the total energy used in the average American home.
-60% of the existing homes in the US are not properly insulated.
-In houses with central air and heating, about 20% of the air is lost due to faulty, outdated duct work.
-Updating your home’s insulation can save you up to 20% on heating and cooling costs or up to 10% of your total yearly energy bill.
-According to the Department of Energy, energy loss from outdated windows accounts for nearly 25% of the annual heating and cooling costs for the average American home.
-Even the most basic double-paned window can reduce energy use by up to 24% in cold climates during the winter and by up to 18% in hot climates during the summer.
-A new Energy Star-rated dishwasher can save you up to 13 energy (the dishwasher accounts for 2% of your gas or electric bill) and as much as 1,200 gallons of water a year.
-Programmable thermostats can save about 2% on heating bills and more than 3% on cooling bills. These numbers can translate into savings of up to $180 a year.

13. …Statistics – EEMs lower your carbon footprint!
Energy loss from outdated windows accounts for nearly 25% of the annual heating and cooling costs for the average American home.
Even the most basic double-paned window can reduce energy use by up to 24% in cold climates during the winter and by up to 18% in hot climates during the summer.
Programmable thermostats can save about 2% on heating bills and more than 3% on cooling bills. These numbers can translate into savings of up to $180 a year.

14. Designing & Remodeling a Home
Advanced Framing
Cool Roofs
Earth-Sheltered Homes
Passive Solar Homes
Straw Bale Homes
Ultra-Efficient Homes
Whole-House Design
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15. Advanced House Framing Techniques
Optimum Valve Engineering
Materials cost savings of about $500 or $1000 (for a 1,200- and 2,400-square-foot house, respectively)
Labor cost savings of between 3% and 5%
Annual heating and cooling cost savings of up to 5%.
Advanced house framing, sometimes called Optimum Value Engineering (OVE), refers to a variety of techniques designed to reduce the amount of lumber used and waste generated in the construction of a wood-framed house. These techniques also improve a home's energy efficiency.
Advanced framing techniques create a structurally sound home with lower material and labor costs than a conventionally framed house. Additional construction cost savings result from reduced waste disposal, which also helps the environment.
Advanced framing actually replaces lumber with insulation material and maximizes the wall that's insulated, which improves the whole-wall thermal resistance or R-value.
Depending on the builder, advanced framing techniques can be constructed individually or as a complete package. Fully implementing advanced framing techniques can result in:
Materials cost savings of about $500 or $1000 (for a 1,200- and 2,400-square-foot house, respectively)
Labor cost savings of between 3% and 5%
Annual heating and cooling cost savings of up to 5%.
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16. Cool Roofs Benefits of Cool Roofs
Reduce energy bills by decreasing air condition needs
Improve indoor comfort for spaces that are not air conditioned
Decrease roof operating temperature, which may extend roof service life.
Reduce local air temperatures
Lower peak electricity demand
Reduce power plant emissions
White painted roofs have been popular since ancient times in places like Greece. Similar technology can be easy to adapt to modern homes and other buildings.
A cool roof is one that has been designed to reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat—also known as solar reflectance and thermal emittance—than a standard roof. Cool roofs can be made of a highly reflective type of paint, a sheet covering, or highly reflective tiles or shingles. Nearly any type of building can benefit from a cool roof—however, you must consider climate and other factors before deciding to install one.
Just as wearing light-colored clothing can help keep you cool on a sunny day, cool roofs use solar-reflective surfaces to maintain lower roof temperatures. Standard or dark roofs can reach temperatures of 150°F or more in the summer sun. A cool roof under the same conditions could stay more than 50°F cooler.
Download Guidelines for Selecting Cool Roofs from the EERE Building Technologies Program.
Benefits of Cool Roofs
In addition to keeping a roof cooler, a cool roof can benefit a building and its occupants in several ways:
•Reduce energy bills by decreasing air conditioning needs
•Improve indoor comfort for spaces that are not air conditioned
•Decrease roof operating temperature, which may extend roof service life.
Beyond the building itself, cool roofs can also benefit the environment especially when many buildings in a community have them. Cool roofs can:
•Reduce local air temperatures (sometimes referred to as the urban heat island effect)
•Lower peak electricity demand, which can help prevent power outages
•Reduce power plant emissions, including carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides, and mercury, by reducing cooling energy use in buildings.
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17. Earth-Sheltered Home Design
Two types
Underground Design
Atrium or
Courtyard Design
Bermed Design
Elevational Design
Penetrational Design
If you are looking for a home with many energy-efficient features that will provide a comfortable, tranquil, weather-resistant atmosphere, an earth-sheltered house could be right for you.
There are two basic types of earth-sheltered houses:
Underground
Bermed (or banked with earth)
Both types usually have earth-covered roofs. Some roofs may have a vegetation cover to reduce erosion.
Designing Underground Earth-Sheltered Homes
When an entire earth-sheltered house is built below grade or completely underground, it's called an underground structure. The atrium or courtyard design can accommodate an underground, earth-sheltered house.
Atrium or Courtyard Design
An earth-covered dwelling may have as little as 6–8 inches (0.2 meters) of sod or as much as 9 feet (2.7 meters) of earth covering the structure. An atrium design offers an open feeling because it has four walls that give exposure to daylight. This design uses a subgrade open area as the entry and focal point of the house.
The house is built completely below ground on a flat site, and the major living spaces surround a central outdoor courtyard. The windows and glass doors that are on the exposed walls facing the atrium provide light, solar heat, outside views, and access via a stairway from the ground level. Atrium/courtyard homes are usually covered with less than 3 feet (0.9 meters) of earth primarily because greater depths do not improve energy efficiency. This style also offers the potential for natural ventilation.
The atrium design is hardly visible from ground level and barely interrupts the landscape. It also provides good protection from winter winds and offers a private outdoor space. This design is ideal for an area without scenic exterior views, in dense developments, and on sites in noisy areas. Passive solar gain—heat obtained through windows—might be more limited, due to the window position in an atrium plan. Courtyard drainage and snow removal are important items to consider in design.
Designing Bermed Earth-Sheltered Homes
A bermed earth-sheltered house may be built above grade or partially below grade, with outside earth surrounding one or more walls. Such a structure can accommodate more conventional earth-sheltered house designs, such as elevational and penetrational.
Elevational Design
Elevational plans expose one whole face of the house and cover the other sides—and perhaps the roof—with earth. The covered sides protect and insulate the house. The exposed front of the house, usually facing south, allows the sun to light and heat the interior. The floor plan is arranged so common areas and bedrooms share light and heat from the southern exposure.
This type of house may be placed at varying depths below ground level and is usually set into the side of a hill. The view provided will be one of landscape, rather than open sky, as in the atrium design. A structure designed in this way can be the least expensive and simplest to build of all earth-sheltered structures.
The elevational design may have limited internal air circulation and reduced daylight in the northern portions of the house, though there are ways to alleviate these problems by using skylights. The wide design of the house can be offset by close attention to architectural details, landscaping, and exterior materials.
Penetrational Design
In a penetrational design, earth covers the entire house, except where it is retained for windows and doors. The house is usually built at ground level, and earth is built up (or bermed) around and on top of it. This design allows cross-ventilation opportunities and access to natural light from more than one side of the house
To help determine what type of earth-sheltered house and design might work best, you should consider the following:
Advantages and disadvantages of such a home
Site-specific design factors
Advantages and Disadvantages of Earth-Sheltered Homes
As with any home design, earth-sheltered houses have their advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
There are many advantages to earth-sheltered construction. An earth-sheltered home is less susceptible to the impact of extreme outdoor air temperatures, so you won't feel the effects of adverse weather as much as in a conventional house. Temperatures inside the house are more stable than in conventional homes. And with less temperature variability, interior rooms seem more comfortable.
Because earth covers part or all of their exterior, earth-sheltered houses require less outside maintenance, such as painting and cleaning gutters. Constructing a house that is dug into the earth or surrounded by earth builds in some natural soundproofing. Plans for most earth-sheltered houses "blend" the building into the landscape more harmoniously than a conventional home.
Finally, earth-sheltered houses can cost less to insure because their design offers extra protection against high winds, hailstorms, and natural disasters such as tornados and hurricanes.
Disadvantages
As with any type of unusual construction, there are some disadvantages associated with earth-sheltered housing. Principal downsides are the initial cost of construction, which may be up to 20% higher. Also, an increased level of care is required to avoid moisture problems, during both the construction and the life of the house.
It can take more diligence to resell an earth-sheltered home, and buyers may have a few more hurdles to clear in the mortgage application process.
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18. How Passive Solar Home Design Works
Heat Movement Mechanisms
Conduction
Convection
Radiation
Thermal Capacitance
Conduction
Conduction is the way heat moves through materials, traveling from molecule to molecule. Heat causes molecules close to the heat source to vibrate vigorously, and these vibrations spread to neighboring molecules, thus transferring heat energy. For example, a spoon placed into a hot cup of coffee conducts heat through its handle and into the hand that grasps it.
Convection
Convection is the way heat circulates through liquids and gases. Lighter, warmer fluid rises, and cooler, denser fluid sinks. For instance, warm air rises because it is lighter than cold air, which sinks. This is why warmer air accumulates on the second floor of a house, while the basement stays cool. Some passive solar homes use air convection to carry solar heat from a south wall into the building's interior.
Radiation
Radiant heat moves through the air from warmer objects to cooler ones. There are two types of radiation important to passive solar design: solar radiation and infrared radiation. When radiation strikes an object, it is absorbed, reflected, or transmitted, depending on certain properties of that object.
Opaque objects absorb 40%–95% of incoming solar radiation from the sun, depending on their color—darker colors typically absorb a greater percentage than lighter colors. This is why solar-absorber surfaces tend to be dark colored. Bright-white materials or objects reflect 80%–98% of incoming solar energy.
Inside a home, infrared radiation occurs when warmed surfaces radiate heat towards cooler surfaces. For example, your body can radiate infrared heat to a cold surface, possibly causing you discomfort. These surfaces can include walls, windows, or ceilings in the home.
Clear glass transmits 80%–90% of solar radiation, absorbing or reflecting only 10%–20%. After solar radiation is transmitted through the glass and absorbed by the home, it is radiated again from the interior surfaces as infrared radiation. Although glass allows solar radiation to pass through, it absorbs the infrared radiation. The glass then radiates part of that heat back to the home's interior. In this way, glass traps solar heat entering the home.
Thermal capacitance
Thermal capacitance refers to the ability of materials to store heat. Thermal mass refers to the materials that store heat. Thermal mass stores heat by changing its temperature, which can be done by storing heat from a warm room or by converting direct solar radiation into heat. The more thermal mass, the more heat can be stored for each degree rise in temperature. Masonry materials, like concrete, stones, brick, and tile, are commonly used as thermal mass in passive solar homes. Water also has been successfully used.
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19. Passive Solar Home Design
Five Elements of Passive Solar Home
Aperture (Collector)
Absorber
Thermal Mass
Distribution
Control
Aperture (Collector) The large glass (window) area through which sunlight enters the building. Typically, the aperture(s) should face within 30 degrees of true south and should not be shaded by other buildings or trees from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day during the heating season.
Absorber The hard, darkened surface of the storage element. This surface—which could be that of a masonry wall, floor, or partition (phase change material), or that of a water container—sits in the direct path of sunlight. Sunlight hits the surface and is absorbed as heat.
Thermal mass The materials that retain or store the heat produced by sunlight. The difference between the absorber and thermal mass, although they often form the same wall or floor, is that the absorber is an exposed surface whereas thermal mass is the material below or behind that surface.
Distribution The method by which solar heat circulates from the collection and storage points to different areas of the house. A strictly passive design will use the three natural heat transfer modes—conduction, convection, and radiation—exclusively. In some applications, however, fans, ducts, and blowers may help with the distribution of heat through the house.
Control Roof overhangs can be used to shade the aperture area during summer months. Other elements that control under- and/or overheating include electronic sensing devices, such as a differential thermostat that signals a fan to turn on; operable vents and dampers that allow or restrict heat flow; low-emissivity blinds; and awnings.
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20. Passive Solar Home Energy Rankings
In the ideal case, passive houses require no furnace, no air conditioners, and, in fact, no thermostat. The airtight dwellings maintain a perfectly even and comfortable temperature by means of a ventilation system that automatically brings fresh air in from the outside, heating it to the proper temperature via exchangers and other low-energy systems. Even in fairly harsh climates, such homes “get all the heat and hot water they need from the amount of energy that would be needed to run a hair dryer.”
Passive homes have three essential elements:
Superinsulation. Although not strictly necessary, passive houses usually have a boxy exterior shape that makes it easier to maintain a good thermal envelope.
Efficient heat recovery. Passive homes have ventilation systems that draw a continuous supply of fresh air. Incoming air passes through heat exchangers that reclaim the energy in outgoing warm air. If necessary, incoming air can also be passed through underground ducts to pick up geothermal energy.
Passive solar heating. Southern-facing, unobstructed windows with “triple low- emissivity glazing and superinsulated frames” capture more solar energy than they let out.
The TerraPass Footprint –
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21. Passive Solar Home Thermogram
The dark colours on this thermogram of a Passive house (right) show how little heat is escaping compared to a traditional building (left).
Definition of passive house is: “A Passive House is a building, for which thermal comfort can be achieved solely by post heating or post cooling of the fresh air mass, which is required to fulfill sufficient indoor air quality conditions - without a need for recirculated air”. Some countries have their own standards that define passive house in more strict way. In Germany the term passive house refers to the rigorous, voluntary, Passivhaus standard for energy efficiency in buildings. In Switzerland is in use similar standard - MINERGIE-P. It is estimated that the number of passive houses around the world range from 15,000 to 20,000 and the vast majority have been built in German-speaking countries or Scandinavia.
The Passivhaus standard for central Europe requires that the building fulfills the following requirements:
The building must not use more than 15 kWh/m² per year in heating and cooling energy.
Total energy consumption (energy for heating, hot water and electricity) must not be more than 42 kWh/m² per year
Total primary energy (source energy for electricity and etc.) consumption (primary energy for heating, hot water and electricity) must not be more than 120 kWh/m² per year
To get some perspective on those requirements, we can compare house built to meet Passivhaus standard with houses build to meet local regulations in some countries:
In the United States, a house built to the Passive House standard uses between 75 and 95% less energy for space heating and cooling than current new buildings that meet today's US energy efficiency codes. The Passivhaus in the German-language camp of Waldsee, Minnesota uses 85% less energy than a house built to Minnesota building codes.
In the United Kingdom, an average new house built to the Passive House standard would use 77% less energy for space heating, compared to the Building Regulations.
In Ireland, it is calculated that a typical house built to the Passive House standard instead of the 2002 Building Regulations would consume 85% less energy for space heating and cut space-heating related carbon emissions by 94%.
Building costs for passive house were in past much higher than building costs of regular house, but with technology development and higher demands for specifically designed Passivhaus building products costs are now much lower. For example, in Germany it is now possible to construct Passivhaus buildings for the same cost as those built to normal German building standards because of increasing competition in the supply of the specifically designed Passivhaus building products.
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22. Whole House Design Systems Approach
Elements of Your Home
Appliances & Home Electronics
Insulation and air sealing
Lighting and daylighting
Space and cooling
Water Heating
Windows, doors & skylights
Designing and constructing an energy-efficient house requires careful planning and attention to details. A whole-house systems approach can help you and your architect develop a successful strategy for incorporating energy efficiency into your home's design.
A whole-house systems approach considers the interaction between you, your building site, your climate, and these other elements or components of your home:
Appliances and home electronics
Insulation and air sealing
Lighting and daylighting
Space heating and cooling
Water heating
Windows, doors, and skylights.
Builders and designers who use this approach recognize that the features of one component in the house can greatly affect other components, which ultimately affects the overall energy efficiency of the house.
These are some benefits of using a whole-house systems approach:
Reduced utility and maintenance costs
Increased comfort
Reduced noise
A healthier and safer indoor environment
Improved building durability.
You can use the whole-house systems approach with any home design. Using this approach, you also might consider designing a home that generates its own electricity.
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23. Ultra-Efficient Homes
Design Features
Climate-specific design
Passive solar heating and cooling
Energy-efficient construction
Energy-efficient appliances and lighting
Solar water heating system
Small solar electric system.
An ultra-efficient home combines state-of-the-art, energy-efficient construction and appliances with commercially available renewable energy systems, such as solar water heating and solar electricity. The combination offsets or mitigates a home's energy use.
Ultra-efficient homes optimize and include the following design features:
Climate-specific design
Passive solar heating and cooling
Energy-efficient construction
Energy-efficient appliances and lighting
Solar water heating system
Small solar electric system.
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24. Ultra-Efficient Homes
Advantages
Improved comfort — an energy-efficient building envelope reduces temperature fluctuations
Reliability — an ultra-efficient home can be designed to continue functioning even during blackouts
Energy security — a home that produces energy protects its owner from fluctuations in energy prices
Environmental sustainability — an ultra-efficient home saves energy and reduces pollution
These homes have a number of advantages:
Improved comfort—an energy-efficient building envelope reduces temperature fluctuations
Reliability—an ultra-efficient home can be designed to continue functioning even during blackouts
Energy security—a home that produces energy protects its owner from fluctuations in energy prices
Environmental sustainability—an ultra-efficient home saves energy and reduces pollution
The U.S. Department of Energy has partnered with building professionals and organizations to further develop ultra-efficient homes.
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25. Energy Efficiency Rebates
Created by the government and most are carried out by the utilities
Mass Save
Energy Star Products
Mass Save has hundreds of rebates listed on their website. They also have energy efficiency techniques for homes, businesses and professionals, ranging from contractors to

26. Energy Efficiency Rebates
The two utilities in the Boston Area who offer rebates are National Grid and NStar
Rebates can apply to:
Lighting and appliances
Income eligible programs
Heating and cooling
Building a house or addition, Retrofits
Programs for multi-family home owners

27. Lighting and Appliance Rebates
A $50 rebate for purchasing an eligible EnergyStar refrigerator or freezer
The utility company will pay you $50 to come pick up your second fridge or freezer!
Order a Smartstrip by Dec 31st and get a $10 rebate and free shipping
A $50 rebate is available when you purchase an eligible Energy Star refrigerator or freezer in 2011
$20 towards purchase of energy star qualified room air cleaners bought in 2011.
$200 towards purchase of eligible energy efficient pool pumps
Buy an EnergyStar qualified desktop computer and receive $10 incentive. Buy an EnergyStar qualified monitor and receive $20 incentive.

28. Heating and Cooling Rebate Terms
Energy Factor
Water Heater Efficiency
Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) Rating
Overall efficiency rating in a typical application over 1 year
Electronic Commutated Motor (ECM)
Used with HVAC systems
The energy factor (EF) indicates a water heater's overall energy efficiency based on the amount of hot water produced per unit of fuel consumed over a typical day. This includes the following:
Recovery efficiency – how efficiently the heat from the energy source is transferred to the water
Standby losses – the percentage of heat loss per hour from the stored water compared to the heat content of the water (water heaters with storage tanks)
Cycling losses – the loss of heat as the water circulates through a water heater tank, and/or inlet and outlet pipes.
AFUE rating is not necessarily an absolute rating of the energy efficiency of a piece of equipment, but instead intended to indicate what the overall efficiency would be in any typical application over the course of a whole year. This is what people really would like to know when they purchase heating and furnace equipment, so they can get an idea of what it is going to cost to operate compared to what they have now.
For example, if a furnace has an AFUE rating of 50%, what that means is that for the energy value of the fuel to operate that furnace over the course of a typical year, only 50% of the energy went to heat the home
These are systems that have a higher efficiency rating than the HVAC equipment that has the typical electric blower or condenser fan motor. The ECM (Electronically Commutated Motor) uses less energy than the standard PSC motor that is commonly used in air handlers and condensers to mover air. The ECM motor also offers more control also which has good benefits in HVAC applications.
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29. Heating and Cooling Rebates
$100 rebate for an Energy Star-rated storage water heater with an Energy Factor greater or equal to .67.
$500 for qualifying condensing water heaters
$400 for qualifying indirect water heaters
Upon installation of an add on outdoor boiler, a reset control attached to your existing forced hot water boiler means you will qualify for a $200 rebate from National Grid.
$400 rebate for a natural gas warm air furnace with an electronic commutated motor (ECM) an an AFUE Rating greater or equal to 92 percent.
$300 for customers replacing an existing oil/propane fire tankless or freestanding hot water heater with an indirect fired water heater
$25 toward the purchase and installation of an EnergyStar qualified or seven day thermostat that controls an oil or propane fired heating system
75% off up to $2000 towards insulation upgrades
up to $100 for qualifying storage, tank-type water heaters
$200 rebate for after market boiler reset controls connected to a natural gas boiler.
$400 rebate for a high-efficiency indirect fired water heater connected to a natural gas heating system.
$50 rebate for an ENERGY STAR-rated storage water heater with an Energy Factor greater or equal to .62.
Installing a boiler reset control can increase your boiler's efficiency. By differentiating between colder and milder weather, the control signals the boiler to operate at an applicable level, saving ten percent or more on your heating costs.

30. Heating and Cooling Rebates cont.
Receive up to $1,600 after you install a combined high efficiency boiler and water heating unit with the right AFUE rating
Up to $1,500 for a natural gas hot water boiler with the right AFUE rating
Up to $800 rebate for a natural gas warm air furnace with an electronic commutated motor (ECM)
$800 rebate for an on-demand water heater with an Energy Factor greater or equal to .95 with an electronic ignition.
Up to $800 for qualifying on-demand tankless water heaters
$1,600 rebate for a combined high-efficiency boiler and water heating unit with an AFUE rating greater or equal to 90 percent
$1,500 rebate for a natural gas hot water boiler with an AFUE rating greater or equal to 96 percent.
$1,000 rebate for a combined high-efficiency boiler and water heating unit with an AFUE rating greater or equal to 85 percent

31. Heating and Cooling Rebates
Mail in rebates of up to $500 for purchase and installation of high efficiency central air conditioning units
Up to $500 towards purchase of a new high efficiency oil or propane fired heating system
$500 Rebate for a heat recovery ventilator.
$500 rebate for a natural gas hot water boiler with an AFUE Rating greater or equal to 85 percent.
$500 rebate for a condensing natural gas water heater with a thermal efficiency of 94 percent or greater.
$500 rebate for an on-demand water heater with an Energy Factor greater or equal to .82 with electronic ignition.
Up to a $600 rebate for a natural gas warm air furnace with electronic commutated motor (ECM) and an AFUE Rating greater or equal to 94 percent.
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32. Deep Energy Retrofit
National Grid Pilot Program for gas and electric customers in MA and RI
Max Incentive for an above average sized single family building is $42,000
Candidates must be able to make their own significant financial investment and only a limited number of projects are accepted.
Costs after incentives for accepted candidates will be $35-60,000
Candidates must team up with a contractor or designer with relevant experience to identify and propose deep retrofit projects
Must be a National Grid customer who heats with natural gas for 1-4 unit buildings, heat with electricity for 5+ unit buildings
“The objective is to enhance the building envelope, increase the home’s energy efficiency, and decrease the costs associated with heating and cooling the home.”
This super insulation upgrade is called a “Deep Energy Retrofit”. A whole house deep energy retrofit may result in energy saving of over 50%, as well as reduced air pollution and a more comfortable and better quality home.

33. Appliances and Home Electronics
20% of household energy bills come from appliances and electronics such as:
Clothes washers and dryers
Computers
Dishwashers
Audio equipment
Refrigerators and freezers
Air conditioners
Televisions and DVD players
Water heaters
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34. Government-backed symbol (EPA & DOE)
ENERGY STAR
Government-backed symbol (EPA & DOE)
Easy to identify and purchase energy-efficient products
Save on energy bills without sacrificing on performance or features (2010 saved $18 billion on utility bills, GHG emissions equivalent from 33 million cars)
If product costs more than non- efficient competitors, investors can recover investment in a reasonable amount of time
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35. Using ENERGY STAR Appliance Savings Refrigerator $165 (lifetime)
Clothes Washer
$135 (annually)
Fill 3 swimming pools (lifetime)
Computer
$88 (lifetime)
Dishwasher
$40 (annually)
3 loads of laundry (weekly)
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36. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, $300 million
Rebates towards new ENERGY STAR qualified appliances
MA allocated $6,235,000 to 39,000 residents in 3 hours on April 22, 2010
December 31, 2010: $207 million was distributed to 1.4 million customers. This equates to annual energy savings of 1.4 trillion Btu
Program still open in 22 states
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37. ENERGY STAR Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
Pay for themselves in about 6 months
Designed to last 6,000 hours (more than 5 years based on typical use)
Average household has 30 bulbs
30 x $30 savings= $900 total savings
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38. ENERGY STAR Light Bulbs: Something to think about…
If every American home replaced 1 old light bulb with new 1 ENERGY STAR light bulb…
Save enough energy to power 3 million homes for a year
$600 million in annual energy costs
Prevent greenhouse gas emissions of equivalent of 800,000 cars
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39. ? ? ?
Any Questions?
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40. References: www.flaseref.org/SunBuilt_Presentation.ppt
"Stretch mortgage dollars with energy efficiency." Consumers' Research Magazine 76.3 (1993): 29. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 23 Apr
Knoblauch, Jessica A. “Money Matters – Flex Your Mortgage: Energy Efficient Mortgages Expand Your Green Options.” Green Living. July/August 2009
 Gerarden, Todd. “Rebuilding Mortgages for Energy Efficiency” Federation of American Scientists (FAS)
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