Home Energy Magazine Blog

March/April 2010 Editorial: Home Energy Monitors

Mon, 1 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Home Energy Monitors, that is, devices that display a home’s energy consumption have been touted as Silicon Valley’s contribution to the national energy conservation effort. A Home Energy Monitor (or HEM) constantly informs the occupants of their home’s electricity and gas consumption, along with conversions to monthly costs and comparisons with previous periods. Some models can (or will) communicate with heating and air conditioning systems. These devices will enable consumers to more carefully manage energy consumption and quickly identify energy wasteful practices. A better-informed consumer, the theory goes, will take more actions to reduce energy use. This scenario is consistent with our belief that if we deliver energy information to the consumer they will act upon it.

Unfortunately an article in this issue suggests that HEMs don’t automatically save energy (see “The Net Impact of Home Energy Feedback Devices,” p. 20). In fact, the energy savings were, as the authors succinctly concluded “not statistically different from zero”. Furthermore, the participants in the study were highly motivated and actually paid to get the meters. If these consumers don’t save energy then what can we expect from the larger population? This evaluation is not alone: a soon-to-be-released report reviewing a large number of studies found similar results. Other evaluations in Europe and Japan also observed little or no energy savings from HEMs.

HEMs suffer from a variety of drawbacks, ranging from clunky user interfaces to voracious appetites for batteries. At least one cynic has called the HEMs “a technology in search of a problem” because monitoring a home’s energy use appears to be a wonderful application of advances in local networks and low-cost processing. HEMs today are also dropped into a lonely, inhospitable world where few other devices communicate with the same protocols (if they are able to communicate at all).

One underlying problem is that energy consumption events occur relatively slowly and rarely require the bandwidth of a webcam or audio stream. Put another way, watching home energy use on a display or on the Web is boring. Most people lose interest pretty quickly. The high attrition rates found in the Oregon study demonstrate this phenomenon.

Meanwhile, we haven’t exploited the information flows that are already in place, such as monthly energy bills. An experimental project in Gainesville, Florida, demonstrates how disclosure of monthly energy information can encourage friendly competition among neighbors. And, beyond competition, people can learn that their neighbors enjoy lifestyles similar to their own but with dramatically less electricity, natural gas and water (see Figures 1 and 2). This is a first step towards reducing energy use.

In spite of the negative results so far, I still support the development and installation of HEMs. The technology is so cheap that a HEM can pay for itself even if it saves only a few percent of energy use. A HEM may pay for itself by alerting users to high peak electrical use where utilities charge extra for it. A HEM can also serve as a useful diagnostic tool (and data logger for a high school science project). In the long run, the HEM will become less lonely when appliances are able to communicate and provide information that consumers actually find useful. All of this calls for much stronger pressure on manufacturers toward harmonization of communications protocols and greatly improved user interfaces.

But we shouldn’t fool ourselves, consumers aren’t going to check the displays of their HEMs like they visit their Facebook pages, and HEMs are going to save, at best, a tiny amount of home energy.

Response, Recovery, Rebuild

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

The three R's after any disaster are: Response, Recovery & Rebuild. Response is the first few days, as rescue workers try their best and aid begins arriving. Recovery is the next few weeks, as aid gets out into the field, roads get cleared, water and electricity is restored, sewers are fixed, and temporary accommodation built. But the biggest challenge is the long rebuild which can take months and years, and usually takes place when the world's attention has moved on.

THE PECHAKUCHA STORY

PechaKucha Night (http://pecha-kucha.org) was conceived in Tokyo in February 2003 by architects Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein as an event where young designers could meet, network and show their work in public. Over time, it has evolved into a massive celebration of creativity, with events regularly being held in over 270 cities. Last year, more than 6,000 presentations were given at +600 PechaKucha events.

Drawing its name from the Japanese phrase for the sound of conversation ("chit chat"), the PechaKucha format is simple – 20 images x 20 seconds – and designed to keep presentations concise and moving at a rapid pace: 20 seconds, 20 images, 200 cities, 2000 presentations, 200,000 people—with the aim to raise $1,000,000 for rebuilding Haiti.

The 280-city PechaKucha network is joining with Architecture for Humanity to help rebuild Haiti 20 seconds at a time. (Architecture is a volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to building a more sustainable future through the power of professional design. Founded in 1999, this design services firm channels the resources of the global funding community to meaningful projects that make a difference locally.)

As the simulcast show goes around the world from city to city, they are hoping that many experts and people with ideas and experience relevant to the issues in Haiti will come forward and make presentations. They hope to start a database of ideas, information, and experiences related to recovery and reconstruction, recorded in the PechaKucha 20x20 format, that can form a 'go to' resource for those involved in similar disasters and relief work in the future. The ultimate goal is to raise public awareness about what needs to be done (and what has been done in the past) in the event of a disaster.

FIND A LOCATION:

Find a location and join the conversation on the 20th. The city locator map and search function is here:
http://www.pecha-kucha.org/night/#night-sub

More about Architecture for Humanity: http://architectureforhumanity.org

More about Kechapucha: http://pecha-kucha.org

More about the founders of KechaPucha, Mark Dytham & Astrid Klein: http://klein-dytham.com

Interview: Living in Place with Larry Taff

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Larry Taff heads TZ of Madison, Inc., a long-time family business that performs remodels on homes with a much needed twist. His excellent designs and up-to-date knowledge of residential energy efficiency help aging people whose requirements are changing stay in their homes longer. TZ of Madison won also won the NARI of Madison Contractor of the Year Award for the Universal Design category for the 2nd year in a row. Larry will be speaking at the Better Business Better Buildings Conference, which takes place March 3-5, 2010 at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells, WI.

Leslie Jackson: I notice you have several certificates in home performance auditing, and it looks like some home performance contractor's certificates as well.

Larry Taff: It's an ongoing thing. It's a philosophy in our company to keep up with all the latest in support of our business focus of modifying homes for people with special needs to be able to stay in them safely for as long as possible.

LJ: Are other companies doing what you do?

LT: There are some. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) created CAP: the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialists. (By the way, I don't like the acronym. I prefer Living in Place). There are a number of people who have done it for as long as I have, or who have the background in the various needs. I have also in this past year worked with NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) in developing a new program they call Universal Remodeler. I've actually just received that certification. I helped write the questions as well as about six other people around the country. People are realizing that satisfying the changing needs of the aging is going to be a lot larger segment of the industry…and that additional communication will be needed in order to help people work through what they actually need.

LJ: How are you seeing your clientele change? I'm imagining sometimes they teach you something, sometimes you teach them something. Are you seeing their attitudes and things that they ask you for changing over the years?

LT: Madison is kind of a unique market in that most people are fairly well educated and have access to the internet. So I think most of the time they have more education on specific products than I have, because I don't have tome to research every particular product. But I try to bring them our broad knowledge of the whole building envelope and give them my experience in what we've done to all parts of the home.

LJ: And are they concerned mostly about comfort or expense or beauty? What are their priorities?

LT: In this market, the words I use are functionality and cost. We do everything from a simple window replacement to whole home remodels.

As an example we had a couple…They moved into the new home and they had a laundry room/mudroom that was very small and they wanted to make it larger…We drew the plans up and it was like $20,000…They didn't want to do that, and asked us if there was any way we could just get the laundry room upstairs…Looking at the options that included just getting a stacked washer-dryer, which gained them energy credits, and having their laundry closer to where they needed it, (saving them trips up and down the stairs), they decided to turn a third bedroom into a laundry room and take the machine out of their mudroom, making it larger. It's an example of energy efficiency and also the adaptability for somebody with special needs.

LJ: This kind of adaptation is helping some people to stay with their families longer.

LT: We just did a bathroom for a gal whose mother has been in a limited care facility for two years. She has some health issues and alzheimers. She was afraid she wasn't getting the care she really needed … When the daughter visited the rest home, there were hornets buzzing around her and she said, "That's it I'm going to move her back to my house." We installed a ramp so she could have zero steps going into the house and the mother is living at home now with the daughter… She has staff come in to be with her during the day…It also frees up some of her time because she isn't going back and forth. That's an example of sharing under a single household, as well.

LJ: That's a lovely model. I hope to see more of that, especially when someone is at the age to be between facilities: To need more support than living alone, but not as much support as a full-care facility.

LT: That happens most of the time. I can give many other stories like that. We won a project last year with NARI for a woman whose kitchen we modified so she could use it. She was in a wheelchair. She taught out of her home as a tutor and she loved to cook, but she has not been able to use the kitchen. We came in and modified it extensively so that now, she can.

There was another project like that…A person with MS for almost 24 years. She fell down and broke her ankle, but she couldn't go back home because her bath wasn't accessible. After we made it livable for her by widening doorways and installing rails etc, we figure that if she was able to stay in the home for 3 months it would pay for itself.

LJ: And people stay healthier longer, it seems, if they can stay in their own homes, and be with their own families.

LT: Especially if there's dementia and other issues like that, but if they are taken out of their homes and put into a strange facility that can be the last straw for their health.

LJ: When you go and speak at these conferences, is the focus this work that you do?

LT: It depends on what the audience is. I've given talks about this to the general public and the focus is more on the simple things you can do. In the presentation that I'm giving, I'm trying to explain to them why this is going to be much more a part of the market and what some of the things are they have to be aware of…It takes a lot more communication and time to work with clients with special needs. A lot of times, in the older generations, people would rather fall down than admit that they need grab bars, for example. It can be up to the contractor to think about and introduce safety issues, not just to the homeowner, but to their families, caregivers, or legal counsel, whoever may be helping out. You really need to know who the decision makers are.

…I've done enough of them that I know what the typical issues are going to be. If they have MS as an example and they know that that's going to be debilitating…and they can transfer from a bed to a commode by themselves now, but maybe three years from now they aren't going to be able to.

Also that's a part of universal design is what can we do, when you modify a bathroom that it doesn’t feel so sterile, that the grab bars don't put off the children, friends and caretakers who visit the house.

Also, making the public aware of the inevitable changes we go through and our changing needs in a home, I have put on seminars for the Madison board of realtors…I made them sit half of the seminar on a wheelchair to get a first hand experience if what I'm talking about.

LJ: What is Universal Design?

LT: They call it Universal Design, but it's really about being able to respond to a really specific set of needs. A Universal Design can be still modified or used by anyone. Universal means it can be used by the largest group of people.

The universal design part of a home and remodeling is really just part of the entire picture that you have to look at and understand how your home fits into what your needs are going to be and into the general public. Not every home is a candidate for a retrofit to accommodate the aging…If it's a tri-level on a hill and not on a bus line— or if it was so poorly constructed then it doesn't make sense to do some more investment.

I love to remodel. I live in a home that was built by my grandfather,

I'm living what I do. That's what I try to show: What people can do.

For more info about Larry Taff's company, TZ of Madison, Inc., go to: www.tzofmadison.com

Concrete Home: To Insulate or Outsulate?

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Yesterday, we got a letter from Martha: "We are in Texas. We have an all concrete home made of blocks and concrete roof. How can we insulate it? The home is about 2000 sq ft. And we cannot get it warm or cool enough with a new 5-ton central AC unit. Please help.

As a natural builder, my first response is wrap it in straw bales . The technique is described in Carol Venolia and Kelly Lerner's book, Natural Remodeling.

Resident scientist Steve Greenburg says, "My sense is that all that mass should be inside the insulation, so maybe rigid insulation on the outside of the concrete with e.g. stucco finish on the exterior walls and maybe a sprayed-on foam roof (with high albedo), if the roof is flat. Does it really have a concrete roof? (Oh, maybe concrete tiles?). Another issue is properly sealing and insulating the ducts. If the roof can't be externally insulated and the ducts are in the attic, spray foam on the underside of the roof might be the way to go. If the ducts are in a basement or crawl space, then sealing the ceiling, insulating the attic floor, and ventilating the attic might be better. Pay attention to the windows—exterior shading or at least Energy Star windows for summer, let the sunshine in in the winter—is also important. HE has done articles on all of these. Find a house doctor and have them do some diagnostics, look at the specifics of the home and site, and make recommendations on that basis.

Danny Parker of Florida Energy Center adds: "You are right Steve. Simulation suggests that insulating on the outside looks to be the most favorable option. This can be done with EFIS as we did in two experiments now, nearly 20 years ago. Stucco goes on the exterior of the insulation. Even R-5 on the exterior changes performance dramatically.

My guess is that this house has other problems. Ducts? Yes. Many homes in Texas have air handlers and ducts in the attic so likely it's leaky, with lots of conduction losses as well. A four-ton HP should cool and heat that size of house otherwise.

But if it has a concrete roof and the ducts are inside, then the HP itself has trouble--such as with a five-ton air conditioner outdoor unit matched with an old and poorly functioning indoor unit. (This is a terrible problem in Florida because AC contractors love to change the outdoor unit and not change the indoor one).

As for the concrete roof, it can be insulated on the exterior as well and covered with a white protective membrane, metal roof or other such assembly. R-30 is typically recommended.

What would you do?

January/February 2010: LEDs: Avoiding the CFL Debacle

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

The lighting efficacies of LEDs have been rising steadily and are poised to overtake CFLs. Fluorescents and CFLs still outshine LEDs with respect to general applications and cost of light, but LEDs are already superior for some niche applications and offer many new exciting illumination opportunities. Now we need to ensure that the reputation of this new energysaving lighting source won’t be undermined by a tidal wave of shoddy products. Tests for quality, efficiency, and durability of LEDs have been mostly established but it’s still a jungle out there in the marketplace. Here’s what a recent DOE report wrote about one LED:

Product 09-65 is sold in big-box retail stores and home improvement stores, but includes blatantly misleading product labeling, claiming to replace 40W incandescent lamps. In fact, initial testing (per LM-79) reveals that it only produces the light output of lower performing 15W incandescent candelabras. Longer-term testing reveals that it depreciates to a level of negligible light output after 1000 hours of continuous operation, negating all cost-savings claims on the packaging because they are based on 30,000-hour bulb life.¹

This is incredibly valuable information (indeed, the whole report is excellent) but wouldn’t you like to know who manufactured that LED? Sorry, that’s not exactly confidential, but it does take further research. If a consumer buys Product 09-65, do you think that she will soon buy a second LED? Not very likely. Does this sound like the history of CFLs? This leaves organizations eager to promote energy-efficient lighting in an awkward position. They want to promote purchases of energy-efficient lights with endorsements, incentives, and tax breaks. But in a scenario similar to CFLs, these actions will only accelerate a race to the bottom in quality… and in efficiency. These groups desperately need to attach minimum levels of quality, performance, and efficiency to the incentives before the market is awash in LED junk. We need to take strong action now to protect the reputation of future LEDs. In fact, a second DOE-sponsored report describing the lessons learned from CFLs recommended:

Be aggressive about dealing with technology failures that affect main benefit claims.²

OK, let’s be aggressive. Let’s name (and shame) manufacturers and retailers of shoddy LEDs (and CFLS for that matter). Third-party testing should play a crucial role. At the same time, we need international action to quickly establish temporary performance specifications for LEDs. Europe, Japan, Australia, and China are also confronting underperforming LEDs, so the action must be global. LEDs are particularly attractive replacements for kerosene lamps and candles, so we want good lights in Africa, too. An informal global agreement could create interim specifications that would fill the void until the standards organizations and regulatory agencies catch up. These interim specifications won’t be perfect, but they will be far better than none. A simple quality mark must appear on all complying products. Consumers will buy more energy-efficient LEDs sooner if they are confident that the lights have consistent reliability, efficiency, and quality.

1. http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/caliper_round-9_summary.pdf (page 25).

2. http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/ssl/cfl_lessons_learned_web.pdf
(page iii).

Photo by Evan Mills