To the Editor:
It may interest your readers that in 2008 the Midcoast Green Collaborative conducted 90 home energy audits. Based on our findings each homeowner received a detailed report outlining our recommendations for a staged plan to reduce their energy consumption.
The idea is to start with energy conserving measures that are easy and inexpensive to implement, then go on to reduce energy consumption further, following a logical plan.
Following our first stage recommendations, the 90 houses audited will reduce their annual energy consumption by an average of 688 gallons of oil (or 1046 gallons of propane) and their atmospheric carbon emissions by 1097 tons per year.
The monetary value of these savings depends on the current cost of heating fuel used. For example, when fuel oil costs $2.39, the average homeowner will save $1644 per year, at $2.50 $1720, at $3, $2064, at $4, $2752 and so on.
We have found that in the average house the most dramatic energy savings (270 gallons of oil per year) come from sealing air leaks throughout the home by such simple measures as caulking and weather-stripping. Some of these leaks are easy to spot but others require a blower door test, which is part of an energy audit.
Next on the list is insulating your basement (176 gallons/year); however the method of insulation will vary from house to house as care must be taken to avoid creating moisture problems.
Another, easy and rewarding step (100 gallons of oil saved per year) is installing inside storm panels on your windows (see our web site, below, for detailed do it yourself instructions). Adding an additional R-20 layer of insulation to your attic (after all the leaks have been sealed and a vapor barrier has been properly installed) will save an additional 72 gallons of oil annually.
All these are average numbers – you may save more or less, depending on the energy performance of your home.
This is a relatively cold winter and we are quite lucky that, thanks to the deepening economic crisis, fuel prices are much lower than last winter’s highs. Current economic conditions, with most prices dropping, present us all with a unique opportunity to button up our homes “on the cheap”, guided by an energy audit.
For people of modest means there are low interest loans available for such energy up-grades from the Maine State Housing Authority (www.mainehousing.org). It is a smart investment, for only a fool could believe that winter heating costs will stay low permanently. Our modest spending may even help the economic recovery.
The Midcoast Green Collaborative is a non-profit collaborative effort by area citizens to address the problems of greenhouse gas emissions and our dependence on imported fossil fuels as a way of contributing to economic revival. For more information and to arrange for an energy audit: www.midcoastgreencollaborative.org or call 563 5487 and ask for Paul.
Paul Kando
Damariscotta
