How To Maximize Home Performance

 

Most of you are off to a good start with living “Green”. You have switched over to energy efficient light bulbs, sealed up some of the cracks around the house, and you are recycling. These are great steps, as you are beginning to understand the value of reducing, reusing and conserving. Now it’s time for you to move to the next level. There is so much more that you can do at home. We are here to help simplify the process.

Home performance can be confusing, you are seeing so many new and great ideas popping up everywhere and are be being pulled in many different directions, this can be overwhelming. The question is:

Where to Begin?

Affordable Comfort is here to help. We have sorted things out and put them into 3 easy-to-understand categories:

1-Thermal Boundary

2- HVAC

3 - Baseload.

Organizing your efforts this way will be less confusing and help simplify the process.  Please allow us to explain these categories in a little more detail.

Thermal Boundary

The thermal boundary consists of a continuous air barrier and plenty of insulation.

HVAC

HVAC equipment includes the furnace, air conditioner and ventilation. 

Baseload

The Baseload items include the appliances, electronics, lighting and water.

Everything that impacts the home’s energy use can be neatly put into one of these three categories. It really is that simple! Armed with this knowledge, you are ready to get started.

First things first, you will need to do an audit to check your current situation, then develop a management plan to address problem areas.

Lets start with understanding the thermal boundary. The thermal boundary consists of a continuous air barrier and plenty of insulation. You need to close up all the unintentional holes and make sure you have enough of the right kind of insulation. This thermal envelope includes your attic, walls and floors and if applicable, the basement and crawl space.

You need to take some time to inspect each of these areas carefully. In most cases, the builder did not make sure that everything was airtight and they probably did not install insulation to exceed building codes. Unfortunately, up until very recently the building code only called for R-30 in the attic.

The Department of Energy recommends we build up to R-49 or even R-60. 

So you can see that most homes have half the insulation required to achieve optimal efficiency and if your home is more than 15 years old in may be less than that because insulation can settle over time and have a diminished R-Value. The same can be said for the basement, walls, floors and crawl space. So you will need to carefully check all these areas.

Next, you will need take a look at your HVAC equipment. Technology has made a tremendous impact on the efficiency of Heating and Cooling equipment in the past 20 years. So if your home has older equipment it may be time to consider a newer and more efficient model. Many older furnace units are 70-80% efficient (if they are running at their peak performance). That means 20-30% of the fuel cost is wasted right from the start.  Newer units run at up to 95% efficient, so they save 25% or more on heating cost.  These same principles apply to our air conditioning units. This is why you need to check out your systems so that you know how efficiently they are operating.   

Up until the point that you are ready to invest in new equipment you need to keep your current equipment maintained, this will help to keep it running at peak efficiency. We recommend a once a year cleaning and checkup. This will save you money and can prevent the 911 service call on the hottest day of the year.

Finally we will finish up with the baseload items. These items consist of the electronics, appliances, lighting and water. Technology has really come a long way with helping manufacturers produce energy efficient appliances and electronic equipment.The Energy Star program makes it easy for us to know what models to choose.  

The good news is that you can do much of the baseload improvements yourself. 

There are a few small investments you can make that will help lower your baseload energy usage. For example, paying more for a CFL light bulb as opposed to the cheaper, inefficient bulbs will actually save you money both in usage and product costs, as these bulbs use less energy and last several years.  You can also purchase Smart Powerstrips. Many electronics such as stereos and computers use electricity even when powered off. Smart Powerstrips make sure these devices don't suck up power unnecessarily.  Lastly, you can upgrade older appliances to EnergyStar rated products, which are much more efficient and waste less energy. We need to take a survey of these items to identify the opportunities to increase efficiency.

Achieving optimal home performance does not need to be a complicated or expensive task. You can start saving money right away by taking care of a few things on your own, such as lowering baseload and cleaning/servicing your appliances. For bigger jobs, such as insulation, we are here to help.

How Regular AC Service Will Save You Money

Would you drive your car for an entire year without getting an oil change? I doubt it. Most people understand that paying for a regular check up keeps their car in good working order and avoids costly repairs and untimely breakdowns. AC service works in the same way. The difference is, AC tune ups won't just save you money in the long run, they could very well start saving you money right away. 

Spring Cleaning AC Service - now is the time!

There are certain temperature constraints when it comes to serving your AC. In order for the check-up to be accurate, the outside temperature can't be much lower than 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Spring provides the perfect window of opportunity - the winter chill is gone and the summer heat has yet to arrive. Now is the time to call up an HVAC tech to take a look at your AC and make sure everything is running smoothly.

What Does the Check Up Involve?

First, the tech will thoroughly clean your AC. You'd be surprised how great an effect dust can have on your AC's performance. Let's say your AC's fan is meant to run at 1500 cubic feet per minute. Even a thin layer of dust could cause the fan to slow down to 1400 cubic feet per minute, all the while using more power to give you less results.

The tech will also use meters to check several parts within your AC. While some components may still be functioning, that doesn't mean they are operating at their full potential. Sometimes components are slightly off, which means that before long, that component will simply cease to work. If your tech can spot the problem early on, you'll save money on the service call. More importantly, you'll avoid that horribly stressful (and expensive) 911 call on the hottest day of the summer when your house is full of both sides of the family. Don't you think a little tune-up is worth avoiding that disaster?

Let Affordable Comfort Make It Easy

We really want everyone to have a comfortable summer without spending a fortune on energy bills. To prove it, we're offering a spring special - $95 for any AC Tune-Up Service. Want it even cheaper? Like our Facebook page and we'll knock off another $15! All you have to do it head over to our Facebook page and Like our page. Then, click on "Timeline"and choose "Save Money with Us!" Here's a photo:

We look forward to serving you!

Installing Insulation: When to Update and How to Do it

 Much like every other part of your home, insulation needs an occasional update. All types of insulation hold their original R-Value for about 15 years. Remember, R-Value is a measurement of thermal resistance or heat transfer. The higher R-value a building has, the more resistant it will be to heat flow.

Insulation will maintain its R-Value for around 15 years as long as it was properly installed. That means that insulation installed at 10" will sink down to around 6" after those 15 years. If the contractors cheated a bit, the R-Value will have sunk even lower.

How Do Contractors Cheat?

Some contractors may fluff up the insulation more than it should be, which makes the attic look nice and full, for a short period of time. However, within a few weeks, the fluffed-up insulation will settle down quite a bit, leaving you with significantly less insulation than you need. This little trick saves the contractors money on material costs, while you get charged for the full amount. You can check on your attic a few weeks after installing insulation, but chances are you wouldn't even know what to look for. It's best to use a contractor you trust.

How will diminished R-Value affect the efficiency of my home? 

Insulation that has settled will still have some R-Value, but the lower the R-Value, the less efficient your insulation will be. Updating your insulation will help keep your heat in during the winter and your cool air in during the summer without making your heating and cooling systems work overtime, which will cost you big time on your energy bills.

Can I just add more insulation on top of what I already have?

While you can simply top off your insulation to get back up to the proper R-Value, it is not the recommended route. The downside of using this technique is that attics have a limited amount of space, which limit the capacity for insulation. Leaving the old insulation in will limit your ability to get to a higher R-Value. Another downside is that the old insulation will be dirty. This dirt can be brought into the house, polluting the air in your home.

What's the best solution?

The most effective solution would be our Hybrid System. This system uses a combination of spray foam (which will never settle) and cellulose. This system will last for 25 years or more. If the Hybrid System is not for you, you will need to remove your old insulation and install new insulation every 15 years.

How to Be Energy Efficient

There are so many ways to improve your home, whether it is during new construction or after construction has been completed. There are simple, inexpensive ways to make your home more efficient, which will not only save you money on your utility bills, but also minimize your carbon footprint. Here are a few tips on how to be energy efficient.

Let's break it down.

The four basic categories we need to look at are: insulation, air sealing, HVAC, and baseload. We'll take a look at what we can do to help, as well as what you can do on your own. All these steps will get you well on your way to a more energy efficient home with lower utility bills.

Insulation and Air Sealing

Over the past 20 years, Affordable Comfort has made over 10,000 homes more energy efficient. Of those 10,000, we can count on one hand how many houses had the proper amount of insulation installed before we began working on them. Chances are, your home could use a serious insulation update. The issue is, building codes are not really up to par with what would make your home energy efficient. The builders rarely want to go the extra mile and spend the extra money to provide your home with quality insulation.

It's the same story for air sealing. You may notice that certain areas of your home are draftier than others. Many people write this off as something that cannot be helped, but that is far from true. If you invest in updating the insulation and air sealing in your attic, you will feel an immediate difference in your home's comfort level. Plus, you'll see lower bills within the first billing cycle after your repairs.

Band sill insulation is another area of your home that has a very high return on investment. Band sills are the set of boards that sit on top of a foundation wall and run around the house. To better insulate band sills, we use a closed-cell 2-part spray foam insulation.

HVAC

HVAC equipment often comes with the home and simply sits there until it ceases to work. Just because your air conditioner, heater, water heater, etc is functioning, does not mean it is functioning efficiently. HVAC equipment generally has an expiration date of around 20 years, so if you are nearing that mark, you should take a look at how your equipment is functioning. You may want to consider updating appliances early and switching to something with the Energy Star logo, which guarantees a more energy-friendly system. If you don't have the extra room in the budget to replace everything at once, start replacing one or two appliances per year. The return on investment you see from the new Energy Star rated appliances will most certainly help fund any further updates.

What is baseload?

 Baseload is any energy use outside of heating and cooling. Basically, this is the amount of energy you use in your home during the months that neither your air conditioner nor heater is in use. Things such as refrigerators, lighting, small appliances and water heating are combined to create your baseload. Lowering your baseload will, of course, lower your energy use overall, so it's a good idea to take steps towards lowering it. The good news? Lowering your baseload is easy to do on your own.

Once again, switching to Energy Star rated appliances will be a huge help. You can also install energy efficient lighting in place of incandescent light bulbs. In fact, this will soon be mandated and incandescent light bulbs will cease to be manufactured, so you might as well switch over now. To save on water heater costs, you can lower your water heater by a few degrees and install low-flow showerheads and faucets. You will most likely barely notice a difference in your showers, but you will be saving a significant amount of money on water and water heating costs. Even installing a simple insulation blanket around your water heater will have a noticeable impact on efficiency.

What else can you do?

Outside of lowering your baseload, you can also make some simple air sealing changes to help keep conditioned air within your home. Visit your local hardware store and pick up some sealing supplies, then seal up your windows and doors throughout your home. You'll notice that the air near these windows are doors will feel similar to the air in the rest of your home. The sealing keeps the conditioned air in, and the outside air out.

If you are serious about becoming more energy efficient and aren't sure where to begin, give us a call. We can come out to your home and perform an energy audit that will let you know exactly where your home stands, as well as make recommendations. No obligations. Give us a call at 877-526-3202 or send us an email at info@affortablecomfort.biz.

YouthBuild Training Program - Giving Young People a Second Chance

YouthBuild USA has programs around the nation, but Affordable Comfort has a special relationship with the St. Louis chapter, as we currently employee three graduates from the program. We truly believe in this wonderful association and would like to get the word out about it.

YouthBuild is a program that accepts young men and women who might have had a rough time in life. They may be high school dropouts, or simply young people who are having a hard time getting started in the professional world. YouthBuild welcomes these young people into their program and gives them the skills they need to land a good job.

The YouthBuild program focuses on construction-related specialties such as weatherization, BPI, OSHA, and lead safe training. The hands-on training gives the students the skills they need to work in the industry, but the directors take it a few steps further. Young people in this program are also taught about the importance of reliability, respect, and other important life skills. YouthBuild recognizes that their students need to be stand up citizens as well as skilled workmen in order to start their career.

So what are people saying about?

"These guys are polite, that's refreshing," says David Femmer, owner of Affordable Comfort.

Femmer goes on to explain how Affordable Comfort got involved with this program and how it continues to be a trusted source for great employees. "We took 3 or 4 of these guys right away. One of the original guys we got from YouthBuild is now part of our management team."

When asked if he ever worried about the stereotypes surrounding a program that helps at-risk youth, Femmer shook his head and said, "YouthBuild doesn't send anyone they don't believe in. I can put them on the job right away."

How do YouthBuild participants feel about it?

Affordable Comfort currently employs 3 YouthBuild graduates, Rafael, Matthew, and Ricordo.

"I think YouthBuild is an extraordinary program. There are stereotypes about the program, some might say that they're trouble kids. Instead, they're just young men and women who need help," says Rafeael.

"They are more close knit and everyone is family there. Youthbuild has a lot to do with where I'm at in my life today. YouthBuild gave me many opportunities that I would not have received anywhere else. They taught me the leadership and life skills that will take me where I want to be in life. Honestly, I don't know where I would be if I was never a part of YouthBuild," adds Ricordo.

"They believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. They showed me it's OK to makes mistakes, that you can you fix them and, in a way I always knew I could do different things I just needed a little push and now I cant stop!" says Matthew.

This program really works.

This program shatters all the stereotypes that accompany at-risk youth. These men prove that with the right training and motivation, lives can be turned around and put back on track. Affordable Comfort is proud to employ YouthBuild graduates and will continue to look to them for quality employees.

Home Tax Credit Extended

As tax season comes into full swing, many of you are probably looking for any tax breaks you can get. The great news is a home tax credit that was valid through 2012 was just extended through 2013. Homeowners can claim up to $500 in tax credit to cover material costs of energy-efficient upgrades to existing homes. This means that homeowners who made these upgrades during 2012 are also eligible for the credit, along with anyone who wishes to upgrade their home during 2013. \

Great news!

 So what does it cover?

 The tax credit can be applied to any of the following upgrades:

•    Insulation - Additional insulation to walls, ceilings, or other part of the building envelope that meets the 2009 IECC (& supplements) specifications.

• Windows - 10% of material cost, up to $200 for replacement windows and skylights, and exterior doors that meet EnergyStar requirements.
• Windows must be equal to or below a 0.30 U factor and a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of 0.30. Storm windows that meet the IECC in combination with their paired external window are eligible (taking into account the applicable climate zone). Storm doors paired with U-factor rated wood doors are eligible provided they do not exceed the default U-factor requirement for the combination. See the 2009 IECC for details.
• Window Films -The product must meet the requirements of a "qualifying insulation system" and be manufacturer certified.
•   Home Sealing - Sealing cracks in the building shell and ducts to reduce infiltration and heat loss in a manner consistent with the 2009 IECC.
• Electric Heat Pump - Must yield an energy factor of at least 2.0 in the standard Department of Energy test procedure.
• Natural Gas & Propane Furnaces - Credit of up to $150 for furnaces that meet an Annual Fuel Use Efficiency (AFUE) 95 or higher. Oil furnaces and gas, oil and propane boilers must meet an AFUE of 90 or better.
• Central air Conditioning Units and Air-Source Heat Pumps - Credit of up to $300 for units that meet the highest tier standards set by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) as of February 17, 2009, which in most cases requires a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of 16.
• Natural Gas, Propane, or Oil Water Heaters - Must have an energy factor of at least 0.82 or thermal efficiency of at least 90 percent.
• Biomass Fuel Property - A stove that burns biomass fuel to heat a dwelling unit located in the United States and used as a principal residence by the taxpayer; or to heat water for said dwelling unit, and must have a thermal efficiency rating of at least 75 percent.

What if I already upgraded?

If you made any of these upgrades during 2012, you can claim the $500 tax credit on your 2012 tax return. Just tell your tax preparer that this is listed under section 25C of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

How can this help during 2013?

 

The tax credit can only be claimed once, so if you plain to claim it on your 2012 taxes, you will not be able to use it again in 2013. However, if you were on the fence about any energy-efficient upgrades before, this should certainly push you in the right direction.

Energy efficient upgrades already have a very high return on investment, as they lower your utility costs and eventually pay for themselves. Now, thanks to this tax credit, you can speed up that return on investment quite a bit. If you make any of the eligible upgrades during 2013, you can expect up to $500 back from your 2013 tax return. Not a bad deal, right?

So how do I know what I need?

You can leave that up to us. We can take a look at your home and figure out exactly what you need to make your home more energy efficient. We can also help make sure that any and all upgrades are eligible for this particular tax credit. Just give us a call at 877-526-3202 or send us an email at info@affordablecomfort.biz.

Are Your Heating Your Home or The Neighborhood?

With the first snow falling just a couple weeks ago, we think it's safe to say that winter is upon us.

Snow is actually a great way to figure out whether your are simply heating your home or all the air around it.

Take a look at these photos:

These photos were both taken 2 days after the snow had originally fallen. The first photo is the home of an Affordable Comfort employee. The second photo shows his neighbor's home. Each house sits in direct sunlight, on the same street - so why is one roof still covered in snow two days after the original snowfall?

That's the difference insulation can make. 

Thanks to proper insulation, home #1 is staying nice and toasty on the inside without letting all the expensive heat escape through the roof. Home #2 is paying much more money just to keep the same comfort level as home #1, simply because their insulation is not up to standards.

There is a good chance your insulation could use an update.

Chances are, the residents of home #2 feel pretty comfortable and haven't put much thought into their home's insulation in years. Their home may feel warm, which gives the impression of a properly insulated home. However, a quick look at these pictures shows that their insulation is not working as well as it could.

So what does your roof look like? 

If the snow melted off your home in no time after the last snowfall - it's time for an insulation update. Give us a call and we'll take a look. With all the financial incentive programs paired with the return on investment you will see on your lower utility bills, the repairs may ring up to a very reasonable rate.

Give us a call at 1-877-526-3203 or send us an email at info@affordablecomfort.biz.