 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Resources give savings estimates for lighting, insulation measures Editor's note: The Energy Services Bulletin features real answers to real questions posed to our staff at the Energy Services Power Line. We hope you find it useful. Question: We need data on how much energy residential households could save by switching from incandescent to fluorescent light bulbs and installing adequate attic insulation. Do you have any publications or resources that would answer these questions? Answer: The following information pertains mostly to the whole of the United States; we have included some data on individual households as well. Lighting The first part of your question deals with switching from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps, also known as CFLs. In general, CFLs consume about a quarter of the energy used by incandescent bulbs to deliver the same amount of light. The California Energy Commission Consumer Energy Center offers more information. For a simple answer, add up all the wattage of the old bulbs and subtract the total wattage of the new CFLs. The difference is how much energy switching light bulbs saved. A consumer might not feel it would be cost effective to switch to more expensive CFLs for little-used locations like a guest bedroom closet, but the energy savings would remain about 75 percent, despite a very small savings in dollars. Compact Fluorescent Lighting, published by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, gives more information about energy savings from switching to CFLs. The most recent, complete study we found on the energy-saving potential of switching from incandescent to fluorescent lights was prepared in 1998 by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Energy Information Administration study found that: “If households replaced all incandescent bulbs used four or more hours per day with compact fluorescent lights, they could save 31.7 billion kWh annually, or 35 percent of all electricity used for residential lighting.” The EPA Energy Star program estimates that if every American home changed its five most used lights to Energy Star qualified lighting, each family would save more than $60 on annual energy costs. Moreover, the change would keep more than one trillion pounds of greenhouse gases out of our air. The ACEEE Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, 8th edition, 2003, includes the following table outlining the energy savings from replacing a 75-watt incandescent with 20-watt integral compact fluorescent:
The report is also available in most libraries. Insulation Your second question about the nationwide energy savings potential of installing “adequate attic insulation” was more difficult to answer because of the many variables involved:
Even the “adequate” level of insulation varies by climatic region. The Simply Insulate Web site, created by the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association in partnership with state and Federal energy and environmental agencies, lets homeowners look up recommended insulation by state. The ACEEE Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings advises that several factors affect individual household savings from insulation and other weatherization measures. Those include local climate and cost of energy, and individual heating and cooling requirements. DOE’s Insulation Fact Sheet gives full recommendations on insulation levels with explanations. The introduction notes that unless a home was constructed with special attention to energy efficiency, adding insulation will probably reduce utility bills. Even in a new home, adding insulation may reduce energy costs enough to pay for itself within a few years and increase the resale value of the house. For more information or other energy questions, call the Power Line at 1-800-769-3756. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  |