News & Events

04-03-10

Energy Metrics on historic preservation v. saving energy on Scientific American blog.

02-25-10

Energy Metrics on conservation v. efficiency at Mapawatt

02-25-10

Pingswept writes about an Energy Metrics blower door test.

02-13-10

The new Energy Metrics website goes live!

Energy Blog

02-15-10

Energy Monitoring: An Unexpected Benefit

02-14-10

Welcome to the Energy Metrics Blog

Rebates/Tax Credits

New rebates and tax credits are now available saving you up to 50% on your energy-saving improvements.

Energy Saving Tips

Change your habits

The easiest and most cost effective way to save energy and lower your utility bills is to change your habits. With all of these you'll have to weigh the convenience and comfort against the energy saved. Here is list of things you can do:

• Turn lights off when not in use.
• Lower your thermostat (lowering your thermostat 1 degree can save up to 10% of your heating bill).
• Take shorter showers.
• Turn down the thermostat on your hot water heater.
• Run your dishwasher only when it's full.
• Dry your clothes on a clothesline.

Tighten your building's envelope

Tightening your envelope can cut down on heat loss drastically. It is a fairly simple and cheap fix and almost always worth doing. It mainly involves finding air leaks to the outdoors and filling them up with caulk, spray foam or weatherstripping.

Windows

In general it isn't cost effective to replace your windows no matter how old they are. However, storm windows are a cheap and effective way to decrease air infiltration and increase a window's insulating properties. If you already have exterior storms, make sure they are all closed. If you don't have storms, consider installing them. You can also install interior storms to make your windows even tighter.

Appliances

Upgrade any appliance that is more than 20 years old to an Energy Star one. The payback on these is typically around 3 years.

Hot Water

Many people don't realize that heating water uses a lot of energy. Use this list to cut down on your hot water usage:

• Turn down the thermostat on your hot water heater. Hot water heaters are typically set at 140 degrees when 120 degrees is perfectly adequate.
• Install low flow shower heads.
• Install a heat recovery system on your drain pipe. This works by transferring the heat from the hot water going down your drain to the cold water your water heater is heating.
• Consider replacing your hot water heater with a newer more efficient one.

Lighting

• Replace incandescent lights with CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) where applicable.
• Install motion sensors in places like the garage and outdoor lighting.
• Install fluorescent lights where light color is not an issue, like in the basement, garage or laundry room.
• Install skylights or sun tunnels to light dark areas in the daytime.

Heating and Cooling

• Tighten your building's envelope to reduce air infiltration.
• Install insulation.
• Use a programmable thermostat.
• Replace the filter on your furnace at least once a year.
• Replace old furnaces, boilers, and AC units with more efficient ones.