Category Archives: Conservation

5 Things to consider when replacing your heating system

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A big old boiler

#1: Research replacement systems before your current system dies

Hopefully, you’re reading this before you need to replace your heating system. Other than buying a car, a new heating system is likely to be the biggest single item you’ll purchase for your home. And just like a car, you want to do your research before plunking down the the ten grand on something you’ll be living with for years.

Unfortunately, most people wait until their heating system dies – usually in the dead of winter. What ensues is an emergency phone-call to your “heating guy” who will either replace your system with exactly the same, inefficient, old unit you already have or whatever he’s got on the truck, most likely the latter.

You wouldn’t buy a car this way, would you? You wouldn’t call your car dealership and say “my car broke down, sell me what you’ve got. Maybe give me a few options for different cars.”

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Don’t let hacks destroy your home

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A once beautiful tree, destroyed by shady contractors

About every five years, some contractor does something horrible to my home and each time I swear it will never happen again. It’s things like this that convinced me to get into the consulting business in the first place. There’s only so much you can know so what’s a homeowner to do?

First, let me describe what happened here. Continue reading →

Ask questions!

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I’ve been getting great questions and feedback from readers, but I know many people are “shy” about participating in these public discussions. I strongly encourage you to ask anything – there’s a good chance that there are lots of other people wondering the same thing, so your questions will help others.

I choose a lot of the content that I write based on the questions I get both on and off-line. So there’s a good chance that I’ll end up writing an article inspired by your questions.

As we head into the new year, I look forward to hearing from many more of you who are helping to make Ted’s Energy Tips one of the most read energy efficiency sites on the web!

-Ted

Christmas brings puppies

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This years holidays brought the sad loss of one of our family members (Baltar) and the addition of two new dogs, Wilbur and Ripley.

Wilbur is a 3-year old Cocker Spaniel that we got from a rescue. Ripley is a 7-week old Basset Hound / Cocker mix, same are our beloved Baltar.

Since I’ve had no time to think about energy efficiency, I figured I could share a few pictures of our dogs. This is a great time to peruse the archives and read older articles that you might have missed the first time around!

Baltar and me swimming this summer

Baltar was only 3 when he was taken from us due to kidney failure arising from Lyme disease.

Wilbur

Ripley

Insulating walk-in attics

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A walk-in closet behind a knee-wall

Most walk-in attics are behind knee-walls – those little walls about 3′-5′ tall that intersect the sloping roof line. Usually the entire space would have been an attic, but they were reclaimed for living space and a wall was installed to make a bonus room. The resulting rooms are often neglected and poorly conceived and are the least comfortable areas of the house. In addition, their design leads to a variety of insulation and moisture problems that can be tough to rectify. Continue reading →

Attic insulation problems and solutions – Part 2

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Fiberglass insulation against roof deck plus moisture = roof failure

In the first post, we looked at how adding insulation could lead to frozen pipes if the insulation was put in the wrong location. But, just like a sweater, if you put everything you want to be warm inside the insulation, you can keep your house and pipes happy and energy efficient.

This time, we’re looking at how to install insulation properly so that you don’t rot out your roof. Unfortunately, the photo above shows how not to insulate under your roof!

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When can adding insulation cause problems?

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What happens if you add insulation?

Sometimes, attics and insulation can be confusing. Usually they make a lot of sense, but occasionally, they’re really confusing! So when people ask “how do I insulate my attic?” – the only correct answer is: “it depends…”

Suppose you purchased this house this past October. You get your first electric bill and it’s  really high, so, after reading Ted’s Energy Tips,  you go up to the attic to look for problems and find this. “Holy cow!” you think – not only is there a space heater up in the attic, there’s all this missing insulation.”

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LED Christmas Lights

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As you shop this holiday season, you’re probably seeing a lot more LED Christmas lights. Their colors are more vibrant and they’re vastly more energy efficient than conventional incandescent Christmas lights. But do they pay off?

Let me ask you something – when you buy a string of lights for decorating, are you thinking “what is the cost-benefit ratio of these lights?” Or, are you thinking “will these look good in my house?” Me personally? I’m thinking that I hope they last for more than one season and I don’t spend next Christmas searching all day for that one burned out bulb! Few things put me in a foul mood faster during the holiday season than having to waste time. I’ve purchased a variety of LED light sets. Some are fantastic, while others are too faint. But all have been reliable and none have burned out. This alone make’s it worth the $10-$20 per string.

What about energy savings?

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First winner – Ted Nadeau

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Congrats to Ted Nadeau for winning the compact moisture/temperature gauge. Ted’s fueled a great discussion on peak energy demand and conservation on the Ted’s Energy Tips Facebook page. Join now and share your knowledge with others to help make a greener tomorrow.

A special thanks to Mr. Tight-Watt’s Energy Page on Facebook and on the web. There’s always great efficiency tips to be learned there.

http://www.tight-watt.com/aspx/TightWatt/Default.aspx

Doing your own energy audit and save energy – step 1: Open your eyes

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What is your house telling you?

During the winter, as I look around, houses yell out to me. Do they speak to you?

Look at this photo. It’s a beautiful day after a light snowfall. Half of the roof has virgin snow. The other half is totally melted. Clearly, the melted side is losing energy compared with the other side.

This winter, I encourage you to look at your roof after a cold night. If some of the roof is covered with frost or snow and some isn’t, ask yourself why? Sometimes, you’ll think that it’s the Sun melting the snow, but this photo is a perfect example. The roof faces south and gets lots of sun. Half isn’t melted, so obviously, it’s NOT the sun melting the snow.

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