Dear Eco-Ed,

I am seeking a way to cool my 1924, 4 bedroom home, which only has 2 small room units, lath walls and no insulation.

What environmental solutions can you suggest?

- Bill T.

Dear Bill,

Thanks for your question. A very common one with the older homes. Where are you located? There are many other factors to consider to give you a concrete answer, but here are some facts:

Sounds like your home may be balloon-frame construction, with no insulation in the walls. Also sounds like you have a hydronic heating system (steam or hot water). If in direct sunlight, the plaster/concrete heats up more quickly. You may have a whole house fan already installed, which can use the natural heat rising (“stack effect”) to exhaust warmer air out of the attic. A relatively efficient option for Air Conditioning is a ductless mini-split system, which will avoid having to cut through plaster and add soffits for ductwork. Another option, which is less efficient, but effective is running a low-profile ducted system through those wall cavities.

Either way, you will want to air seal and insulate the home in conjunction with adding an A/C system, so that the home keeps the heat out more effectively (and keeps the heat in better in winter).

Dear Eco-Ed,

There has been a lot of buzz about solar panels. Would it save energy for my home? Are they expensive? How do I get started?

- Let the Sun Shine In

Dear Let the Sun Shine In,

If your end goal is to look for solutions to offset your current energy usage and reduce your energy bill, then solar panels may be a good solution for you to investigate for your home.

Solar panels are a clean and renewable energy source, and produce energy that could then power your home or even heat your hot water. They do not produce pollution when generating electricity, and reduce the stress on our power grid, on hot and sunny days, when it is needed the most.

Here are a couple of things for you to consider when making your decision:

1. Does your roof have a predominantly southern exposure? Is it unobstructed year round from shading from branches, trees and/or other buildings? Remember solar panels do need sun in order for it to generate energy. Southern exposure will provide the most sun coverage in all seasons.

2. How old is your roof? The panels have an expected life of at least 25 years. If you install them on an old roof with only 5 to 10 years of useful life remaining, you may spend a lot more than expected to take them off, change the change, and put them back again.

3. Are you planning on other energy conservation projects in your home? Remember that a Negawatt of energy saved by conservation is better than a Megawatt generated by a renewable energy source.

You may hear from some that the cost of installing solar panels may be prohibitive. While not cheap, there are multiple financing options put in place by the Board of Public Utilities, the State and Federal government to make the purchase a more attractive option. One supplier I have worked with provides an option for no money down, and it has a positive cash flow from the date of installation.

Right now, there is a quadruple financial benefit, which makes the payback period for installing solar very manageable, at roughly 6-8 years for most homeowners.

1. The Federal government just lifted the cap on tax credits for installing solar panels. That credit covers up to 30% of the installed cost of a solar array.

2. The State just re-introduced their rebates, at $.15 per watt. If you conduct an energy audit first and then install the solar, the rebate goes to $.175 per watt. On a full sized array, that equates to a rebate of $15,000 - $17,500!

3. For each kilowatt-hour generated by the array, a Renewable Energy Credit (REC) will be given to the homeowner. Each REC has a target sales price of a minimum of $475. Last month, they sold for a price of over $600.

4. PSE&G has a loan program to keep the up-front costs down for the panels. 5. Do not forget the “free” electricity generated by the array itself. Interested?

Here is how you can get started:

Contact a certified energy auditor to do a complete home energy and comfort check for your home.

Contact a reputable solar company to provide an assessment for your home.

Good luck and feel free to contact me if you need further guidance.

Dear Eco-Ed,

Winter is finally upon us. My house was freezing this weekend and no matter how high I set my thermostat it was still drafty and cold! With the economy in the slumps, I prefer to spend as little money as possible to get the warmth! Should I go out and just buy a few space heaters? HELP!

- Not Fond of Winter

Dear Not Fond of Winter,

Space heaters or electric heaters may be good if you use it in a workshop, a room not often used, or a room that does not have direct heat flow from a centralized heating system. However, I would not recommend it as a whole-house solution, as they are VERY expensive and may be dangerous to operate.

Here are ten tips that will help warm up your whole house without spending a lot of
money:

1. Know where the cold air is coming into your home. Some problem areas are easy
to identify, such as windows, doors, basements, etc. Do not forget to check your attic access area, if applicable.

2. For windows and doors that are leaking cold air into your home, seal with a
caulking or weather stripping products. You can go to your nearby Home Improvement store for help choosing the right product for your specific needs.

3. If you have screens on single pane windows, lower your storm windows. If not,
you can also consider using shrink-wrap to seal windows during winter.

4. Something that most people do not do during winter…. lock your windows! This
is not just a security measure; it will help to keep some of the cold air out.

5. Open up curtains and blinds during the day on east-, south and west-facing
windows to let the sun in to warm up the room naturally. Remember to close them again after dark to keep the heat in and cold out.

6. Remove any items obstructing your heating registers from moving warm air into
the rooms. If you have radiators, get some heat-resistant reflectors and slide them
between the radiators and the walls to send warmth into the room.

7. Do you have rooms in your house that are not used often? Turn off the heating
units in those rooms, and then shut the doors to keep warm air moving only in areas that you use.

8. Remember to take out air conditioning units from your windows if applicable.
Even if you think they are a pain to take out and then put back in during the summer. This will help you in keeping the warmth in and the cold out!

9. Especially when it is cold out, a warm roaring fire sounds great! Unfortunately,
most fireplaces draw the warm air out from the rest of the house and let cold air in! So minimize your use of your fireless. In addition, remember to shut the damper after each use.

10. Did you know that it is difficult to warm up interior air that is too dry? Try to
maintain your home’s relative humidity between 50 and 60 percent to help you with
heating your home.

One thing to keep in mind, cold is simply the symptom of issues around your house.

Discovering the root causes and resolving them is to key in keeping you and your family nice and toasty through the winter months. Finally, if after you go through these ten tips and it is still cold or drafty, you should consider hiring a professional to conduct a whole house energy audit to identify and pinpoint the root causes for you. They may even be able to fix some of the root causes as well!