There is a loan program offered in my county is interest free for home energy efficiency improvements. I had my home audited for energy efficiency as I'm curious what improvements I can do to save energy. Their recommendations are nothing I didn't expect.

- More attic insulation
- Duct sealing, insulation, & balancing. (My ducts have a 42% loss)
- Air sealing (outlets, switches, anything that creates a hole in the wall/ceiling basically)

They also recommend replacing my furnace, A/C, and water heater with high efficiency units. My question is, how much will they truly make a difference?

My current stuff (which is all in good shape):

Furnace - single stage, 80% AFUE (18 years old)
A/C - 10 SEER (12 years old)
Water Heater - 77% AFUE (6 years old)

They want to replace them with:

Furnace - multi-stage, 95% AFUE
A/C - 16 SEER
Water Heater - 96% AFUE

What kind of real-world energy savings would I see here? They tell me that I'd save

35% on heating costs
40% on cooling costs
35% on water heating costs

Are these real-world applicable? Would I truly see this?

 

Yes, you can expect to see those numbers, if you follow the manuals and operating instructions. You can also expect to have an ROI of about 3-9 years, depending on which appliance you want to upgrade and the cost of those appliances.

 

you will be surprised how much loss occurs... but i am also skeptical about dropping all that money on new furnace/ac unit since it is such a big one time hit to the wallet, sometimes you just prefer to pay out the nose every month on your energy bill instead...

gatr is right tho... if you plan to live in that house for a while, i.e.. 10 yrs, it would be a good investment, esp since you are getting an interest free loan... if you only plan to stay there a few yrs, don't worry about it...

 

Yea I have to agree with these guys. I have pretty much all new units in my 50+ year old house and they make a world of difference. My neighbors all use their hot water, appliances, AC and furnace the same way I do, yet their bills are about double mine in most areas.

 

I've been thinking about getting a home energy audit as well... but not sure who to go through for it. The solicitations in the mail just seem like they're more interested in making money... so no idea who to use.

 

In my area the power company performs it.

 

I went through a company called SolarCity. I saw a pamphlet for them at my local Home Depot and thought it wouldn't hurt. So far I'm happy with them. They mainly do solar panel installs (which I'm looking into as well), but they also do energy audits and the subsequent upgrades if you elect to have them done.

We have no plans to move any time soon, so I'm thinking about having it all done.

 

Unless done by the local power company, most home energy audits are just a way of home improvement companies to get in your door and pitch their wares. Beware of those and be ready for someone to try and sell you something, nobody works for free.

The rule of thumb is if your AC/water heater/ home insulation is more than 10 years old, a new system is worth the upgrade due to better designs in efficiency.

Better double pane glass windows and an attic with R45 or better are huge savers.

 

They run about $400-450 in the Seattle area, our energy company will subsidize the cost but you have to perform several improvements to get the rebate. I spent about $10-11K on a new heat pump/furnace/duct cleaning and saved about 45% on monthly costs right away.

 

this reminds me, i already bought all the attic insulation but haven't have a moment to put it all down yet...

 

We replaced our heat pump/central air last summer. We spent $4100 and got back a total of $1500 in rebates and tax credit. I don't notice a huge drop in our electric, but it did drop a tiny bit.

Our old unit was 10 years old and needed to be repaired or replaced, for not much more it was replaced.

 

Welp, it looks like the rep I was working with has dropped off the face of the earth...just as I was ready to pull the trigger and get things started.

 

16 Seer A/C. Dayum!

You also need to consider how much you'll have to put out vs. the return back into your wallet.

I'm not sure of your climate out there, but a variable speed furnace makes sense in certain circumstances... We're nearly there on building a new home, and I'm going to go with two 93% efficient furnaces vs. multi-stage 95/96. The return on money isn't there.

Also, you have to consider how tight your home is. If your windows are are junk, regardless of insulation, etc. You'll still lose.

 

replacing an old A/C unit for $5000 with the hopes of saving $50 a month for 4 months a year will take a long time to recoup the initial cost.

 

Would any of you guys consider Ceramic tinting of your windows as a way to save electricity?

 

Just received an e-mail from the rep...she's been out sick since last Wednesday. That explains it.

 

we tinted the windows at my office not long ago. Our temperature split was raised 4 degrees.

we still let it run all day, but im assuming if we set the ac to the temp. it used to achieve, that it would shut itself off throughout the day and save on the bill.

 

Duke Energy will do it for free....
http://www.duke-energy.com/north-car...house-call.asp