Fireplace Alternatives
“Traditional fireplaces draw in as much as 300 cubic feet per minute of heated room air for combustion, then send it straight up the chimney.” Even though modern designs of traditional fireplaces attempt to reverse the negative side-effects, “fireplaces are still energy losers.” (Energy.gov Wood & Pellet Burning)
Pellet stove with kettle by Edgewise.
I was really shocked to read that. I suppose I was under hypnosis of the flame, believing the illusion that because I, sitting next to the fire, was warm, the rest of the living spaces were warm too. Of course, I never noticed this energy drain because once I built a fire, I would stick around to enjoy it. However, recently I began to pay more attention to my home’s energy consumption, and I am becoming more aware of even slight environmental changes. I am realizing which rooms stay chilly no matter what, which windows leak, and whether or not using my fireplace is beneficial to my home’s climate.
In an Earlier Blog Post, we established that the fireplace is one of The Big 3 locations within your home where energy is lost. But we have this instinctual connection to fire, not to mention it can be quite cozy. Not everyone is ready to give up that fateful relationship. If you consider yourself one of those people, there are alternatives to traditional fireplaces. It is important, nonetheless, to keep in mind that wood burning is hazardous to your health and all the living things surrounding you; it is damaging to the environment and the atmosphere releasing hundreds of chemical compounds upon combustion. In addition, your family is breathing in a lot of soot and ash, as well as dust pulled into living spaces from drafts around your house. Increasing the efficiency of your wood-burning appliances will ensure a minimal effect on your family’s health and the health of your surrounding environment.
According to Energy.gov, wood and pellet burning appliances can be more efficient than hearth and chimney systems built into the home. Some of the options include catalytic and advanced combustion stoves, as well as pellet-burning appliances. When replacing older wood burning appliances remember to check for an EPA certification emblem on the new one.
Catalytic wood stoves and advanced combustion wood stoves produce more heat and clean their own exhaust. Heated oxygen is vented above the fire to lower the temperature of combustible gases, allowing them to burn longer. This more thorough method of heat production burns hotter, with less fuel, and safer, reducing the amount of creosote, the solid build-up of soot, ash, smoke, and other gases, inside the chimney.
Pellet- burning appliances use compacted organic fuel from repurposed scraps or other recycled products. This fuel is a more quickly renewable option than wood logs from trees. These stoves can be expensive to purchase, but low installation costs keep the price between wood and pellet burning stoves comparable. When it comes to smoke emissions, pellet stoves burn cleaner than any other option. Even still wood and pellet burning appliances only heat the space in which they sit, so they should be installed where a majority of your time is spent.
If this news comes too late, or you really enjoy the ambience, turn off the heat in your house before starting a fire to conserve energy. Catalytic or pellet-burning fireplace inserts are another way to increase heat production and energy efficiency of your existing fireplace. Also, modern fireplaces fitted with a heat exchanger can distribute heat to rooms around your house, or to a basement auxiliary fan. This can make your fireplace nearly as efficient as a wood-stove, while achieving an EPA certified status of low emissions.
Professional installation of not only fireplace inserts, but wood and pellet burning appliances, will ensure maximum possible control over heat and fire by making the system as air-tight as possible. If you no longer wish to use your existing fireplace, have an inflatable stopper or plug installed and seal the flue.
In an upcoming blog, I will discuss the effectiveness of utilizing the central air conditioning system without any “help” from fire.
By Nick Ring.
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The BIG 3: HVAC Ducts
Photo by Pinqui
HVAC Ducts account for 15% of home energy loss.
Seal the ducts!
It’s not funny how much conditioned air you may be losing in the duct system in your house. Once you’ve addressed the Floors, Walls, and Ceilings of your home for weaknesses, move on to your HVAC Ducts. If you don’t already know, this is the system of pipes or tubes made of sheet metal, fiberglass, and other materials that manages airflow through a building. Ideally, a home’s HVAC Duct system evenly distributes air from the furnace and central air conditioner to every room of the house creating a neutral pressure zone at a comfortable temperature. Most homes don’t meet this ideal. Instead there are weaknesses in the system. A basement that never gets enough heat. A bedroom that never cools down in the summer. Quite often duct system designs are poorly conceived or installed.
Sealing, insulating, clearing and upgrading. These are steps to take to redirect the conditioned airflow within your home. Because the system of ducts, registers and grilles goes through so much temperature fluctuation, each piece shrinks and swells, trying to adapt itself to the demands you place on it. Naturally this causes sections to separate, develop holes, fall apart, and need resealing. Some of the maintenance can be done by you, but the real duct work is always a job for professionals.
Sealing and insulating are most pertinent for ducts in unconditioned spaces, like Attics, Basements, and Crawlspaces. If these exposed ducts are not insulated, hot and cold air that you pay to condition gets pushed out of unsealed connections and lost, continually, resulting in hundreds of dollars of unnecessary energy spending every year. The opposite is also true of return ducts; unconditioned air is pulled into your living spaces through similar weaknesses in the return system. For those homeowners looking to install new ducts, be sure that the new ones come with insulation. If you are a homeowner hunting for gaps in your existing system, keep an eye out for sections that have separated, and if you find a hole, tape it up with a heat-approved tape such as mastic, butyl, or foil tape. Ironically duct tape is less effective on ducts than it is on most other things.
All of your ducts need to be cleared from time to time because all the dust and other air-born particles can settle and block airflow in low-pressure returns. Sometimes small objects fall into floor grilles which can add to inside accumulation. This build-up degrades the quality of the air in your home, which degrades your respiratory health. Something you can do to decrease dust accumulation and increase airflow is vacuum over the grilles in your home. Also avoid covering registers with furniture, carpets, and wall hangings. And if you have a habit of closing the doors in your house, try leaving them open to see how it affects airflow.
There are a number of upgrades that can be made to your home’s HVAC Duct system, some simpler than others. But when supply ducts are thought to be an energy drain, first check problem areas for weaknesses that may be affecting temperature, such as weaknesses in insulation, air leaks, and windows for air-tightness. If you then determine the ducts are the problem, a final solution is adding new ducts or upgrading the size of existing ducts in your system. Simpler upgrades include adding return air grilles, undercutting doors (increasing the gap between the bottom of a door and the flooring or carpet beneath it), and creating jumper ducts. Jumper ducts connect adjacent rooms, allowing air to flow to the return ducts, which are generally centrally located on each floor, but are more effective when connected to every room. But don’t take my word for it. Only a thorough inspection by a professional can determine what measures are necessary to improve your HVAC system.
When some homeowners make upgrades, modifications, renovations or extensions to other parts of their house, they neglect to consider how it will affect the HVAC system. The different supply duct configurations include spider, perimeter loop, radial, and trunk and branch. Of these configurations, the latter two are most appropriate for duct systems in conditioned spaces. If ducts are installed in the areas of the home being conditioned, they are less likely to leak or be affected by outside temperature. These ducts are hidden in dropped ceilings, walls, and raised floors. This makes them much more energy efficient than duct systems that have branches exposed to unconditioned areas.
For maximum efficiency, all HVAC Ducts must be sealed and insulated. And if all Floors, Walls, Ceilings and Fireplaces are sealed and insulated too, you will notice a dramatic difference in not only your comfort, but also when it comes time to pay the bills. For help identifying these problem areas and energy drains, schedule a Home Energy Audit with America’s Best Energy Team. Their detailed analysis and thorough testing procedures will pinpoint where your home is losing energy. They will take you one step closer to the safety, comfort and home energy efficiency you require.
By Nick Ring.
The BIG 3: Floors, Walls & Ceilings
Photo by Matthew G. Bisanz
Walls, Ceilings, and Floors account for 31% of home energy loss.
The reason for floors, walls and ceiling being the BIGGEST, most significant energy drains is fairly clear: they are what make a house a house. It is inevitable that they develop holes, gaps, cracks, and other weaknesses that lead to reduced safety, comfort, and efficiency. As with most other problems in life, there are steps you can take to deal with these weaknesses. Sealing and insulating.
But first, problem areas must be identified. One way to locate them is by scheduling a Home Energy Audit with a company like America’s Best Energy Team. They will send an auditor to your mobile home, single home, multi-family dwelling, or townhouse to conduct a series of tests, including a Blower Door Test, a Combustion Analysis, and a Thermographic Scan. Once the audit is completed, it will be clear where the most energy is being used and lost, and how air is flowing through your home. Working with the results can benefit your health, comfort, carbon footprint, energy bills, and the value of your home.
If you have already located a few of these weaknesses in your Basement, Attic, or Crawlspace, then you can begin making your house more energy efficient. Products such as weather strips, caulk and other sealants can be found at any home improvement store, and the instructions are straight forward: apply, then let dry. Seal those leaks!
Remember, there are two sides to every wall. Not all air leaks are so obvious as you may think, especially because they tend to develop in areas that you do not see everyday or areas that are difficult to access. Use your senses. Energy.gov offers this helpful hint: “On a windy day, carefully hold a lit incense stick or a smoke pen next to your windows, doors, electrical boxes, plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets, ceiling fixtures, attic hatches, and other places where air may leak.” (Detecting Air Leaks) If the smoke is pulled to one direction, you found what you were looking for. Caution: performing this test with a candle or other open flame can be hazardous, primarily around appliances that run on or expel gas, as well as areas of the home that are used for storage or may develop gas leaks or accumulate dust.
Sealing holes, cracks, and gaps is priority number one. This provides for maximum efficiency when insulation is added later. Insulation is priority number two, and it only works when it is impeding the flow of air, meaning leaks should already be sealed inside and out.
One important thing to know about insulation, it gets old and out-dated. In some homes it was never installed correctly to begin with or it gets moved around during repairs. There should be four to six inches of non-compacted or loose insulation. New materials are being developed all the time, such as shredded jeans. That’s right, your old clothes can become a greener alternative to the highly processed materials that insulate most houses. Fiberglass, cellulose, rigid foam board, and spray foam are all commonly installed in homes located in moderate climates. Radiant barrier, or reflective insulation, is used to save energy in hotter climates. Asbestos is another insulator. If it’s in your house, get out of there! That stuff notoriously causes cancer. What all these materials have in common though is their system of measure, identified by a numbered R value. The R stands for resistance to heat flow, and a higher value means a stronger resistance to undesirable heat gain and heat loss.
Now that you’ve got some knowledge under your cap, you can work towards the level of safety, comfort, and efficiency you want.
By Nick Ring.
Basement, Attic, and Crawlspaces: There Is A Pattern Here
Photo by Ruhrfisch.
Think of your house like your body for a moment. Do you walk outside naked in the winter time? Of course not! Or at least most of us don’t do that. Think of your basement, attic, and crawlspaces like the extremities of your body. You wear a hat and gloves, and maybe two pairs of socks when its cold enough. It is amazing how much of a difference wearing a hat or scarf makes in your personal comfort in the winter. Think about the effect of putting a hat, gloves and socks on your house. It would look cute! But seriously, think about how much energy (which always translates into money) you would save! Your home would be more comfortable and more energy efficient. Not only that, it would hold it’s warmth in winter and keep out the heat of summer. It wouldn’t get a’cold… Get it?
If you have been reading these energy efficiency blogs, you may have noticed a pattern. Basement, attic, crawlspaces… Like a broken record these troublesome locations of the house keep coming up. Be sure to Seal the Ducts, especially in the basement, attic, and crawlspaces. Then add insulation, especially in the basement, attic and crawlspaces… Don’t forget about sealing and insulating your pipes and ducts, especially… You guessed it!
The Home Energy Auditors from America’s Best Energy Team will probably tell you something similar. And, before even beginning to read this, you had probably already guessed that you could save yourself money, time and energy by being more concerned with these areas. You’re right. The tricky thing about these locations is their distance from the nucleus of the house. Basements and attics are often used as storage space rather than living space. Seasonal items such as clothes and decorations are shut away to collect dust for months at a time. These storage spaces are often cluttered and dimly lit, if at all. All of these factors make basements, attics, and crawlspaces easy to overlook. While it is easier to address the issues that you see every day, the fact that these places should be checked out first when assessing what needs maintenance, updating or replacing is ironic.
There is a pattern here involving our priorities and what we see, when in reality what we do not see is often causing the trouble. Like the crack between the wall and floor behind a stack of boxes in your basement that is so thin, only creepy crawlies and cold air seep in. Or the hole in the attic where a raccoon tried to nest last year. Take a little time and give your house a check-up.
Not everyone can afford to make the efficiency upgrades they want or need, but scheduling a Home Energy Audit with ABET will at least identify where the problems are and how they can be fixed. From there, America’s Best Energy Team can assist you in finding a step-by-step path to the level of safety, comfort and efficiency you desire. If you are the resourceful type, you may want to try the good old DIY method, and buy some caulk, weather strips, or spray foam and fill in those energy drains yourself. Use your senses to locate where a draft is entering your house, and be sure to check the basement, attic and crawlspaces.
If you don’t catch on to the pattern, you may end up wearing a hat, gloves, and two pairs of socks INSIDE!
By Nick Ring.
The BIG 3
Image by Itzuvit.
People have various motivations for wanting to conserve energy. Some people want to do their part in keeping the planet healthy. Others want to have more comfortable living spaces. Some people are following the trend. And still others just want to bring down their energy bill as low as possible.
No matter your motivation, energy conservation is an awesome idea! It’s one of the few win-win-win scenarios that I’ve ever encountered!
America’s Best Energy Team does us all a favor by organizing a breakdown of where energy is lost in the home. If you look at the list on this page, you will notice that every aspect of your home is a potential “energy drain.” From the shingles on your roof to the pipes coming into your basement, there are gaps and weaknesses that seed from improper installations or from weathering and the simple passage of time. The good news is you can do something about it! But where to start?
I can help guide you by introducing you to The BIG 3. The BIG 3 locations where homes lose the most energy include:
1. Floors, Walls and Ceilings (Yes, I know that’s what a house is.) account for 31% of home energy loss.
2. HVAC Ducts account for 15% of home energy loss.
3. Fireplaces account for 14% of home energy loss.
These numbers are not steadfast, they are averages provided to ABET by the Department of Energy. The easiest way to get the real numbers for your residence is by scheduling a Home Energy Audit. Companies like America’s Best Energy Team conduct Home Energy Audits, a thorough investigation of a home’s energy efficiency. Through a series of tests including a Blower Door Test, Thermographic Scan, and a Combustion Analysis of appliances. These tests will identify where your home is losing energy, where drafts enter, and how safely and effectively air and gases are ventilated throughout the house. The only requirement for scheduling a Home Energy Audit is that the property be a mobile home, single home, multi-family dwelling, or townhouse. If you are a renter, written permission from your landlord must be provided before audits are conducted. If written permission is difficult to obtain or you do not live in one of the previously mentioned residences, a QHEC or Quick Home Energy Check can be conducted for free and is appropriate for any type of home.
Image by Itzuvit.
By Nick Ring.
To read more about The BIG 3, check out these detailed blog posts.
The BIG 3: Fireplaces
Photo by Ryan Mahle.
Are you feeling chilly?
Me too.
It might be the flue!
Did you know that 14% of home energy is lost through the fireplace?
If you have a fireplace, there is a trapdoor that opens up your chimney, or flue, to let smoke and noxious gases safely out of your home. Managing that trapdoor is key to efficiently and safely managing the heat in your home. When first starting a fire, the flue should be opened wide to release initial heavy smoke. Then, as the fire settles, the opening of the flue should be restricted to keep as much heat as possible inside of your house while still channeling smoke up the chimney.
There are many other issues surrounding the safety, comfort and energy efficiency of your fireplace. Weathering of brick chimneys over time can lead to cracks in the mortar creating extra drafts. This can affect the flow of soot, air, smoke, and other gases. Furthermore, if these byproducts cool before reaching the top of the chimney, they can build up creosote and cause fires within your flue! A clean chimney sweeping and a new chimney lining can greatly reduce fire-related risks, while improving energy efficiency and cost efficiency when heating your home.
Even if a chimney is in good repair, by having a fire in the winter, homeowners may feel cold, replacement air coming into their living spaces, while valuable heat is being released into the atmosphere. This is not the goal, of course, but it is often the case. The house is constantly seeking equilibrium. Heated air moves towards the fireplace, and in turn, low pressure areas are created, pulling air in from the outside, often resulting in cooler zones within the home. This natural occurrence can have the opposite of the desired effect. Home Energy Audits help to identify improperly sealed and insulated areas. Aside from The Big 3 areas of energy loss, these areas include plumbing penetrations, doors, windows, vents and electrical outlets.
The freezing winter air is trying to get into your house through EVERY nook and cranny!
So you see the flue is not the only problem. But it is certainly one of them. Protect yourself from the flu(e) this season!
If you do not have a fireplace in your residence, and you are seeking a green heating solution, then you may want to check out electric fireplaces. They are inexpensive to install, operate, and maintain. They are easily portable, depending on the size of the appliance. Simply plug it in the room of your choosing, whether it be a single-family home, an office, an apartment, or even a mobile home. They are most effective in heating small living spaces, similar to fireplaces, however they do not cause dramatic temperature and pressure shifts like those caused by a traditional fireplace. Overall, electric fireplaces are a safe, comfortable, and energy efficient heating Alternative.
By Nick Ring.
Energy Teammate 