Energy Use in the Home
A beginning step in identifying the best energy saving actions is to know where the energy is going. Below is a list of areas and their percent energy use.
Space Heating |
31% |
Space Cooling |
12% |
Water Heating |
12% |
Lighting |
11% |
Refrigeration |
8% |
Electronics |
7% |
Cooking |
5% |
Wet Cleaning |
5% |
Computers |
1% |
Other |
4% |
Unknown |
5% |
source: 2007 Building Energy Data Book by Department of Energy
The top three are space cooling, space heating, and water heating. To reduce the energy used by these three involves more than just replacing with more efficient equipment. The characteristics of your home and how you live in your home all affect energy use of the top three.
If air leaks past a window or door more energy will be used by space heating and cooling appliances. Reducing you wash machine water temperature will reduce energy used by your water heater. Just by changing your habits around the home you can have a significant impact on your utility bill. The pages at The Home Energy Place start with free and low cost actions that will save you energy.
Lighting is next on the list. By reviewing your use of lights, energy is saved by turning off lights when they are not needed. Otherwise lights can be replaced with Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL).
The kitchen is another place energy is used, even when you are not in the kitchen. An old refrigerator can use a large amount of energy. Using the microwave instead of the oven can save energy.
Electronics like televisions, recorders, stereos and computers are near the bottom of the list, but energy can still be saved by not leaving equipment on. You may have heard of phantom energy, this is when electronic devices use energy to maintain programming even when off.
While on the bottom, other less known energy users can be identified and action taken to reduce their energy. Some these include fish tanks, plant lights, portable heaters or fans, battery chargers and vacuum sweepers.
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