Choosing a Good Set of Projects

You should start your energy saving program by making a good long list of potential energy saving projects you might want to do.

The list should cover every area where you use energy: space heating and cooling, water heating, electricity, transportation, cooking, ... You probably use significant energy in all of these area, so your plan should all these areas.

Use the sources listed below to formulate a good long list -- don't worry too much about the practically, cost, or return of each project now. For now, you are just identifying possibilities.

Resources for Finding Projects

The Project Pages list hundreds of potential projects in many areas.

The projects that we used in our "Half" program.

These web sites provide ideas for potential energy saving ideas:

EERE Consumer Tips: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/index.html
Home Energy Saver: http://hes.lbl.gov/

Energy Star for appliances: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home.index

EEBA Energy Checklist: http://www.eeba.org/technology/publications/hec/default.htm

Rocky Mountain Institute: http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid119.php

Check to see if your utility has an energy audit program. They will have a look at your house and suggest changes to save energy. They may even help pay for them. But, don't use this as your only source of project ideas.

If your utility offers a blower door test and/or duct blower test, by all means, take them up on it. Make sure you use this opportunity to mark all the locations where air is infiltrating, so that you can seal them up. What's a blower door test? http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/Southface22blowdoor.pdf

Fill out this Energy Audit form -- it identifies some good areas to look for energy saving projects.

Gary Jan 3, 2008