Can You Afford to “Go Green”?

Written By Donna Engle

Taneytown residents Richard and Lorraine Moale traded their conventional water heater for a tankless model that heats water only as needed. In Taylorsville, John and Konnie Pavlik hired a professional energy auditor to assess their house to learn whether air leakage is wasting money. Outside Westminster, Douglas Dell installed a windmill that he hopes will pay one-third to one-half the power bills generated by a family of five living in an all-electric home.

Spurred by rising utility costs, the impact of global warming and federal tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements, Americans are going “green,” installing dual flush toilets and faucet aerators, insulating walls and buying efficient heating and cooling systems.

“Green” has become a buzzword, but the bottom line for many homeowners is how soon improvements will pay for themselves. Contractors can calculate individual paybacks, but a general answer is difficult because conditions vary. On a heat pump, for example, the payback period varies by such factors as manufacturer’s rebates, pump size, existing insulation and air sealing in the house.

The federal tax credit shortens payback periods. Homeowners can get credits for 30 percent of the cost, up to $1,500 this year and in 2010 for windows and doors, insulation, roofs, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, water heaters and biomass stoves. Credits are available at 30 percent of the cost, with no upper limit, through 2016 for geothermal heat pumps, solar panels, solar water heaters, small wind energy systems, and fuel cells installed in new or existing homes.

The Moales did not calculate a cost/benefit ratio for the new hot water heater they installed in May. “We were more interested in the stimulus (tax credit),” said Lorraine Moale. The couple expects to save propane with the new water heater, and have found that it delivers hot water as fast as the old one.

Local businesses caution homeowners to choose contractors carefully. The green trend and tightening economy have lured some unqualified workers into home improvement contracting, which could lead to malfunctioning systems or equipment that does not qualify for the tax credit.

Steven Schaefer, owner of Schaefer Mechanical Services, Inc., Westminster, described one potential pitfall that could trip up an inexperienced contractor. Houses built in the 1960s had drain pipes designed to run with five-gallon toilets. If you install a 1.6-gallon toilet and don’t change the pipes, you may get stoppages because of the lower water flow, he explained.

Homeowners should make sure a contractor, plumber, builder, or heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) technician is licensed by the Maryland Home Improvement Commission. Technicians with additional training in energy efficient practices may also have certifications.

To an average homeowner, going green can be overwhelming. “People think it’s so enormous that they can’t tackle it right now,” said Tom Eckard, general manager of Modern Comfort Systems, Westminster. His advice: “Break it down into pieces.” Look for Energy Star appliances, which meet Environmental Protection Agency energy efficiency guidelines. Seal cracks, caulk windows, check your insulation.

What else can a homeowner do to hold down energy bills? Here is a sample:

Energy Audit

The Pavlik home is just three years old, but the Pavliks wanted an energy audit to get an overview of the house’s efficiency.

“I just want a feel for how efficiently my systems are working, and I want to know if there is any air leakage,” said John Pavlik. “If there are holes or it’s not sealed, I’m just heating my attic.”

The three -to -four-hour test evaluates the house as a system rather than focusing on a single component such as windows.

“We can tell you where you’ll get the biggest bang for the buck,” said Larry Tennant, co-owner of High Performance Home, New Windsor.

Tennant uses technology such as thermal imaging to “see” problems such as missing insulation that cannot be seen with the naked eye. He checks air tightness, takes carbon monoxide readings to be sure increasing the air tightness won’t create a safety hazard for residents, and evaluates other household energy use. He recommends ways to improve a house’s efficiency, including probable payback periods for the recommended measures.

The energy audit costs $350, which Tennant credits toward the project cost if the homeowner retains him to perform improvements.

Heating and Air Conditioning

Two-fifths of an average household’s energy consumption is used for heating and air conditioning, which makes the HVAC system a prime candidate for an efficiency check. That means making sure the unit is running correctly and filters and coils are clean for good airflow and efficient heating. Check air conditioner refrigerant charge for efficient cooling.

Dave Fiore, vice president and general manager of B and B Air Conditioning and Heating, said the geothermal heat pump is the most efficient system. But it can be expensive. It pulls heat and cooling from underground water rather than from the air, as a conventional heat pump does, so the homeowner may have to drill a well.

For any home older than 20 years, Fiore recommended a “home load calculation” to determine whether a smaller, more efficient heating system could save energy dollars. Measure rooms and check insulation, check for double pane windows and color of roof shingles – dark shingles absorb heat, light shingles reflect.

If your cooling cost averages $1,000 a year, and your system is 20 years old, a new heat pump or air conditioning system will pay for itself in five years, said Modern Comfort Systems’ Eckard.

Conservation

Improving bathroom fixtures generally focuses on water conservation. But it takes energy to get drinkable water to your home, so if you are conserving water, you are conserving energy, said Pat Scheper of Apple Plumbing, Westminster.

Low-flow or dual flush toilets, shower heads and faucets with aerators, front loading washing machines and on-demand water heaters, can help conserve water and energy. Improved technology has alleviated an early complaint with low-flow toilets: wasting water by having to flush twice.

Green plumbing means installing efficient products that save water and energy and teaching people water-efficient practices, said Pat Scheper of Apple Plumbing, Westminster, the only Carroll-based plumber certified by Green Plumbers U.S.A.

Scheper is certified to conduct water audits and check meters for leaks. He uses such measures as putting a dye tab in the toilet tank to see if the color ends up in the bowl, measuring gallons per flush to see whether a new flapper is needed, metering the showerhead and then calculating how much the homeowner can save by, for example, changing toilets or showerheads.

Building an Efficient New Home

Locate the house on the lot to take maximum advantage of solar power. Build with eco blocks and laminated lumber harvested from younger forests, because it is easier to renew a 30-year-old tree than a 300-year-old one. Consider geothermal heating. Use low voltage lighting.

Air flow is key, said Matt LeFaivre, co-owner of LeFaivre Construction Co. and a Certified Green Professional. Poorly managed air flow can lead to moisture and mold problems. A house must exchange air, so it is important to control humidity, he said.

New double pane, gas-filled windows will save an average of up to 20 percent of heat loss. If you buy windows, check for an efficiency rating that qualifies for the tax credit.

Other Techniques

Some of your grandfather’s resources are new again. Wind turbines (windmills), rain barrels and wood burning stoves are making a comeback.

Dell grew up on a Sullivan Road farm, in Westminster, “the windiest spot on the planet,” he said. A wind turbine would work there, he concluded, and installed one with the help of a friend and Potomac Wind Energy of Montgomery County. Dell hopes the turbine will supply a third to a half of his electricity needs. The family relies on a corn stove for most of its warmth, supplemented by electric heat.

If you are atop a hill in Carroll County, expect an average annual wind speed of 12 to 13 miles per hour, with strongest winds in winter, said Craig McQuin, project manager for Banner Home Solutions, Mount Airy. The wind turbines that Banner installs generate electricity at 9 mph.

“For an average single-family home, one of these windmills will generally cut back one-fourth of the power bill, depending on the area,” said McQuin. A wind turbine costs approximately $20,000 to $22,000.
For rain barrels, look for a stainless steel screen to keep debris out, a valve attached as low as possible to make it easy to get water out, and an attachable overflow to direct water back to a gutter system when the barrel is full.

At R.D. Bowman and Son, Inc, Westminster, general manager Howard Wilt reported that rain barrels are selling well. Barrel sizes range from 55 to 75 gallons and cost $120 to $220 retail.

Solar panel cost-effectiveness varies by size and available sunlight. Banner Home Solutions custom designs systems for individual customers.

Stoves burning wood, pellets, coal, gas or corn have energy efficiency that varies by the size of the unit. They are generally meant to be supplemental.