Are We Ignorantly Defending Our Ignorance of the Energy Crisis?

By William Bryant at 27 December, 2008, 11:18 am

I get the NY Times in my email every morning – a rather convenient, free, and paperless way to get the news! But this blog isn’t about that.

It’s about two articles I read this morning.

This is not on topic with Internet sales, but very relevant to all of us. The first article was about “passive homes” which, if you haven’t heard of them before (I hadn’t), these homes heat without any type of radiator! They use passive heat from appliances (think how hot your TV and stove get), the sun, and people, to heat the entire home. They’re able to do this by using VERY thick insulation that is air tight in walls, ceilings, windows, and doors. They bring in fresh air from outside to keep the home healthy. No gas, no heat pump.

Rolf Oeser for The New York Times

Amazingly, these homes are just as comfortable (maybe more so) when compared to a traditional home, but only use 1/20th the amount of overall energy! The home in the article is in Germany, and if you’ve ever been to Germany (about the same climate as Wisconsin, hence all the Germans there), it’s COLD there in winter. I lived there for a year and can attest to the freezing winter.

AND the big kicker is the cost to build these homes is only 5-7% more!

So the lesson here is that a well insulated air-tight home DOES mean a huge savings in energy.

The second article was on coal, and people using it for heat in their homes with a coal furnace. This used to be very commonplace, according to the article, however it dropped exceedingly in the 90’s. Then, since gas and oil prices went back up in ‘06, use of coal in homes has doubled each year.

Coal’s pretty darn dirty.

BUT it’s cheap! The article claims a ton of coal which costs about $130 would cost about $470 using natural gas to get the same effect. Problem is, you need a coal furnace to burn it, which most homes these days just don’t have.

One homeowner who uses coal was interviewed, and he uses coal in a furnace he installed in his living room (Mmm, coal dust, healthy!). He says that his furnace cost him about $2300 (I assume he installed it himself), and he bought 2 tons of coal which might last him through the winter, at a cost of $368. So for a total cost of around $2,700, this man hopes to cut his gas heat use in half. Just in half.

Laura Pedrick for The New York Times

Now, I’m not getting down on the man because he has to do what he can for his family, even if that means shoveling coal and bringing it into the living room (literally).

But let’s just say you have $3,000 to spend to make sure your family is warm this winter, as this man did. If you spent $3,000 in insulating your home, you could do several things

Thicker insulation in your attic, thermal blanket over that for a typical cost of around $2,000.Typically yields a 30-40% reduction in heating costs alone.
Storm doors and better seals around doors and windows, for two doors maybe costs around $500 for nice storm doors. Stopping cold air drafts, this alone could yield a 10-20% decrease, depending on how drafty your home is.
Insulate your basement/crawlspace. Costs probably about $200 and won’t yield a huge return, but will help stop drafts.
Get a can of spray foam and seal cracks around water pipes and air ducts. $4 can of foam again won’t make a huge difference, but will go a long way in sealing your home from cold air drafts.
Buy a tankless water heater, Titan tankless costs $200 and it’s made in America. Hotter water for less energy and takes up less space. Hot water is usually about 30% of your energy bill, and a tankless will easily cut that use by 30%.
Spend the extra $96 on keeping your air filters clean, plastic film on windows surfaces, opening South facing blinds to let winter sun in, buying compact flourescent light bulbs, and unplugging your TV/stereo/satellite receiver/computer when not in use, keeping your dryer lint screen and exhaust tube clean, and you don’t have to turn the thermostat down (maybe just a little while you’re not at home).
Receive a $500 tax rebate for your efforts!
Sell your home for more money for your efforts!

I’m just trying to point out how coal is NOT the answer. Using more energy resources expecting your bill to go down won’t work. Especially long-term, when he has to buy more coal next winter, and his kids grow up with allergy and congestion problems, taking them to the doctor and buying medicine.

He could have spent the same amount of money and had a very comfortable home, without a big furnace in his living room.

But his attitude reflects that of so many Americans. We think more is better. When really, we can spend smart and have more.

This shows how ignorant we are to our energy challenge. Using more of our natural resources for very short-term enjoyment is why we’re in this situation to begin with. We can do some small, smart things to our homes that will yield very nice returns, pay for themselves very quickly, and not continue to cost us money down the road!

Think smart if you’re in this same situation. It’s not fun to be cold in your home this winter. But you can be warmer without using more gas, electricity, oil, or even coal.