Heating and cooling continue to be largest draw on home energy bills

Maryland and Virginia homeowners who rely on a Washington, D.C. home inspector to determine the ways in which they can reduce their energy use will likely find that their HVAC systems consume more energy than any other part of their home. The Pew Center for Climate and Energy Solutions came to a similar finding in a recent study.

The results of the survey align with the results of most other studies, which have generally found that HVAC costs account for the most energy costs a home produces – in this case, 42 percent. Water heating took up 14 percent of monthly bills, followed by lighting with 11 percent, electronics and computers with 10 percent, refrigeration with 7 percent and cooking with 5 percent, according to the study.

Upon deeper analysis, HVAC costs are somewhat more difficult to pin down, because they are so contingent upon outside factors, primarily the potential for weather patterns to be volatile and for fuel costs to fluctuate. As such, HVAC costs may vary greatly across the country. For example, while a mild winter in many regions this year helped offset rising fuel costs, homeowners' wallets may be somewhat lighter after next winter.

Even as summer begins to set in across the Tri-State area, homeowners still have time to make their homes more energy efficient, without sacrificing the comfort that comes with regular use of an air conditioning system. One way to accomplish this goal is to install energy-efficient insulation.

"Cellulose insulation fills areas completely to effectively stop air infiltration," according to home do-it-yourself blog Networx. "Cellulose acts almost like a liquid, flowing into cavities and wrapping itself around obstructions. The flexibility assures a more effective outcome than with fiberglass batting."

This form of insulation may not be ideal for all properties, so homeowners should consider a simple home energy audit to determine where they can generate the most savings.

American homeowners have come to rely on the DVR to record television programs for them when they're at work, running errands or sleeping. We require our DVRs to work around the clock, so it perhaps should not be surprising to find out that they use a substantial amount of electricity – even more than you might think. Those tiny devices could be preventing many from achieving home energy efficiency.

The National Resources Defense Council determined in 2010 that the electricity required to operate one DVR is 446 kilowatt hours of power annually, which is actually more than a standard 21 cubic-foot refrigerator uses. When the power required to operate all these devices in the United States in 2010 was combined, researchers found the figure to be equal to the electricity used by the entire state of Maryland.

With these figures in mind, some companies have begun creating devices that offer a "deep sleep" feature, where the box is almost entirely turned off, with the exception of a few minor functions that ensure basic functioning. While only two of the 57 boxes that have earned Energy Star certification currently offer consumers this option, that figure should be on the rise in coming years.

"The set-top box is a network device that supplies 100 percent network communications 24/7, but they are power-intensive boxes and shame on us for not paying better attention to that," Joseph Del Rio, from DVR chip production company Broadcom, told Electronic House.

Although many appliances have become much more energy efficient over the years, consumers may not be aware of the existence of these devices unless they perform their own industry research or work with a local D.C. home inspector with knowledge of trends in the green market.

The days of needing to manually operate light switches appear to be on the way out, providing relief to individuals who persistently ignored their parents' advice to turn off lights when they were not using them.

Although the widespread use of CFL bulbs has helped consumers to reduce their energy costs by using much less power than their incandescent predecessors, homeowners can further reduce their lighting costs by taking some simple steps.

One way to do this is through the use of occupancy sensors, which can activate lights and other electronic devices automatically, depending on whether they detect heat or motion in a particular room. More advanced systems – known as manual-on switches – are turned on by a user, but they then turn off automatically.

"The good thing about this type of switch is that it doesn't turn lights on when you don't need them," according to a May 17 Mother Nature Network story. "During the day, many rooms have enough light for someone to walk through or get something they need without turning on a light, and manual-on sensors save energy by not automatically turning lights on when not needed."

Although lighting costs are far from the biggest drag on a home's energy costs – that honor is reserved for heating and air conditioning – they can still eat up a utility bill if not attended to properly. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that about 25 percent of a home's energy costs go toward lighting, so there is always room for homeowners to improve.

You can further reduce your utility costs by partnering with a energy audit provider. This Washington, D.C. home inspector should be qualified to analyze your home and offer you advice as to best energy savings practices.

The surge toward home energy efficiency in the last decade has been lead by consumers who have expressed concern for the earth, its future and the living conditions that members of subsequent generations will face. But, as is often the case in America, the movement only picked up its pace considerably following the realization that energy upgrades and green habits could help consumers and businesses drastically reduce costs.

And with the country still struggling through a recession, many Americans are willing to embrace new ways of thinking if it means easing the pressure on their bank accounts. As much as the early 2000s were characterized by excess, this next decade should force Americans to learn to live within their means, including how much energy they use each day.

According to the research organization Deloitte Center for Energy Solutions, more than eight in 10 consumers have tried to lower their utility bill in the last year. While some may turn to energy-efficient lighting options, such as LED or CFL bulbs, others may install more wholesale upgrades like new heating units and insulation. Businesses are following suit, as respondents to the Deloitte survey reported planning for an average of 25 percent less energy consumption over the next three to four years.

"The recession is profoundly changing energy habits for both businesses and consumers," survey author and Deloitte energy expert Greg Aliff said in a statement to the press. "Using less may be the new normal, from boardroom tables to the kitchen tables."

Before consumers and businesses can begin to realize the benefits of energy efficiency, they should speak with an experience home or commercial inspections provider that has valuable insights as to the most cost-effective energy upgrades.

Technological developments have allowed consumers to improve their home energy efficiency and monitor their energy bills in a way that ensures they will cut their energy costs and help the environment along the way.

During the green technology industry's VERGE Conference in London last week, business owner Pilgrim Beart unveiled one such development – his AlertMe system, which monitors the energy used by household products and provides homeowners with a detailed visual depiction of how much energy they use on a daily basis. Beart estimates that homeowners could slash their energy consumption by nearly 10 percent after seeing where energy is being wasted.

"In the developed world, we are living in a bubble as far as energy consumption is concerned," Beart told the assembled crowd, according to Green Biz. "We need to bring knowledge about the cost of our actions right down to where we make those decisions."

Last week, this blog reported on a new label system that will be posted in all properties constructed by Clayton Homes – one of the largest homebuilding companies in the country. The color-coded label will help homeowners to better understand how much money is saved through certain energy upgrades that are supported by consumers.

These labels – much like the AlertMe system – could help educate homeowners who might not otherwise understand the ramifications of energy upgrades. If more consumers understood how financially beneficial these reforms are, perhaps more would be willing to invest in these initiatives.

The best place to start may be to hire a local D.C. home inspector with experience assessing home energy efficiency. Starting with an energy audit right up through the integration of more green improvements, homeowners in the Tri-State area can immediately reap the benefits of reforming their energy consumption habits.

Cliff Missen only lived in a property owned by the University of Iowa for 10 months, but during that time he developed a slew of serious health problems, including headaches, ulcers, fatigue, difficulty breathing and even depression. According to a lawsuit he recently filed with the school, a mold infestation – along with the institution's inability to conduct a mold inspection – caused his symptoms.

Missen is now suing the university for $375,000 in damages after he received a diagnosis from an allergist that mold growth in the home was likely responsible for his symptoms. Missen claims that 50 square feet of mold had grown throughout the home's basement, but the property owners did not intervene.

"There's something really wrong about what they did," Missen told eastern Iowa news source The Gazette. "Decent people would have sat down and said, 'We made a mistake, I'm sorry, let's fix it.' That's exactly what I wanted."

A home mold inspection may have allowed the university to avoid potentially costly litigation and may have prevented Missen from developing the health problems he claimed to have suffered as a result.

During this time of year in many parts of the country, including the Tri-State area, heavy spring rains can cause the water table to become supersaturated, which could produce localized flooding. When water is able to seep into basements – even when the volume is not significant – mold spores can begin to grow. Most basements are not adequately ventilated and are already moist from being underground, which provides mold with an ideal environment in which to grow.

To avoid having to suffer through symptoms related to mold growth, homeowners may want to work with a Washington, D.C. home inspector to ensure their living environments are safe. At that point, an inspector may recommend operating a dehumidifier to better control moisture, or perhaps even more extensive practices like a mold cleanup if conditions have already deteriorated.

Any Washington, D.C. home inspector can admit that instituting home energy improvements is not particularly difficult, assuming that a homeowner has a strong grasp of the costs and subsequent benefits of such reforms. While some improvements benefit certain homeowners, others may be of no use to them due to the marginal savings they might provide.

The largest homebuilding company in the nation – Clayton Homes – has announced plans to educate buyers as to savings that can be derived from energy upgrades. At a time when energy savings are so highly sought-after, the labels that Clayton plans to place in new homes would be welcomed by consumers.

The information is presented in the form of an easy-to-read label, complete with a color-coded scale that shows how much money is saved each month in that home because of its energy improvements and the projected costs of such reforms and a comparison to a home that is not energy efficient. The scale is modeled after recommendations from the Department of Energy, which has challenged builders to help homeowners achieve energy efficiency at a reasonable upfront cost.

According to a Jetson Green analysis of the initiative, "Each home will display a specific and unique label in the interior that can help home purchasers understand [and compare with other homes] the energy impact of their home under certain assumptions like utility rates, occupant behavior and climate patterns."

Even though new homes continue to be built at rates that were unheard of during the most of the recession – new home construction reached a three-year high last month – most consumers need to rely on existing homes to fulfill their residential needs. To attain the financial benefits that accompany energy-efficient heating and insulation, homeowners need to work with a local Maryland-area home inspector with knowledge of best cost-saving practices.

Home monitoring systems originally consisted of a third-party service provider protecting a house from break-ins by responding to any alert that might come through while the homeowners is asleep or away from the property. Today, those types of home monitoring programs still exist, although homeowners themselves have been given more control over the process and new purposes, such as home energy efficiency, now exist.

One of the most popular products currently on the market are "smart" thermostats that gradually learn a homeowner's indoor temperature preferences so that it is eventually able to adjust conditions accordingly. This way, if a homeowner forgets to alter the temperature before going to bed or taking a vacation, energy will not be needlessly wasted. Considering that home heating costs can climb to nearly 30 percent of a homeowner's monthly utility bills, these products could be extremely valuable.

Other similar systems are able to tell a homeowner – in real-time – which appliances are the biggest draw on the home's electricity at any given time. With this information, homeowners can see immediate benefits in their utility bill.

"Having this information in real time, rather than once a month in a billing statement, helps you quickly identify which appliances are the biggest hogs so you can turn them down or off," Jim Witkin writes for The New York Times' blog Green. "Knowing the price you are paying at that moment allows you to use less when prices are highest, based on your rate plan with the utility."

Unfortunately, consumers have not yet responded to these types of products in earnest. Part of the explanation could be related to the fact that some may not think they know enough about energy efficiency to justify purchasing these products. This is where a Washington, D.C. home inspector can play a vital role, as he or she can conduct an energy audit on a home and explain to the consumer where savings might exist.