Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [energy-efficiency]

Questions about ways to measure and improve the ability to get useful work out of devices that consume energy. This includes coal, oil and gas as well as electricity.

Devices that consume energy, or energy dense materials (fuel) will always "lose" some of the energy. This means that - for example - a furnace burns fuel to heat air. Not all of the heat the fuel generates by burning will make it into the air, some is wasted because of inefficient design.

It is a constant effort on the part of manufacturers, designers and researchers to come up with more efficient devices.

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How best can I discover what is up with my electrical bill?

This might be subjective, I don't know. However, it's a serious problem for me. My electrical bill is outrageous. It's three times as large as my next-door neighbor, and four or five times the size of my neighbor's across the street. It's worse in…
moswald
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Can I gain AC efficiency by spraying condensate water on the outdoor coils?

Recently, I was working from the basement and I noticed tonnes of condensate water going down the drain, and thought I might re-use it to improve the efficiency of my home AC system. So I put a condensate pump (tank&float combo unit) in the drain…
Billy left SE for Codidact
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Why are so many radiators installed beneath a window (at least in Germany)?

I live in Germany and I always wondered why the radiators in most apartments are installed right beneath a window. The pictures below show an example (this is an older building, but you see similar installations in new buildings as well). I would…
André
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Locating source of excessive energy use

Background Info: My house is all electric. Last month when I got my electric bill, I flipped. It was triple that of any month prior. Now I know the cold (heating) can affect this so I decided to turn my thermostat back, even though I never had to…
hack3rfx
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How to find electric device(s) driving a high electric bill?

The cabin electric bill came and I gave it what I thought would be a cursory glance and it looked unusually high. Not just for this cabin, but in my experience with our houses. Our main house is a 1965 crapshack in Northern Virginia, very poorly…
WPNoviceCoder
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Do smart or programmable thermostats actually save money?

I am looking at replacing all the thermostats in my house. I have hot water baseboard heat and forced air A/C. Each room's baseboard heat is controlled by a thermostat in that room. I tend to prefer simple mechanical interfaces to digital "smart"…
JoshuaD
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Why would a particular heat pump model be illegal in my state?

I am trying to replace an electricity-hungry whole-house electric furnace with something that will be more cost-effective. I live in a high-altitude part of New Mexico, where I don't need to use much A/C, but need a more efficient heater for the…
Village
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Why does bleeding radiators save energy?

I wanted to bleed my radiators by myself for the first time and I was wondering what is the reason that bleeding radiators saves energy? Most of the guides on bleeding radiators mention that this is important for saving energy but none explain the…
user161351
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Is it more economical to use hot water before boiling or to bring cold water to a boil?

Since the arrival of our newborn, we have been using the stove to boil water in order to sterilize the nipples, bottles and rings. Which got me thinking, is it more economical to start off using hot water to help accelerate the boil or are we better…
Handy Man
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Why is my house energy efficient only in winter?

My electric utility company sent me a graph of my home's electricity usage over time as shown in the picture below. My home beats what the company considers as efficient homes in the neighborhood when the average temperature is below ~50F. As the…
Fijoy Vadakkumpadan
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Which water heater types do you recommend?

I would like to upgrade my current water heater with one that Is able to produce/store more heated water so I won't run out Energy efficient Inexpensive What are the advantages/disadvantages to each different kind? What would you recommend and…
Joe Phillips
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Would providing shade for my air conditioner's condensor improve its efficiency?

Our house has two A/C systems; one for the bedroom level, one for the remainder of the house. The compressor/consdensor units are outside the south side of the house, and in direct sun all day, now that a nearby tree has been removed. Would shading…
TomG
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Is there a device that will allow a bathroom fan to run for 5 minutes after it is switched off?

There is one switch that controls the lights and fan in the bathroom. Users turn the light/fan on when they enter, and off when they leave. I'd like for the bathroom fan to run for a time after they leave, after turning off the lights. Is there a…
Adam Davis
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Plugging refrigerator only when necessary? (bottled beers)

I have a small and cheap refrigerator that I use to store beers. It has a small freezer that is of no use to me. I am only using this refrigerator 5 times a year (during "events"), and I measured that it costs me around $10/month. Not that cheap in…
ChipsMyName
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Are tankless water heaters worth it in cold climates?

I was thinking of switching over to a tankless water heater. A friend of mine said they are not good in colder climates since the water coming in is colder and takes longer to heat. Is this a valid concern, or are these things designed to deal with…
Tester101
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