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The Rural Missouri NEWS Service January
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April 2009 Crawl space care: save on energy and keep vermin and mold out
Crawl space: a dank, dirty, tight space filled with rotting wood, leaky pipes, mold and mildew, as well as spiders, snakes, mice and rates, roaches and, yes, termites. It’s steamy in summer and cold in winter. For the estimated 26 million homes built on a crawl space, it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, if you close your crawl space, you can save significant energy, help maintain a high level of indoor air quality and protect framing and insulation from decay, according to www.crawlspace.com. And you’ll keep the vermin out. According to Joseph Lstiburek of the Building Science Corp., which provides information on the physics and design of economical, sustainable buildings, “Unvented, conditioned crawl spaces with insulation on the perimeter perform better in terms of safety and health (pest control), comfort (warm floors, uniform temperatures), durability (moisture) and energy consumption than passively vented crawl spaces with sub floor insulation.” Here’s the proof. In a study co-funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and North Carolina-based Advanced Energy, houses with a closed crawl space and insulation under the living-space floor used 15 percent less energy for space conditioning than houses with vented crawl space over a 12-month period. Houses with closed crawl spaces and insulated crawl-space walls used 18 percent less energy. In addition, closed crawl spaces performed better than vented spaces in terms of relative humidity levels: vented spaces stayed above 70 percent humidity; closed crawl spaces reached similar levels only 5 percent of the time. Studies like these are supported by Doug Rye, the energy-efficiency expert who advises many rural electric cooperatives. His advice, with a few exceptions, is to close the crawl space after insulating it and putting a vapor barrier (heavy plastic) on the ground. Now, there are a few exceptions, and local building codes may lag behind the technology and require vented crawl space. But as a rule, if you properly install insulation and a vapor barrier in the space, you’ll warm up the floor above the space, eliminate mold and mildew and lessen the likelihood of pipes in the space freezing. Insulate crawl space to keep space above it warm Energy-efficiency expert Doug Rye thinks of the crawl space as a not-so-tall basement. By insulating your basement, the floor above it will be warm in winter. The same is true for crawl spaces. The goal is to keep the crawl space from ever being cold. Rye does this by:
Fine Homebuilding has detailed instructions for insulating and sealing crawl spaces at www.crawl-space.com/PDF/FH_sealingcrawlspace.pdf. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) offers a crawl space insulation fact sheet online at www.crawl-space.com/PDF/USDOE_techfactsheet.pdf, with detailed instructions and diagrams for three approaches to crawl space insulation. As DOE notes, “A properly sealed, moisture-protected, and insulated crawlspace will increase comfort, save on energy costs, improve the durability of the home, and reduce entry of moisture, radon, and other potential irritants or pollutants into the home.”
To vent or not to vent your crawl space Conventional advice from many builders and building inspectors is to vent crawl spaces in the summer and close them in the winter. But Doug Rye, the licensed architect who advises electric cooperatives on energy efficiency, recommends just the opposite — in most cases. Understand that the primary reason for venting — or not — the crawl space is to prevent moisture condensation in warm months. As Rye points out, in a vented crawl space during summer, hot, humid air from outside will move into a cool, vented crawl space where it condenses on floor joists, ductwork or the ground, leading to mold and mildew. In winter when many people close crawl space vents, there’s rarely a moisture problem. Rye treats most crawl spaces as a basement. Just as you make every effort to seal off your basement from moisture, Rye does the same thing with crawl space. He points out that moisture in crawl space comes from the ground, outside air or a plumbing leak. To eliminate moisture from the ground, he places heavy plastic on the ground of the crawl space. To prevent contact with outside air, he seals off the entire crawl space in this way:
There are exceptions to his rule of sealing crawl space:
Tim Carter, writing for www.askthebuilder.com, points out sealing crawl spaces offers some distinct advantages. If you have plumbing running through the space, you won’t have to worry about frozen pipes. And because temperature swings are a thing of the past, you may be able to use the space for storage, much like a basement. For Rye, the No. 1 advantage of a sealed crawl space is moisture control. When a homeowner asks him to solve a moisture problem, he solves it by sealing the space. Unless there’s a plumbing leak, there shouldn’t be any more moisture problems.
Keep moisture out of crawl spaces Crawl spaces often soak up unwanted moisture, which in turn can breed mold and mildew. Energy-efficiency expert Doug Rye advises completely sealing crawl spaces year around to eliminate this problem. The U.S. Department of Energy offers these moisture control tips:
Don’t fall for energy-efficiency scams
Today, energy efficiency is on the minds of millions of Americans. Electric bills are rising due to pressure on wholesale rates from environmental regulations, the need for additional baseload generation capacity and the rising cost of fuel. It’s easy to see why marketers have targeted consumers who are searching for the proverbial silver bullet of energy savings. This is why Missouri electric cooperative members are cautioned to look before they leap when responding to print, broadcast, or Internet ads promising electric bill savings from plug-in or wire-in power conditioning devices. When the ads also promote do-it-yourself installation involving exposure to dangerous high voltage and possible electric meter tampering, it’s time to use common sense and seek advice. Clever ad campaigns play on consumer misunderstanding of electricity and electrical devices. Sales pitches full of technical-sounding explanations and rosy testimonials overwhelm skepticism and convince buyers to sign on the bottom line. They forget to ask important questions: Have reputable, independent test labs certified the products? Why hasn’t the utility industry endorsed these amazing gadgets? How can guarantees of 20- to 50-percent savings be true? An example is the often-quoted ad claim: “Surge suppressors save electricity.” Surge suppressors are protective devices only. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and consumer agencies have issued warnings about transient voltage surge suppressors (TVSS) hawked as energy-saving tools. In 1993, the FTC charged a Florida company with false representation over TVSS ads claiming electric bill reductions of 20 percent and extended life for fluorescent lights. The seller agreed to settle the charges. In the consent decree, the defendants were required to possess “competent and reliable evidence to substantiate any representations” made in selling or advertising such products in the future. This was a shot across the bow for such marketers, but it also forced creative adaptation. Today, we see a proliferation of advertising for residential power conditioning equipment based on the claim that metered electricity from a utility can be improved to help home appliances and HVAC systems operate more efficiently and cheaper. Alternating current (AC) has three components: real power, apparent power, and reactive power. Power factor is the ratio of real power, measured in kilowatts (kW), over apparent power, measured in kilovolt amps (kVA). Reactive power, or kilovolt amps reactive (kVAR), is part of total current, but does no useful work like the kW and kVA components. Commercial and industrial loads receiving service at higher voltages are customarily charged for reactive power. These larger loads can become more efficient in the use of electricity by installing devices called “capacitors” that remove reactive power. Whether or not capacitors are needed depends on the manufacturing process or the type, size, and number of electric motors being operated. An electrical engineer makes this determination, often after consulting with the utility from which service is received. At the household level, power factor becomes more dubious as a means of saving energy. First, utilities already use capacitors to correct power factor on their lines. The ability to measure and control kVAR provides the host utility with a valuable management tool for improving overall system operation while reducing wholesale costs. Second, residential consumers are not charged for reactive power, and conventional mechanical electric meters don’t register kVAR. Advanced automated meters that report readings via power line carrier or radio signal can include power quality monitoring features and software, but the collected data is used for system operation and troubleshooting, not the billing of residential accounts. Power conditioning products located on the customer’s side of the meter might indeed include capacitors, but the residential consumer is not being charged for reactive power so how does savings occur? In addition, many electrical engineers and utilities are puzzled about the technologies used by device manufacturers and whether any power factor benefit can be achieved. Impartial third-party testing results from reputable industry or academic sources are not readily available. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has launched a project to test the energy-saving claims of about 20 products, but results won’t be available until 2010. The products vary widely. Some even claim to use electromagnetic fields to reduce energy use, and others promise double-digit savings from special wrapping tape for wires and conduits in the meter box. Many of these devices must be wired into the home’s electrical system. Unfortunately, several companies are marketing their products with unsafe and potentially illegal installation advice. Do-it-yourself installers are instructed to open their meter bases and pull their own electric meters. Across the nation, electric cooperative managers and safety supervisors are aghast that consumers would be encouraged to risk electrocution. Meters are sealed for safety and to prevent tampering. Removing a meter seal without notifying your co-op and being granted permission (usually only allowed when certified electricians will do the work) is contrary to policy, operating procedures and safety regulations. Such action could put the account holder at risk of charges for meter tampering and attempt to steal service. Electric cooperatives routinely prosecute for power theft. One product’s Web site features FAQs that include this gem: If the meter seal is broken, your electric cooperative will discover it sooner or later. The majority of Missouri electric co-ops have adopted AMR (automated meter reading) systems. Several co-ops are deploying the second generation of these “intelligent” electric meters, which include tamper alarms that will send a signal back to co-op headquarters if the meter is removed. So, don’t fall victim to claims of electric bill savings that seem too good to be true. Contact your electric cooperative for information and advice before investing in residential power quality equipment or installing such devices.
Though Shalt Get An Energy Efficient Water Heater
Have you ever thought much about your water heater? Are you aware that about 20 percent of your utility bill goes toward the heating of water? Have you ever had to replace your water heater? Nearly every one of you said “Yes.” Now, why did you replace it? Was it the wrong color? Well, of course not. You replaced it because it quit working or had started leaking. At some point, we all need to replace a water heater. Now wouldn’t it be great if we could install a replacement guaranteed to never leak or rust? And wouldn’t it be great if the new water heater was super energy efficient? Well, such a product is available and I will tell you how I learned about it. About 10 years ago, I was attending a really big home show in the Astrodome in Houston. It takes several days to see everything in that show, which is sponsored by the National Association of Homebuilders. I actually did an energy presentation there and had about four extra hours to look around. I was practically running through the aisles looking at every display as fast as possible. At one point, I looked to my left and saw some strange looking objects that were shaped like a 44-caliber pistol bullet only they were about 5 feet tall. I hollered over to the fellow and asked, “What are these?” And he said, “Water heaters.” I said, “Commercial?” and he said, “No, mostly residential.” I turned and walked his way and asked, “What is so special about these water heaters?” And he said they are guaranteed to never leak or rust and are 91 to 95 percent energy efficient. I didn’t necessarily believe him but I knew that if it were true, a lot of my listeners would want to have one. Later, when I got proof that it was true, I started telling about the Marathon water heater in my seminars and on my radio show. Folks just like you started asking where they could get a Marathon. For months, I had to say, “I don’t know.” But that didn’t last for long because the electric cooperatives saw what a great product it was and began offering them to their members. And I know for a fact that hundreds of you already purchased one. If you understand the facts, the rest of you will do the same. The facts are simple. It is the last water heater that you will ever need at a particular location. It won’t rust or leak because the tank has no metal. And the Marathon is so well insulated with “envirofoam,” that it has practically zero standby loss regardless of location. It does not warm your cold garage in the winter and it does not heat your house in the summer. Now, consider this: The average gas water heater is less than 58 percent efficient, which means that about 40 percent of the natural gas you buy goes up the flue into the sky. On the other hand, the all-electric Marathons average 91-plus percent efficiency. That’s a no-brainer in my book. So, my advice to you is this: When you need a water heater for your new or existing house, contact your local electric co-op and ask about the Marathon water heater. Remember, your co-op values you, the member, and it cares. That’s why your co-op is doing all it can to help you save money on your electric bill by sponsoring this column, my show, my seminars, by conducting energy audits and much more. Doug Rye can be heard on KGOZ and KAAN locally. Every Saturday morning, Doug Rye hosts a live call-in show on several area radio stations. He can be heard from 9-10 a.m. on KGOZ, 101.7, Gallatin, and on KAAN, 95.5, Bethany. |
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Keep all untreated wood away from the earth.
CAPTION:
The RPU-190, a so-called energy efficiency device sold online, could
easily kill an unwary consumer. This device is clearly intended to steal
electricity, not make a home more energy efficient.
As we continue with the 10 Commandments of Energy Efficiency, we will keep our focus on making wise investments. This month, I am encouraging you to invest in a specific item that will make a world of difference in your utility bill. And in the coming months, I plan to continue to remind you that using your money for energy efficiency is probably the best investment you can make.