On Monday, John discussed leaky ducks…err…ducts, and how and why you should make sure they are well-sealed.

How do you ensure your ducts aren't leaky?

Each Thursday, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments. [More]

One of the DOE building experts I worked with back in the early 1990s stated that a major energy problem facing the nation was leaking ducts (although it sure sounded like "ducks"). He was referring, of course, to the ductwork that most of our homes have to distribute the hot air in winter and air conditioned air in summer throughout the house. All but a miniscule percentage of homes built with ductwork have the ducts running outside of the building envelope, either into the unheated attic or into the unheated basement or crawlspace.

I never forgot what this DOE expert told me, although I never fully understood the reason behind his statement. It never affected me directly because the first house I bought nearly 20 years ago, and where I still live, never had ductwork. I would read ads in magazines and newspapers aplenty about companies warning of the health hazards of dirty ducts, offering services to clean them. I would chuckle to myself every time I saw those ads, because I don't have ducts. My house at first was heated by baseboard electric heaters, and air conditioned by window air conditioners. Then, a half dozen or so years ago, I had the first of now four ductless heat pumps installed. I love them. They are ultra-efficient and ultra-quiet. The new ones I had installed downstairs, one on each end of the house, have a Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) of 10 and a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of more than 20. Now that's energy-efficient! [More]

"Keeping things simple" and "getting back to basics" are two ideals I naturally gravitate to. And while I'm not usually someone who makes New Year's resolutions, I am a big fan of top 10 lists. While pretty straightforward, these easy tips are great way to save money and energy throughout the New Year. So here goes, my personal top 10 ways to save money and energy in 2011.

1. Research alternatives for saving money on fuel, decreasing my carbon footprint, and increasing my vehicle's fuel efficiency.
2. Confirm I have my programmable thermostat set to the optimal settings. Turning back the thermostat by 10°–15° when I'm not at home can save me around 10% a year on my heating and cooling bills.
3. Check for air leaks and apply caulking and weatherstripping. While the improvements I made in the last 12 months have likely already paid for themselves, I'll double check I didn't miss any leaks and see if any caulk or weatherstripping needs to be replaced. [More]

At a December holiday party, the host handed me a newspaper clipping and asked me what I thought of the energy pyramid mentioned in the article. I hadn't read the article, so I told him I would read it and get back to him. Of course, when I found time to look into it, I didn't have the article with me. So I decided to do a little research on energy pyramids on the internet. It turns out that I found several variations on the theme, including the one mentioned in the article handed to me by my friend and neighbor, Larry. The Energy Use Pyramid, featured in the Washington Post article Larry asked about, was designed by architects Peter Pfeiffer and Betsy del Monte. It's a valuable resource, especially for new building design. It clearly shows that most of the emphasis should be placed on design elements that use no power at all, such as solar orientation and tight building construction, because these are often the most cost-effective solutions. In some cases, such as building orientatio... [More]

Our Australian Shepherd, Matilda, is not the fiercest of protectors. In fact, she's a total coward. She flees in horror from strangers and is terrorized by the vacuum cleaner; even a pair of shoes left in an unaccustomed place can strike fear in her heart. But let her see a cat in the back yard, or even catch the scent of one on a walk, and my cowardly Matilda becomes a superhero ready to save me from the feline menace. So when Matilda started pulling her superhero routine in the house a few weeks ago, running from room to room and growling at the air registers in the floor, I was immediately suspicious. We don't own a cat, and Matilda's seeming insistence that one was living inside our duct work was a little unnerving, to say the least. A few days of watching Matilda pounce on air registers convinced me, and I suited up my husband and sent him under the house to investigate. It turns out Matilda was right. A neighborhood cat, seeking somewhere warm to have a nap, had been sitting on t... [More]

A few years ago, my family gathered in Mississippi for a funeral. While we were there, we undertook the renovation of a living area and found it was quick and easy to make some energy efficient choices. We replaced all of the regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) wherever practical and installed timers for lamps in the family room. The changes stuck. The home owner still uses CFLs, having replaced one or two of the bulbs since then, and the timers have come in handy. The amount of energy saved isn't insignificant either, with the (small) investment having repaid itself several times over. These are things you can probably do for yourself, but think about doing them for a relative. Do you have parents or grandparents who might benefit from some energy efficient kindness? Buying CFLs is something you can do today. Replace their light bulbs and it's probably the last time they'll have to think about this chore for years to come. If you're comfortable with a caulking gu... [More]