Wednesday, January 21, 2015
ENERGY
& CODE SEMINAR
DECEMBER
6, 2014
BY: Mark Shireman
As of April 2015 the manufacturers
of hot water heaters will have to change to higher efficiency water heaters.
If
you want energy star you’ll need a heat pump water heater. Heat pump water heaters:
a.)
Need a 10’x10’ space so there is enough “air”
around them to work.
b.)
They are 240% efficient.
c.)
They get heat out of the air surrounding them
d.)
They are noisy
e.)
Need to be in a room with room temperature above
50° for maximum efficiency.
f.)
Can use about 2/3 less electricity than standard
electric water heater.
Other water heater notes:
1.)
Most lime build up comes from water heater water
being too hot.
2.)
Most efficient set up is 2 water heaters in tandem. Second water heater acts more like a storage
tank.
3.)
120°
water will not burn your hands unless you hold them under for 5 minutes.
4.)
160°
water burns you instantly.
Circulation
pumps to help keep hot water instant:
However:
a.)
Makes your hot water heater running full
time. Runs up your utility bill
b.)
Circulation pump has water in the loop, all the
time and is an energy drain.
c.)
More efficient is a heat pump water heater in tandem
with a standard water heater.
d.)
To relieve pressure in your plumbing systems use
expansion tanks.
HVAC notes:
1.)
New building codes make buildings much tighter
2.)
This challenges humidity and ventilation
3.)
A closed up building with the HVAC turned off
will fill with humidity unless properly ventilated.
4.)
Owners of buildings must be more trained to
operate HVAC in these new code times.
5.)
Insulation traps air. This “trapped” air is the insulation.
6.)
At the point where cold air hits hot air the
“dew” point is overwhelmed and this causes moisture.
7.)
In a building 78° with 40% humidity feels the same as 72° with 60% humidity. Humidity levels in a building have a great
effect on human comfort.
8.)
The new tubular type window blinds can come in
single double or triple thickness. They
can have a positive effect on increasing the “R” valve of the window.
9.)
New code says “U” factor on a window must be
0.35 “U” is the inverse of “R”.
Fresh Air:
a.)
Fresh air requirements are greatly affected by
how the occupants use the space. Doors
opened a lot? Exhaust fans running a
lot?
b.)
Some experts believe that the ideal humidity in
a building should be held close to 40%.
c.)
Energy Recovery Ventilators (E.R.V.). These units can help push fresh air all over
the building thru the existing ductwork.
They should be programmed so they operate only when needed and not constantly. You can add a manual override to bypass the
program should you get into a situation where you need more fresh air. Use motorized dampers to keep the ERV from
trying to overwhelm your normal HVAC system.
d.)
Humans want HVAC comfort. What is the price of comfort?
Passive Solar:
If
you use this then separate your glass wall from the rest of the building. You have to figure out how to keep the solar
gain from overwhelming the normal parts of your building.
Other HVAC things
1.)
Most humans are comfortable at 70 to 72 degrees
in the air.
2.)
If the fixed objects in the room, furniture,
desk tops, etc. are allowed to cool down, then they are hard to get heated back
up. Keep this in mind if you drop your
thermostat way down over night.
3.)
Radiant floor heat is tricky. The surface of human skin is about 84°. Your floor would have to be higher than 84° for a human to think
they are “warm”.
Lighting Notes
a.)
Recessed “can” lights lose a lot of heat via the
penetrations they make in your ceilings.
b.)
LED light can last up to 11 years.
c.)
CFL lights usually last 10,000 hours.
d.)
The “K” on lighting specs is “Kelvin”.
e.)
In CFL lights the K factor is something like
this:
a.
2700 K has a yellow cast to it
b.
3500 K has a more white cast to it
c.
4700 K has a more blue cast to it
f f.)
LED lights sometimes look funny, but work
well. Manufacturers of LED lights are
working around the clock to fill the need.
Surge
Protection
1.)
Power surge can come from many places. Lighting, static electricity, cable TV lines,
and lots of places. Lighting can hit the
ground, surge your electric products and you will not see any signs of lightning
on the exteriors.
2.)
Modern appliances and equipment with miniature
circuity cannot absorb a “surge” like old time appliances and equipment.
3.)
You cannot protect a whole building with a
single source surge protection system.
4.)
Insurance companies report that lightning
protection does not protect a building any better than a building with no
lightning protection.
5.)
Remember, you can get killed from a 120 volt
shock from a small appliance or tool.
Other items
a.)
Overhead electric lines will never transition
completely to underground. The cost is
so very expensive and underground wires will probably have to be replaced every
40 years.
b.)
Experts say the US has a 100 year natural gas
supply. This is based upon usage today. If the EPA forces all the coal fired electric
plants to convert to natural gas, then this 100 year supply will disappear
rapidly.
c.)
Windmills need 9 mile per hour wind to make them
operate.
d.)
Experts say we have a 300 year supply of coal.
