Designs That Work
Cold Climate
The Basic House - Appliances and Lighting
Efficient appliances and lights are readily available on the market.
Many new appliances are ENERGY STAR rated indicating that the appliance
consumes less energy then compared to the current federal standards. The
amount of energy consumption reduction will vary from appliance to
appliance. 
Figure 26: Energy use of Typical Household Appliances
Compact
Fluorescent Lighting
Compact fluorescent lights (CFL) consume on average 70% less energy
than regular incandescent lights. In addition they will last around 10
times as long. Even with these benefits, there has been resistance to
incorporate CFL’s into common use, due to the light quality and the length
of time that it took for the bulbs to warm up. Advances in technology have
made great improvements in both the quality of light provided by the bulbs
and the response time to turning on the switch. However, this does not
mean that all the lights are the same. CFLs are available in a range of
color temperatures and intensities to suit different lighting requirements
in any part of the house. The ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package
recommends that 50% of the lights in high-use rooms and outdoors, and 25%
in other rooms be CFLs. However, the energy-use model done for the basic
house assumes that all 90% of the lights are compact fluorescents to
achieve the maximum energy savings.
While using efficient lights and lighting design can reduce the energy
consumption, responsible use of the lights is also factor. The energy
model assumes a certain usage amount based on reported lifestyle averages;
however actual use will vary dramatically from household to household.
Turning off lights in unoccupied rooms or when natural daylight is
adequate can be an even more effective energy reduction strategy.
ENERGY STAR Appliance Package
Clothes washers and dryers, refrigerators, chest freezers, and
dishwashers, are significant energy-users in a typical home. ENERGY
STAR-rated appliances use 10-50% less energy and water than standard
models. The case study house was designed and modeled using Energy Star
Appliances.
As with lighting, savings are calculated based on reported lifestyle
averages and actual use will vary from household to household. Further
reductions in overall energy consumption are possible through the wise use
of appliances. Homeowner choices like hanging laundry outside to dry at
the right time of year, running washers with full loads only, and turning
off and unplugging appliances that are not in use will save energy and
lower the operating costs of the house. These lifestyle changes can be
encouraged by the builder.
Energy Model Results
The results of the appliances and lighting upgrades represented a
reduction in energy consumption of 3.6% when compared to the energy
consumption of the Building America Benchmark house design. |
