Saving Energy: Heating & Air Conditioning

Saving Energy: Heating & Air Conditioning
Buying New Equipment – Whole House Fans
A whole-house fan, also known as an attic fan, provides great ventilation, lower indoor temperatures and - most importantly - lower summer electric bills.
With the flip of a switch, it pulls cooler outside air through open windows and sends hot indoor air out through the attic. It can lower the temperature in your home by five degrees in just a few minutes.
Inexpensive energy-saver
One of the biggest advantages of a whole-house fan is the cost - only $150 to $350, compared to thousands of dollars for a central air conditioner. And when used in place of a central air conditioner, it can lower your cooling costs by 30 percent.
Installing a whole-house fan can be a do-it-yourself project if you have some home-improvement experience in wiring, and you have adequate space in your attic. If not, you can hire an electrician or handyman to install it for you.
Use alone or with an air conditioner
You can use a whole-house fan as a cooling system by itself, or you can combine it with your central air conditioner to help cool the house more quickly.
Factors like outside temperatures and humidity levels can affect how well a whole-house fan works. A good rule of thumb is to use the whole house fan when outside temperatures are below 85 degrees.
When the temperature climbs higher than that, or if the humidity level is uncomfortable, it's more effective to use your air conditioner.
Choosing the size
To gauge your cooling needs, multiply your home's square footage by three to calculate the cubic feet of air moved per minute [CFM].
To calculate the required vent space, divide your CFM by 750 - this gives you the number of square feet of attic vent space needed. If your vents are screened or louvered, double that amount.
Allow for good airflow
When you're using a whole-house fan, it's important to allow for good airflow - make sure you leave a window or door open to keep the air moving and avoid damaging your system.
It's also important to insulate the fan opening during the winter - the louvers don't seal tightly, making it a prime place for heat loss.

“Sustainability is the simultaneous achievement of environmental, economic and

“Sustainability is the simultaneous achievement of environmental, economic and

social goals,” the State’s definition of sustainability says, but the three do not have

equal clout. What hope does the environment have when pitted against economics and

a growing population’s drive for amenities?

It’s a battle of brute force and expediency with no real moral imperative on which

to build more substantial terms of engagement.

Remembering the death bed scenario, it is surely tragic that we, as a society, allow

materialistic thoughts to pre-occupy us, and put questions of spirituality and ethics

into the too-hard basket.

Sustainability –– nebulous and hard to define –– raises more than environmental,

economic and social concerns. It is a supreme test of our basic human decency and

virtue. These are the sorts of qualities we will look for and treasure the most at the end

of our life.

It may sound odd but the State Sustainability Strategy is as good a place as any to

start a spiritual search.

Contemplation of this Strategy is recognition that resources are finite and we have

to tread carefully –– something we haven’t really done for the last 30 or 40 years.

But when it comes to considering the long-term impact of developments and

drawing lines in the sand –– yes, you can go ahead, or no, it’s unsustainable –– will

the economic imperative continue to exert most influence, as it does now?

Will our sustainability rules be bent by economics? Will governments continue to

favor development projects because they equal jobs, economic prosperity and votes

at the next election? Tangible things. Runs on the board.