Web site of the month: Home Energy Saver

Home Energy Saver online energy auditing program shows consumers the profitability of energy-efficiency upgrades. (Artwork by Home Energy Saver)

As with dieting, the first step toward reducing a building's energy consumption is to measure it. While consulting with a professional—trained nutritionist or certified energy auditor—may get the best results, consumers usually take the do-it-yourself approach. So, like a doctor giving a patient a calorie counter, many utilities provide links on their Web sites to online energy auditing systems.

An excellent program homeowners can use to get a handle on their energy consumption is the Home Energy Saver (HES), developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories. Using basic information entered by the visitor, the HES compares the home's energy efficiency to similar homes across the country.

Visitors begin the process by simply entering their zip code, and in turn receive instant initial estimates. Each session is assigned a number so visitors can save their information and return to update their profile—a very useful feature since online audits often show consumers how little they understand about their own utility bill.

Program covers whole house

Using engineering models, the HES Energy Advisor estimates energy consumption for six end uses: heating, cooling, water heating, major appliances, lighting, and miscellaneous equipment.

The Energy Advisor calculates heating and cooling consumption using the DOE-2 building simulation program, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy. The program performs a full annual simulation for a typical weather year in about 10-20 seconds, after the visitor enters the necessary information describing their home. Visitors can choose from 239 weather locations around the United States. The Web-based user interface distills a sophisticated series of calculations into a relatively simple, useful form. Default energy prices for each fuel and state are also available, or visitors can enter their specific pricing information.

LBNL researchers developed the detailed model that calculates domestic water heating energy consumption. Visitors can see how household size, age of occupants, equipment efficiencies and water inlet temperatures affect bottom-line energy costs.

To get appliance estimates, visitors can simply enter the number and approximate age of their major appliances. Another, very detailed module calculates energy consumption for lighting and dozens of miscellaneous gas and electric appliances, with default values based on data compiled over the years by LBNL researchers.

What happens next

The initial results compare the energy costs for each of the six end uses the visitor currently has with the energy cost of upgrades. The recommendations are tailored to the visitor's home and ranked by payback time. On this page, visitors can select from a dropdown menu to modify assumptions, as well as the retrofit costs and then recalculate the table.

The results can be viewed online or printed out in a detailed report which includes retrofit description and other details as well as links to additional information. This data can help consumers to make informed decisions about home improvements, while member services representatives can point to the report to show the benefits of utility rebates.

Of course, the point of providing information is to get people to take action, and visitors can take the next step with the HES Making it Happen and Energy Librarian modules. These pages connect users to a wide variety of online "how-to" resources, so they can successfully capitalize on the energy savings opportunities identified by the Energy Advisor. Links range from lists of specific efficient products to tips about selecting a good contractor to information on what assistance utilities might have to offer. The site also features an extensive glossary and frequently-asked questions. If visitors don't find the answers they are looking for there, a link will take them to DOE EERE's Ask An Energy Expert Service.

Utilities should encourage consumers who are serious about improving their home's energy performance to consult a professional energy auditor. But don't underestimate the value of online audits like the Home Energy Saver. Like a swimsuit picture taped to the refrigerator door, it shows consumers what they can achieve—a lean, mean utility bill and a more comfortable home.

Resources

Home Energy Saver

Making it Happen

Energy Librarian

Glossary of energy terminology

Frequently-asked questions

Ask An Energy Expert Service

Related articles

Energy Services Bulletin, August 2009
Utilities face challenges, rewards offering energy audits

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