The “Half” Plan
Cut energy use and green house gas
emissions in half
and
save a ton of money
We Will Cover …
• What’s a “Half” plan?
• Energy and CO2 reduction projects
– Including some 1 year payback solar heating projects
• Results
• Making your own “Half” plan
What’s the “Half” Plan?
We wanted to see if we could cut our energy use and
green house gas emissions in half.
• Is it possible?
• What does it cost?
• How much money does it save?
• How hard is it?
• Lifestyle changes?
Where Does The Energy Go?
Must address all of these areas to make the goal
Does not include embedded energy in
Products, air transport, …
Where Does The Energy Go?
Target
47,000 KWH/yr
Target
32,000 lbs CO2/yr
Must address all of these areas to make the goal
Does not include embedded energy in
Products, air transport, …
The “Half “ Plan
Our 20 Energy Saving Projects
• Conservation
• Solar
•Transportation
The “Half “ Plan
Our 20 Energy Saving Projects
 Conservation
• Solar
•Transportation
Make Storm Windows From Bubble Wrap
A simple, cheap, quick way
to reduce window heat loss
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(2%)
960 KWH/year *
490 lb/year
$75 per year
$1200
$38 (or nothing)
* 36 gal propane
Tame the PC’s
PC, printer, monitor, router … use a lot of power
• Plug everything into a power strip
• Daytime: Hibernate when idle for 15 minutes
• Nighttime: Shut off everything with power strips
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(4%)
1780 KWH/year *
3560 lb/year
$178 per year
$2840
$20
* for 2 PC’s and peripherals
Seal & Insulate Heating Ducts
We sealed and insulated all accessible attic and
crawl space ducts
• Studies show that losses of 15 to 30%
are the norm in homes
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(2%)
940 KWH/year *
480 lb/year
$75 per year
$1,195
$20
* 35 gal propane
Seal Heating Ducts (cont’d)
• Use Duct Mastic
• Seal every joint you can get to
• Insulate ducts in attic or crawl space
Efficient Lights
Use efficient lights!
• Compact fluorescents, regular fluorescents, LED’s, …
• Less than one year payback
• Rebates
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(2%)
1170 KWH/year *
2340 lb/year
$117 per year
$1860
$50
* for 29 CF’s
Efficient Lights
(cont’d)
•There are CF’s for just about any situation
•A variety of light “colors” for cool to warm
Eliminate Phantom Loads
Many electrical appliances use power even when
turned “off”
• Use a Kill-A-Watt to find the phantoms
• Use power strips to cut all power
• Or, replace high drain phantoms
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(1%)
570 KWH/year
1140 lb/year
$57 per year
$910
$70
Replace Energy Hog Appliances
Old refrigerators, dishwashers, … may use 3 or
more times as much power as new the Energy
Star equivalents
• Our new fridge saves 2 KWH
per day
• Energy Star website for ratings
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(2%)
720 KWH/year
1440 lb/year
$72 per year
$1147
$800
Stop Cold Air Infiltration
• Caulk around windows etc.
• Seal all penetrations from living space to
attic
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(4%)
1980 KWH/year *
1010 lb/year
$50 per year
$2485
$38
* 73 gal propane
Add Insulation
Blow in more attic insulation
• Increasing our attic insulation from R22 to R47
gave us a 2 year payback*
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(3%)
1590 KWH/year *
810 lb/year
$126 per year **
$2010
$260
* 60 gal propane
** Includes lower effective R value of FG
insulation under cold conditions.
** Only half of our attic can be done.
Add Insulation (cont’d)
•Free blower loan
•Easy to do
•But, do infiltration sealing first
Insulate Crawl Space
We Converted our crawl space to an insulated,
conditioned space
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(2%)
1090 KWH/year *
560 lb/year
$86 per year **
$1370
$210
* 40 gal propane
** For crawl space under ¼ of house
Insulate Crawl Space (cont’d)
Conditioned space
• Seal floor with poly
• Insulate walls
• Insulate rim joist
• Plug vents
Alternate – insulate the
crawl space ceiling
Inside Storm Windows
Multi wall polycarbonate storm windows
• High R value
• Easy to make
• Fits any window
• Lightweight
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(6%)
2700 KWH/year *
1100 lb/year
$220 per year
$3500
$450
* 100 gal propane
For 30% of total window area
Inside Strom Windows
(cont’d)
Multi wall polycarbonate storm windows
•Cuts easily
•Easy to handle
•Secure with Velcro or screws
•Adds R 2.5
Thermal Shades
Reduce night time window heat loss
• Adds up to R 4
• Better with some type
of edge sealing
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(7%)
3160 KWH/year *
1525 lb/year
$258 per year
$4,110
$1,086
* 117 gal propane
For 32% of window area
Electric Mattress Pad
A surprisingly large energy saving with a big
increase in comfort 
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(3 %)
1270 KWH/year *
510 lb/year
$103 per year
$1640
$125
* 47 gal propane
Venting Dryer Inside
We vent our dryer to the inside of the house during the
winter to recover the heat
NOT for gas dryers!
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(1+%)
630 KWH/year *
290 lb/year
$63 per year
$1000
$20
* 24 gal propane
Other Conservation Projects
Project
Energy
Saving
Cost
Saving
Per Year
(KWH)
Storm Door
220
$200
$17
Turn Stuff Off
440
$0!
$44
Washing Machine
350
$400
$35
The “Half “ Plan
Our 20 Energy Saving Projects
• Conservation
 Solar Energy Projects
•Transportation
Solar Space Heater
Simple solar space heater
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
2,527 KWH/year
1,320 lb/year
$206 per year
$3,280
$350
(5%)
Based on half time use – one year
payback with full time use.
Solar Space Heater
(cont’d)
How it works
• Cool air enters bottom vent
• Screen absorber heats air
• Heated air rises out top vent
No fans, no controllers, no
electricity.
Solar Space Heater
(cont’d)
Solar Space Heater
(cont’d)
Direct Gain Solar Heater
Direct gain heater
•Free heat and daylighting
•Night insulation
•Easy to build
•Two year payback
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(6%)
2,912 KWH/year
1,525 lb/year
$238 per year
$3,785
$380
Direct Gain Solar Heater
(cont’d)
Direct Gain Heater
(cont’d)
How does it do at -20F?
70F
Inside
Outside
-20F
The “Solar Shed” Collector
A combination garden
shed and solar
collector that
collects and stores
heat for use in the
house
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(15%)
6,970 KWH/year *
3,360 lb/year
$568 per year
$9,048
$4,000
* 260 gal propane
This project is not included in the Half
totals yet, as we just got it up and running in
January
“Solar Shed”
(cont’d)
The “Solar Shed” concept
House
New Garden Shed
Hydronic
Heaters
Heat pipe to house
Solar
Collectors
Heat
Storage
Tank
“Solar Shed”
Construction
(cont’d)
Future Solar Electric
Postponed to last due to
lower return
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(4%)
1,710 KWH/year
3,420 lb/year
$170 per year
$2,720
$9,000
This project will double our total our
investment while providing only 4% of
total energy saving.
The “Half “ Plan
Our 20 Energy Saving Projects
• Conservation
• Solar
Transportation Projects
Bought a Prius
Our single most effective energy saving project
• A terrific car
• 2 year payback for us
• Happiness is driving 400 miles
and filling up on 8 gallons
Energy Saving
CO2 Saving
Cost Saving
10 Year Saving
Initial Cost
(49%)
23,900 KWH/year*
11,900 lb/year
$1,880 per year
$29,960
$3000
* 650 gal gasoline
49% of Half target!!
The “Half “ Plan
Results to Date
Results
To Date
Energy Saved
Reduction
49,000 KWH/yr 53%
CO2 Reduction 31,700 LB/yr
49%
Near Future
9,200 KWH/yr
4,300 LB/yr
$’s Spent
$7,525
$4,400
$’s Saved
$4,010 per yr
$750 per yr
Two year payback on projects to date
Results
Top 7 Projects -- Cheap and Effective
Energy Saved
8,030 KWH/yr
CO2 Reduction
7,950 LB/yr
$’s Spent
$193
$’s Saved
$670 per yr
Top Seven: PC’s, Seal Ducts, Bubble Wrap Windows, CF’s,
Phantom Loads, Vent Dryer, Seal Infiltration.
The “Half “ Plan
Planning Your Half Program
Doing Your Own “Half” Plan
Making a “Half” Plan
1. Make a BIG list of project ideas
2. Estimate energy and CO2 savings for each
project
3. Prioritize Projects
4. Make it Happen!
Doing Your Own “Half” Plan
1) Make a BIG list of ideas
• Consider anything
– Include all of your energy uses
– Include conservation, solar, …
• Sources of ideas
– Attached resources list
Sources of Project Ideas
Some good sources for ideas:
• Build It Solar www.BuildItSolar
My site -- Look at the Projects page and the Half Plan pages.
• Utility audit program – these can be quite good, and some even include blower
door tests to check your house for infiltration.
• Rocky Mountain Institute www.rmi.org
The “Energy Briefs” papers are very good.
• Energy Star www.energystar.gov/
Lots of good information on Energy Star rated appliances as well as a wide variety of
other energy efficiency subjects.
• ”The Carbon Buster’s Home Energy Handbook”, Stoyke, 2007
• The EERE site www.EERE.Energy.gov/Consumer
• Home Power Magazine, Mother Earth Magazine, …
Doing Your Own “Half” Plan
2) Evaluate each project for how effective it will be in
reducing energy, CO2 emissions, and cost.
• This is the key to getting the best results for the money you
have to spend
• Projects rates of return will vary over a very large range –
this step helps you pick the good ones.
Tools To Evaluate Projects
• Insulation Upgrade Calculator
www.builditsolar.com/References/Calculators/InsulUpgrd/InsulUpgrade.htm
This simple calculator can be used to evaluate insulation upgrades, window
improvements, storm windows.
• The “Half Plan” Examples
http://www.builditsolar.com/References/Half/Projects.htm
These example projects each include details the details on how the energy
saving was calculated.
• “The Carbon Buster’s Home Energy Handbook”, Godo Stoyke, 2007
Many concrete examples of energy reduction projects.
• Carbon emissions calculator --Infinite Power
http://www.infinitepower.org/calculators.htm
• Car Carbon emissions -- Hybrid Cars dot Com
http://www.hybridcars.com/calculator/
• If you get stuck – contact me gary@BuildItSolar.com
I’ll do my best to help or find someone who can.
Doing Your Own “Half” Plan
3) Prioritize -- Decide what order to do projects in
– Cheapest and best payoff first
– Some may need to go earlier
– The most interesting ones
Doing Your Own “Half” Plan
4) Do the projects
The fun part!
Keep track of your bills for rebates and tax
credits
Can it make a difference?
If 100 million families each reduced
greenhouse gas emissions by 20 tons, it
would reduce total US green house gas
emissions by 25%