The Business Environmental Program provides free and confidential environmental management assistance to business and government operations in Nevada. The Program specializes in cost effective strategies to reduce hazardous materials and waste generation, conserve water and energy, minimize air emissions, and maintain compliance with environmental requirements. The program provides training, on-site consultation, assistance over the phone and through its website and publications.
Conventional Insulation Materials. Appropriate use of insulation materials in buildings and improved accuracy of measurement protocols and standards, resulting in reduced energy use in buildings. Inadequate insulation and air leakage are leading causes of energy waste in most homes. This fact sheet will help you to understand how insulation works, what different types of insulation are available, and how much insulation makes sense for your climate.
Procedures for Proper Installation of Insulation The California Energy Commission offers valuable information on the proper installation of insulation.
Window Installation: Windows should be installed following manufacturing recommendations, along with the following additional guidelines (primarily for windows with fin mounting systems).
Window Selection Tool for Reno, Nevada. Efficient Windows Collaborative (EWC) members have made a commitment to manufacture and promote energy-efficient windows. This site provides unbiased information on the benefits of energy-efficient windows, descriptions of how they work, and recommendations for their selection and use.
HVAC Sizing Practice- ACCA Manual J
This site covers HVAC and Ducts
Energy Efficient Forced Air Systems
Air Distribution System Installation and Sealing: Properly designed and installed duct systems can have efficiencies of 80% or more for little or no additional cost, potentially saving a homeowner $50-200 or more per year in heating and cooling costs. Moreover, efficient duct system installations can reduce equipment size, further saving money for new or replacement equipment.
Introduction to Residential Duct Systems: Studies have shown that forced air systems have the potential for significant energy losses because of air leaks and their installation outside the heated and cooled parts of the house. The Thermal Energy Distribution site is affiliated with the Lawrence Berkley Laboratory.
Duct Systems in Southwestern Homes: Problems and Opportunities: This report on duct systems in Southwestern homes is one in a series of technical briefs prepared by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) in support of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program.
Jump ducts are an increasingly popular method for improving the energy efficiency of homes with forced-air heating and cooling systems. They address the critical issues of equalizing air pressure in various parts of the home and of handling return air. Without balanced air pressure, energy efficiency decreases as conditioned air escapes through the building envelope, through unplanned routes such as leaky windows or around electric outlets.
Duct Retrofits:
Best Practices Guide for residential HVAC retrofits. This best practices guide for residential HVAC system retrofits is aimed at contractors who want guidance on delivering energy efficient, cost effective and innovative products.
Aerosol sealing is more effective and convenient than conventional methods for sealing ducts, because it requires less time and effort, and seals a larger portion of a leakage area more quickly.
Energy Star:
Energy Star Qualified Homes – ENERGY STAR can help builders and other home industry professionals to differentiate themselves in the market. New Homes that earn the ENERGY STAR provide lower utility bills, greater comfort, and enhanced durability for homebuyers, while helping to protect the environment.
Guidelines for ENERGY STAR Qualified New Homes : There are two paths to qualify a home to meet ENERGY STAR’s guidelines for energy efficiency. This site contains information on both the Performance and Prescriptive path.
Thermal Bypass Inspection Checklist: Accredited HERS Providers and certified home energy raters shall use their experience and discretion in verifying that each Inspection Checklist item is installed per the inspection guidelines for the home to achieve the Energy Star rating.
Rating Systems:
The Residential Energy Services Network’s (RESNET) mission is to ensure the success of the building energy performance certification industry, set the standards of quality, and increase the opportunity for ownership of high performance buildings.
HERS Rating
A home energy rating involves an analysis of a home’s construction plans and onsite inspections. The HERS Index is a scoring system established by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). The lower a home’s HERS Index, the more energy efficient it is in comparison to the HERS Reference Home.
REM/Rate Home Energy Rating Tool: The software calculates heating, cooling, hot water, lighting, and appliance energy loads, consumption and costs for new and existing single and multi-family homes.
REM/Design Home Energy Analysis Tool: Developed specifically with the needs of homebuilders, remodelers, energy consultants and designers in mind, REM/Design calculates heating, cooling, hot water, lights and appliance loads, consumption and costs for single and multi-family designs in over 250 North American cities.
REScheck: The REScheckTM materials have been developed to simplify and clarify code compliance with the Model Energy Code (MEC), the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), and a number of state codes. The REScheckTM residential compliance materials offer two ways to demonstrate compliance: the trade-off approach and the prescriptive packages approach.
REScheckTM: This is a link to a recorded webinar which covered the basics of using REScheckTM and was geared toward the beginning user. The webcast included 60 minutes of instruction and software demonstration.
Blower Door Testing and ACH50: A useful, reliable diagnostic tool is available to quantify air leakiness: the blower door; sometimes called a door fan. Its application is most practical in single-family residential housing.
Selecting a Water Heating system
Resource Efficient Plumbing highlights five technologies that are easy to install, result in efficient and speedy delivery of hot and cold water, and allow for future, simplified retrofit of a greywater reuse system.
Demand (Tankless or Instantaneous) Water Heaters How they work, types and installation considerations.
The quantity and quality of light around us determine how well we see, work, and play. Light affects our health, safety, morale, comfort, and productivity. In your home, you can save energy while still maintaining good light quantity and quality.
Light Fixtures – Energy Star light fixtures
Energy Efficient Indoor Lighting
Proper lighting improves the function, appearance and energy efficiency of a home. It is also important to the occupants’ comfort, health and safety.
Outdoor Lighting Design
When designing outdoor lighting, you need to consider the purpose of the lighting along with the basic methods for achieving energy efficiency.
Energy Star Appliances
When buying an appliance, remember that it has two price tags: what you pay to take it home and what you pay for the energy and water it uses. ENERGY STAR qualified appliances incorporate advanced technologies that use 10-50% less energy and water than standard models.
Learn how to read the EnergyGuide label.
Solar Water Heaters:
Solar Water Heaters – solar domestic hot water systems: How they work, types and installation considerations.
Economics of a Solar Hot Water Heater: On average, if you install a solar water heater, your water heating bills should drop 50%-80%. Also, because the sun is free, you’re protected from future fuel shortages and price hikes.
Solar Water Heating Systems that use the sun to heat either water or a heat-transfer fluid in collectors generally mounted on a roof. Solar water heaters are an environmentally sound way to reduce energy bills.
Solar Space Heating A solar space-heating system can consist of a passive system, an active system, or a combination of both.
Passive Solar Design Fact Sheet
Increase energy efficiency and comfort in homes by incorporating passive solar design features
Solar Radiation Data Manual for Buildings The Manual provides solar resources information for common window orientations for the United States and its territories.
US DOE, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Energy Software Tools; SunAngle – Calculates solar angles based on location, date, and time. It’s useful in passive solar building design, PV and solar thermal system design and analysis, and other applications such as photography.
Cool Roofs
This site addresses the frequently asked questions about cool roofs. There are also additional links to other resources for cool roofs.
Cool Roofs Will Revolutionize the Building Industry. Deployment of cool, ventilated roofs could result in about a 10% reduction of building cooling-energy use with no heating season penalty.
Cool Roof Rating Council and Rated Products
The Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) is an independent, non-profit organization that maintains a third-party rating system for radiative properties of roof surfacing materials. Benefits of cool roofs include: Energy savings and global warming mitigation; Reduction in urban heat island effect and smog; Improved occupant comfort.
THERMAL STORAGE WALL DESIGN MANUAL – There are five basic designs for passive solar space heating: direct gain, solar greenhouse, convective air loop, roof pond, and thermal storage walls. This manual focuses on the design and operation of the last system: thermal storage walls.
Solar PV Information and Resources
Solar Panel Information Renewable Solutions: Solar Panel Information, has amassed a wealth of information relating to solar panels and the field of photovoltaic technology. You can learn how solar panels work, how they are manufactured, where to buy them, and how to set them up.
The PVWatts Solar Calculator The purpose of this tool is to allow you to calculate how much energy will be produced by photovoltaic solar panels in a geographical area. It takes into account the amount of sun in the area and average electric rates.
PV backyard info
The In My Backyard (IMBY) tool estimates solar photovoltaic (PV) array and wind turbine electricity production based on your specifications of system size, location, and other variables.
Sizing Examples for Residential PV Systems: This site provides filled-in and blank worksheets to illustrate the calculations required in determining the size of power system needed to meet the load of a residence.
Building-Integrated Photovoltaics
NV Energy Net Metering Agreement and Design Requirements: This is the link to the Nevada Energy interconnection agreement for net metering of renewable energy generating facilities.
10 Monitoring Tools Bringing Smart Energy Home
2009 is the year companies are planning to launch wireless energy dashboards that will sit in your home, monitor energy data from your electricity meter and let you know if you’re being an energy hog.
ENERGY STAR Programmable Thermostats Product List
UA:
U-factor X area; REScheck performs a simple UA calculation for each building assembly to determine the overall UA of your building. The UA that would result from a building conforming to the code requirements is compared against the UA for your building. If the total heat loss (represented as a UA) through the envelope of your building does not exceed the total heat loss from the same building conforming to the code, then the software declares that you pass. A high-efficiency equipment trade-off can also be performed under certain codes.
Water ScienceThe free and confidential services of the Business Environmental Program are available by calling our toll-free number 1-800 882-3233
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