Covering Your Bases — Refrigerator, Lighting, and Hot Water Base-Load

Measures

Larry KinneySynergistic Building Technologies

Synertech Systems CorpSunflower Corp

Session objectives Achieve a global sense of the importance of weatherization in general and the key role of baseload measures in particular.

Gain insights on the greatest electric baseload failure and cost-effective measures not taken;

Learn why refrigerators and CFLs sometimes fail prematurely and how to deal with the problem;

Learn how to work with suppliers to receive credit for replacement materials; and

Identify when to select another supplier or manufacturer.

Let us by all means think globally and act locally. But let us also think locally as well as act globally, and try to tune our global and local thinking as the several notes of a single and common chord.

Baird Callicott “Ethics and Agenda 21: the Moral

Implications of a Global Consensus”

On the occasion of this weatherization training conference, we plan to invoke the genius of Plato’s ascending and descending dialectic: upwards toward a principle, downwards toward a practice—and back up again.

Source: Adbusters

Population 1950– Population 2.5 Billion 2000– Population 6.1 Billion 2050– Projected 9.3 Billion

World population increased 48% between 1975 and 2000.

The pattern is that of classic exponential growth (which cannot be sustained).

Population

Energy and power: cosmic definitions

“I hold that being is merely power.” (The Eleatic Stranger, Plato’s Sophist c 430BC)

“Electricity is actually a fast-moving herd of electrons, which are tiny one-celled animals that can survive in almost any environment except inside a double-A battery, where they die within minutes.” (Dave Barry, Funny TimesMay 2001)

What’s a million British Thermal Units?

The amount of energy necessary to heat 100,000 pounds of water 10 degrees Fahrenheit

One billionth of a quadrillion (Quad)

And a Quad is 106 * 109 = 1015 Btu!

Some global energy numbers

Worldwide annual energy consumption: 400 Quads, 400 billion person years equivalent.

US annual consumption in 2005: 100+ Quads, 100 billion person years of labor equivalent.

We’re number one! With less than 5 percent of the world’s population, the US consumes about 1/4 of the world’s energy and produces almost 1/2 of the world’s garbage.

In 2002, the US used 339 MMBtu/person; Germany and Japan 173, and China 33.

Yet 2.5 billion people have no electricity…and we won’t sign the Kyoto accords!

Nighttime from the Space Shuttle

World Energy Consumption 1970-2020 (EIA 1999)

How do we make electricity?

Generator basics Moving a coil of wire in a magnetic field induces a voltage

Output depends on number of turns of wire, strength of magnetic field

Magnetic field may be from a “permanent” magnet or an electromagnet

A wire cutting perpendicular to the magnetic field produces maximal voltage; parallel minimum

Sinusoidal output is a natural consequence

Steam Turbine GeneratorHeat

Carnot effect:Qout = Qin[(Tin-Tout)/Tin], where Q is

quantity of energy and T is absolute temperature

A fundamental physical limitation applicable to all heat engines

Practical effect is that the efficiency of electricity generated by heat engines < 40%

Water use in electric power generation

Thermal power plants use about 0.47 gal/kWh generated in the US

Hydro is 18 gal/kWh! P. Torcellini, N. Long, and R. Judkoff. NREL/CP-550-35190. November 2003. “Consumptive Water Use for U.S. Power Production.” Available electronically at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/35190.pdf

So measures that save a kWh of electricity save a half a gallon of water at the power plant.

Energy Costs 2008, Oil @ $100/bbl

Fuel Unit Btu/Unit Cost/ Unit $/MMBtu

Coal Ton 28,000,000 $70 $2.50

Crude Oil Barrel 6,300,000 $100 $15.87

Heating Oil

Gallon 140,000 $3.60 $25.71

Propane Gallon 92,000 $2.30 $25.00

Gasoline Gallon 125,000 $3.80 $30.40

Natural Gas

Therm 100,000 $1.25 $12.50

Electricity

kWh 3,412 $0.14 $41.03

Peak Oil

Earth’s Surface Temperature

“The Revenge of Gaia"

James Lovelock, who espouses the Gaia Theory, now says that the earth is not an organism (but in some respects can be likened to one).

There are feedback mechanisms on Earth that tend to correct or at least recover from some physical and/or chemical and/or biological imbalances. 

The world has already passed the point of noreturn for climate change, and civilization as weknow it is now is unlikely to survive.

Preliminary conclusions:

You may believe in the impossibility of the continued exponential growth of non-renewable resources.

You may believe in the likely painful consequences of our planet having reached its peak in oil production.

You may believe in substantial climate change due to our overly consumptive lifestyles that “require” the burning of enormous quantities of fossil fuels.

But only fools believe in none of the above. Unhappily a number of our nation’s leaders appear to be included in this class…

"We now face the prospect of a kind of global civil war between those who refuse to consider the consequences of civilization's relentless advance and those who refuse to be silent partners in its destruction. The time has come to make this struggle the central organizing principle of world civilization.“

Senator Al Gore, 1992

So I see two fundamental choices:

We can wring our hands in anguish and curse the enemy (who may be us!)

Or we can roll up our sleeves and try to reverse the trends of waste, becoming part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

I view weatherization as a very important part of the solution—and I salute you!

In hopes of rolling up our sleeves, here are some energy

considerations in buildings

Waste is rampant, costs are high, and Mother Nature is not pleased with our wasteful habits!

It’s possible to retrofit most dwellings to achieve much better energy performance cost effectively.

Baseload measures are very important, can save water as well as energy, both locally and at the power plant.

Everyone (including Mother Nature) can win.

Intermediate conclusions

Electricity costs more because most of it is produced via heat engines which are inherently wasteful due to the Carnot effect.

Savings electricity saves water at the power plant as well as fossil fuels.

So helping WX clients save electricity a high calling, very much part of the solution.

Key areas: DHW (including pumps), lighting, frig, freezer, plug loads, education.

Think globally

Water Only 2.5% of the world’s water is fresh water.

Two thirds of it is frozen in glaciers.

1.1 Billion people lack clean water. 2.4 Billion people lack sanitation. Americans consume 158 gallons of water per day, Europeans 66, and Africans 8.

By 2025 two thirds of the world may lack clean fresh water.

Water 2025 After 2010, key aquifers in China, India, West Asia and North Africa will begin to fail.

Decreased public investment in crop breeding for rain-fed agriculture will lead to further declines in productivity growth and yields will fall.

Farmers will expand slash-and-burn agriculture and groundwater pumping. Deforestation, erosion, river and reservoir sedimentation, and encroachment on wetlands will increase.

Water in 2025

The Diary of George Templeton Strong, 1842

There are…ways in which government may provide material remedies for personal and family uncleanliness engendered by the conditions of life in tenements; such as, for example, public baths, or still better, cheap water rates that will encourage house owners to put bathrooms in tenements.

Insights from Peter Judd, circa 1993

NY City didn’t meter water use until the last several decades (that’s cheap!)

Patterns of water use are very interesting.

Peter Judd was Assistant Commissioner, Energy Conservation Division, NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

Average daily water use from apartments in 40 buildings,

outliers removed

Average daily water use from apartments in 47 buildings with

outliers

Patterns of practice illustrate a key principle

The magnitude of savings due to retrofits is a strong function of before-retrofit use.

In short, savings follows waste The circumstances of water are closely akin to the circumstances of energy.

The policy consequences are clear:-You can’t control what you can’t

meter.-It’s cost effective to go after

the big stuff first.

Act (and think) locally

The problem in achieving comfort and efficiency in the shower

Water from shower heads evaporatively cools from nozzle to the shower floor by 10ºF to 25ºF!

Fine droplets and low humidity enhance effect. High mass shower stalls cause radiant losses from bodies to shower walls.

Moisture from the space is removed by a fan that causes more evaporative cooling of the body.

These problems are routinely solved by higher water rate shower heads with higher temperature hot water at the head—tacky and wasteful!

Temp difference over 23F!

Solution Low mass shower heats quickly

Sealed shower stall goes to 100% RH within seconds, eliminates evaporative cooling

Stall closed until shower is over, then damper is opened, evacuates moist air quickly without fan

Result: better comfort, less waste of water, heat, and fan power

Shower heads High flow in the shower wastes

energy and water. This one peaked at about 4 gpm. Shower heads that produce 1.5

gmp widely available. Get very good shower heads that

look good and work well. Those that mist require higher temp water because of evaporative cooling from shower head to the body (10F or more!)

Investing in the best will still result in paybacks of a month or so.

Experiment with several models (shower with a friend!), then buy in bulk.

The economics of low flow showerheads

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

$0 $50 $100 $150 $200 $250 $300 $350 $400

Annual savings

Sh

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er h

ead

flo

w r

ate

(gp

m)

Annual total savings w/ electric heater (($/yr)

Annual total savings w/ gas heater ($/yr)

There are excellent low flow shower heads

available to weatherization programs.

Case prices are $2.07 for this model, 1.5 gpm. It works well!

Installation is usually quite simple

When unscrewing an old showerhead to replace it with a new one, it is possible to unscrew the shower arm instead.

A simple way to prevent this is to put a small pipe wrench on the shower arm, set to turn it clockwise (the tighten direction)

Using a rag under the wrench or putting Teflon tape on its jaws keeps from marring the shower arm.

Unscrewing old shower head

Use a pair of pliers to unscrew the shower head (turn it counter clockwise) while putting clockwise pressure on the shower arm.

Most pliers will do well

The pliers in the last slide are called “water pumps,” but ordinary pliers work well, too. Use the inner grip instead of the nose of the pliers

Clean the shower arm threads Old Teflon in the threads can usually be taken off easily

If it’s crusty, using a metal brush makes the job easier

Follow with cleaning the threads with a rag.

Hold the rag tight while turning it counter clockwise.

Install new Teflon

Be sure to wrap new Teflon in the direction you will screw on the new showerhead, clockwise.

Keep it good and tight and don’t leave any in front of the shower arm, just around the threads.

Two turns will do well.

In with the new

Make sure the new showerhead has a washer. This will keep it from leaking.

Start the shower head onto the shower arm by turning it gently clockwise, being sure the threads take.

Tighten gently and try it out!

Tighten the showerhead hand tight, then give it a gentle turn with the pliers.

Then test to make sure it works well and the joint doesn’t drip.

Good job!

Happy showering…and happy savings

Water summary Stop the leaks, slow the flow, use better flushing devices, use more efficient appliances, develop better habits with washing of dishes, clothes, hands, bodies.

Heat it efficiently, keep temps as low as practical, limit standby losses.

Efficient pumps when changing out, watch for leaky pressure tanks, voltage flexibility best for future PV.

Lighting Luminous efficacy of CFLs four times that of incandescents, lifetimes longer by a factor of ten.

Change ‘em all! The lifetime economics work.

But buy in bulk, nothing but Energy Star-rated bulbs.

Look for low mercury, long life. CFLs hard to manufacture, 1% fail within first five hours. So manufacturers who test for six before shipping are best, e. g., AutoCell,12,000 hrs rated lifetime.

When in doubt give away more bulbs, install as many as possible (but not on dimming circuits).

Refrigerators

Big opportunities, but we need to avoid the down

side

Frig choices Some premature failure of compressors; how much, what to do?

Interestingly, no problem from Whirlpool according to Indiana WX people.

But there are rumors of problems with Maytag, perhaps which is owned by Whirlpool!

Compressors manufactured in Brazil, elsewhere.

Moving to limit warrantee to one year.

How prevalent is the problem?

Some areas no problem at all. Speculation is that a bad batch of compressors due to a manufacturing flaw.

The argument that the problem is due to R-134a instead of R-12 is bogus; R-12 has been banned in most countries for over 10 years and the technology of building compressors that work quite well with 134a has been mastered.

So what do we do? Possible solutions: make Wx customers whole right away no matter what!

Make lots of noise about the supplier and manufacturer: consumer advocates, local radio, TV, and paper, BBB, WX network; local, state, fed policy makers, launch formal investigations

Perhaps there’s collusion among manufacturers to lower warrantees across the board; class action suit may be helpful. Find some articulate, hungry lawyers.

Take all biz to honest, high quality suppliers who offer and honor long term warrantee. Use large public forum to shame the others for screwing the poor.

Good warrantee should be part of the negotiation package, play prevent defense for next year’s purchasing package.

Other ideas?

We need to hang together on this one; there’s strength in

numbers.Need to begin by careful

documentation of the problem.

Feedback’s Welcome!Larry KinneySynergistic Building Technologies

Synertech Systems Corporation

Sunflower CorporationBoulder Green Building Guild

LarryK@SynergisticBT.comwww.SynergisticBT.comwww.SynertechSystemsCorp.comwww.SunflowerCorp.biz303-449-7941(voice)