Preserving Energy
by John H. Cluver, AIA, LEED
Old buildings have a bit of an unjust reputation for being energy hogs. And, unfortunately, this misconception can be misused to justify “improvements” that do little to save energy or money, while doing real damage to a historic building. Very often, the most cost effective measures are overlooked because they are so simple and mundane that they don’t seem like they should be able to make a difference, or because the larger and more expensive projects get all of the attention in advertisements and articles. But the simple fact is that the easier and cheaper an energy improvement is, the sooner real financial savings can be realized. For those of us who own or manage historic buildings, however, should not be the only consideration. We have to guard against losing the historic character that makes these buildings so special, and to make sure that we are not introducing new elements that could create future problems where none previously existed. To best determine the appropriate steps to take with your property, the best step is to hire a professional to do an energy audit or energy model of the property. The former shows you where you are losing energy, while the latter allows you to try out numerous “what if” scenarios to determine what improvements will produce the best results. Short of undertaking those steps, however, here is a list of six affordable things that you could be doing right now to reduce energy loss in your historic building:
- Seal visible gaps in your exterior walls. Very often there are gaps between elements in exterior walls, such as where the wood sill plate meets a stone foundation, or where an old gas line was drilled through a wall, or at the sill of a basement door. Just a couple of gaps here and there would be the equivalent of having a window open an inch or two.
- Seal leaks in ductwork. A duct is designed to move conditioned air from a furnace or handler to the room that needs the heating or cooling. Unsealed gaps in the ductwork can divert a significant portion of that air from its intended destination, requiring the mechanical system to work that much harder, and burn that much more fuel.
- Insulate the attic. Many attics have little or no insulation in them, which is the building equivalent of not wearing a hat. If your building has an accessible attic and does not have 10” or more of insulation between or on top of the attic joists, roll out some batts. This could pay for itself within the first year!
- Insulate the hot water heater and pipes. Hot water sitting in under insulated hot water tanks and running through uninsulated pipes forces the heater to burn more energy, not to mention the amount of hot water getting to the showers and sinks.
- Install a programmable thermostat or other automated control. This allows you to adjust temperature for less heating or cooling when the building is unoccupied. A general rule of thumb is that you can save 1% of heating costs for each degree you lower the thermostat over an eight hour period.
- Install more efficient light bulbs. Incandescent bulbs take almost four times as much energy to produce the same amount of light as a compact fluorescent. Before swapping out bulbs wholesale, however, realize that their light isn’t quite the same as incandescent bulbs, and they do not work with dimmer switches.
All of those share the traits of being inexpensive, simple enough to do without hiring a contractor, and making no discernible change to your historic property. With minimal effort, you can save energy, money, and history all at the same time.
Posted in Preservation
Back to Blog »