Designs That Work

Hot-Humid Climate - Lake Charles

The Basic House - Appliances and Lighting

Efficient appliances and lights are readily available on the market. Many new appliances are Energy Star rated indicating that the appliance consumes less energy then compared to the current federal standards. The amount of energy consumption reduction will vary from appliance to appliance.

Figure 29: Energy use of Typical Household Appliances

Compact Fluorescent Lighting

Compact fluorescent lights (CFL) consume on average 70% less energy than regular incandescent lights. In addition they will last around 10 times as long. Even with these benefits, there has been resistance to incorporate CFL's into common use, due to the light quality and the length of time that it took for the bulbs to warm up. Advances in technology have made great improvements in both the quality of light provided by the bulbs and the response time to turning on the switch. However, this does not mean that all the lights are the same. CFLs are available in a range of color temperatures and intensities to suit different lighting requirements in any part of the house.

The ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package recommends that 50% of the lights in high-use rooms and outdoors, and 25% in other rooms be CFLs. However, the energy-use model done for the basic house assumes that all 90% of the lights are compact fluorescents to achieve the maximum energy savings.

While using efficient lights and lighting design can reduce the energy consumption, responsible use of the lights is also factor. The energy model assumes a certain usage amount based on reported lifestyle averages; however actual use will vary dramatically from household to household. Turning off lights in unoccupied rooms or when natural daylight is adequate can be an even more effective energy reduction strategy.

Energy Star Appliance Package

Clothes washers and dryers, refrigerators, chest freezers, and dishwashers, are significant energy-users in a typical home. ENERGY STAR-rated appliances use 10-50% less energy and water than standard models. The case study house was designed and modeled using Energy Star Appliances.

As with lighting, savings are calculated based on reported lifestyle averages and actual use will vary from household to household. Further reductions in overall energy consumption are possible through the wise use of appliances. Homeowner choices like hanging laundry outside to dry at the right time of year, running washers with full loads only, and turning off and unplugging appliances that are not in use will save energy and lower the operating costs of the house. These lifestyle changes can be encouraged by the builder.

Energy Model Results

The results of the appliances and lighting upgrades represented a reduction in energy consumption of 10.9% when compared to the energy consumption of the Building America Benchmark house design.