'Hamp mayor gets energy audit

NORTHAMPTON - Like charity, energy efficiency begins at home.

Northampton Mayor Mary Clare Higgins' usual concern is for the heating budget for some two dozen city buildings, from fire stations to elementary schools, but yesterday it was for one small cottage, 861 square feet, in Laurel Park - her home.

She moved into the century old house in 1994, and like any other citizen of the city, she worries about heating and electricity bills. So yesterday, she received a free energy audit from the Center for Ecological Technology in Northampton to find out what she can do to save on her utility bills.

The verdict?

"Not too bad, but there is room for improvement," said the center's auditor Matt Kozuch after examining wall insulation, refrigerator efficiency, depth of attic insulation and the home's general air tightness.

His recommendation is for 6 additional inches of cellulose insulation be blown onto the attic floor so that the attic joists, which can leak a lot of heat, are fully covered. And, two hours work by a center air sealer, who can sniff out where there are air leaks in the house and close them off.

Higgins was pleased. The tiny home was built in 1906 as part of quirky housing community that was a religious camp. Energy efficiency was probably not the builder's primary concern.

"I don't think the house is particularly efficient. There is no basement, and it sits on a rock. However, the house was insulated when I moved in, and it had had a fair amount of work done by the previous owner," she said.

Mark Newey, director of energy programs for the center, said that a homeowner probably will get the "biggest bang for the buck" with insulation.

"Any time that a home has any part of it that is not insulated, such as the attic or walls, it is very cost-effective to insulate. The cost to put in insulation usually comes back quickly, sometimes in a couple of years."

Kozuch said that even insulated areas may need upgrades. "A lot of people think, yeah, I have insulation in my attic, but it was done to 1970s standards. You may need to add insulation on top of what is there."

Refrigerators are often huge electricity drains without the owners knowing it, Kozuch said.

"Depending on the age and model, it could be using anywhere from $5 a month to up to $30 per month. Refrigerators more than five years old tend not to be as energy efficient as the newer ones," he said.

Lighting also can use a lot of electricity, and compact fluorescent bulbs will cut the lighting bill significantly. According to the center, over the course of its lifetime, using one 15-watt compact fluorescent light eliminates the need for one barrel of oil, and it cuts up to 800 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions that are greenhouse gases.

Also, lowering the thermostat just 1 degree for 8 hours lowers your heating bill by 1 percent, the center advises.

For information on making a home energy efficient or to get a free energy audit of a home, call the center at (413) 586-7350. Also, most area utilities offer rebates on products and services that improve a home's energy efficiency.