New homeowner

[thx712517]

Hi there! I'll be a first-time homeowner by the end of this week, knock on wood. We're in Georgia. The house is from 1988 and I'd like to know where to start and what to focus on to make it more efficient.

We know that the water heater is at the end of its life, so it'll have to be replaced very soon. It's a natural gas unit, 50 gallons. It was efficient for its time, but I think it's something like 15 years old. Now I'm all about increasing efficiency, but my wife is a bit more difficult to convince. I'm trying to figure out if an $850 water heater rated at 0.70 efficiency or an $1850 heater rated at 0.82 efficiency would be the better bet over ten years time. Two people currently, but will be three or four in a few years.

The furnaces are nearing the end of their lives as well. One in the garage, one in the attic. They're ancient (25 years?) 75,000 btu units. I'm interested in heat pumps, but again I need to swing cost over time with the wife. Me, I'm happy to spend and cut down the bills regardless, but she's the logical one, and we'll be tight on cash for six months or so.

I'm interested in the waste-water heat recovery, I just need to figure out if there's space for something like that. Do people insulate their plumbing? We've got copper and PEX pipe.

I've got one low-flow showerhead (1.5 gpm was the lowest I was allowed for wifely happiness) but I'll replace the other showerhead soon. I also plan on 0.75 gpm nozzles for the faucets, and in time I'd like to replace the toilets with the Niagara 0.8 gpf toilets.

We have old loose insulation in the attic that according to the inspection was adequate for the time but could be better. Do we suck all that up and blow in new? Blow new in on top of old? As far as the roof goes, the inside of the roof is just bare wood. Would we see a big difference if we put batting in between the rafters?

I also plan on getting some intelligent thermostats for the house. Keep it one temperature during the day, then get it up to a preset level a half hour or so before we arrive home. There will be a dog in the house so I don't want it getting too hot/cold.

The AC system is from 2005, so it's got a while to go before we replace it. Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? All are welcome!

[jeff88]

Congratulations! (hopefully, fingers crossed for you)

Maybe you've seen it/posted there already, but definitely check out the EcoRenovator.org website for more info/insight. EDIT: Went to the ER site after checking EM and saw you posted their.

There are a million-and-a-half things you can do, so a priority list will be of great benefit (especially if you include some dates/timelines). If you plan on being there for more than a decade, I would do a retrofit as soon as possible, so that ROI can be seen as quickly as possible. It will take some time, but be of great benefit to make a list of things to do, figure out cost, savings, ROI time and put it in order. Do the things with the shortest ROI and then make decisions on the other stuff. This might help you get started on a list: Master ROI Table

Definitely change the water heater. You might want to look into on-demand heaters as well. Costs more usually, but figure out the calculations, it might be worth it. If you get a 'conventional' heater, look into some heat pump versions.

I would get a heat pump too. I don't know if they're available, but you may be able to find some that heat and cool (reverse the heat flow), which may or may not be of benefit for you (it would save space and be less 'stuff' to maintain. May or may not be more efficient).

I haven't heard of the waste water heat recovery before, but insulated pipes will go a long way.

Try this showerhead: American Standard. It has three settings. The first one only uses 1.5GPM and the other 2 settings use 2GPM. When you turn the water off, no matter what setting you're on, it reverts back to the 1.5GPM setting, so there is no 'whoops, forgot' issues. Best of all, my better half likes the shower head, so happy life!

Try this faucet aerator. It is .5gpm instead of .75. .5GPM Aerator. I found some on Amazon and other places too.

.8gpf toilets are really good! When doing a project for school, I came across these Water Fill Diverters. They are designed so that you fill the tank faster, meaning less water in the bowl and wasting less water.

I don't know about the insulation in terms of taking out or leaving the old, but I would definitely look into increasing your r-rating. Call a specialist and ask lots of questions. If you add insulation to what is already there, putting it on the rafters may or may not help. Again, ask the specialist.

Being in Georgia, do you have a dehumidifier of any kind? That might not be efficient (one more thing to power), but might help keep the home safe from moisture (and more importantly, mold). You can do a solar powered one as well. (Check the ER site for that)

Good luck and fingers crossed!

[user removed]

Step 1, blow in some attic insulation. If you buy enough I think Home depot or Lowes will loan you the machine for free. Big improvement quickly and fairly inexpensive, grinning wifey is a plus when you see the bill drop by 20% or so. Leave the old stuff in and just blow it in on top of whats there already.

regards
Mech