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Conserve
Energy
Year Round |
Summer |
Winter
Two Fan
Challenge | Appliances
The Two Fan Challenge
Meet the next heat wave head on
with two fans and a ten-minute daily conservation routine. Most
homes can be kept cool for days with just two fans if you follow these
simple steps. Start
this routine on the cooler days before a predicted heat wave...
1.
Trap the cool air in each morning.
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Close all windows
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Close the blinds and drapes
except where needed for natural light.
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Conserve energy to minimize
the heat generated by lights and appliances.
2.
Let the cool air in each evening.
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Open all drapes and windows
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If there’s no breeze, use
one window fan to bring air in or expel warm air
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Use a floor fan to keep the
air moving through the house, or blow
cooler air up from the basement
Read the Lows!
Because you are trapping the
cooler night air in your home, the most important part of the forecast
is the predicted low (not the high). The lows are usually lower at
the beginning of a heat wave, which is why it is important to start the
routine before the heat wave begins.
Comparing
Fans and Air-Conditioners
How much electricity will the Two
Fan Challenge Save?
A stand up fan uses 75
watts, and a window unit will use 100 watts. Running continuously
for twelve hours a day they will use 2.1 KWh of electricity. A 1,000 watt
air-conditioner, running all day for 75% of the time will use 18 KWh. A
central air-conditioning unit can use up to 3,500 watts, and will use
about 63 KWh.
Using the two fan system
can save between 16 and 60KWh of electricity each day.
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Case
Study: Our Executive Director's house
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The Original Test
-- August 2003 (after the blackout)
One Cool House
Semi-detached with three
bedrooms. Note the curtains are closed for the day. |
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June 2008
-- five years later
and new windows
An Even
Cooler House
Casement windows eliminate
the need for fans.
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We’ve used the two fan
method for years in our family, and it’s kept our two storey,
semi-detached house cool for at least two to three days into a heat
wave. Conservation was never about freezing in the dark, and it isn’t
about sweating in the heat either.
It’s about eliminating the wasteful ways and living a comfortable,
efficient lifestyle.
Ours is a typical urban
home. There’s nothing we are doing that cannot be done by nearly every
homeowner in Ontario.
In the first heatwave
after the August 2003 blackout, we monitored the outdoor, top floor and
basement temperature of our house. Two fans kept our house
comfortable and used considerably less energy.
Chris
Winter
August 2003
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Our
old windows were two panes of glass in an aluminum frame -- and with
a screen size of less than 1/4 of the full window.
They were also hard to clean and ugly to look at, so we had many
reasons for wanting to upgrade the windows.
With new triple-glazed, fully-opening casement windows, we'd been
anxiously awaiting the first heat wave try them out.
The
difference is astounding. We didn't even need to use the fans.
It
was like sleeping in the outside air!
Chris
Winter,
June, 2008
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Date (2003) |
Tues
Aug19 |
Wed.
Aug 20 |
Thurs
Aug 21 |
Friday
Aug 22 |
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Predicted High |
29 |
30 |
32 |
26 |
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Time and Temperature
(Celsius) |
Noon |
Eve |
9:00 a.m. |
5:00 p.m. |
9:00
a.m. |
7:00 p.m. |
9:00 p.m. |
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Outside |
28 |
26 |
21 |
30 |
21 |
29 |
21 |
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Upstairs |
26 |
26 |
23 |
27 |
25 |
27 |
25 |
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Basement |
26 |
25 |
23 |
24 |
23 |
24 |
23 |
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Date (2008) |
Friday
June 6 |
Saturday
June 7 |
Sunday
June 8 |
Monday
June 9 |
Predicted
High / Low |
32 |
30/26 |
32/24 |
31/22
evening storms |
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Time and Temperature
(Celsius) |
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P.M.
high |
A.M.
low |
P.M.
high |
A.M.
low |
P.M.
high |
A.M.
low |
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Outside |
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33 |
24 |
32 |
24 |
32 |
25 |
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Upstairs |
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23 |
24 |
25 |
22 |
26 |
23 |
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Basement |
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21 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
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Cost Comparison
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Item |
Capital |
Operating |
| Windows -- per room |
$500 - $2,500 |
0 |
| Air Conditioner --
window unit |
$150 - $350 |
$50 - 150 per year |
| Windows -- whole house |
$15,000 - $25,000
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0 |
| Central Air Conditioner |
$4,000 - $8,000 |
150 - 250 per year |
Bottom line
- With existing windows, use natural
cooling in the evening whenever possible and use a couple of fans to
help speed up the air exchange.
- If you are buying new windows --
invest in high-efficiency ones that open fully to allow maximum
ventilation. They cost more, but look better and you
will see savings on your electricity and heating bills.
- A nice window is better to look at
than an air conditioner, and a natural breeze at night is a nicer
sound than the hum of a motor.
- With central air, you can still
practice natural cooling as your first option. It's like keeping the
car in the garage and using the bike.
- Natural cooling can't compete for
convenience, and there will be nights when the lows are still pretty
warm, but for saving money and saving the planet, the humble window
is the way to go.
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