Energy Conservation in Northwest Connecticut

Energy Conservation in NW CT
Energy Conservation is the first and best "renewable" energy! Experts, no matter their political or organizational affiliation, agree that the most cost efficient way to better manage energy resources is to eliminate waste in the production, transport and use of all forms of energy. Education, low energy design in new construction, and audits with retrofitting must be considered ahead of any alternative resource use simply because they usually pay for themselves faster (Think Globally).

NCD ConnVERT uses a variety of methods to help our towns reduce their energy demand.

We publicize the status of energy conservation efforts already underway in our towns based on surveys of town officials. (example).

We streamline sharing of successful practices between towns (example) .

We have links on our website to the best of many online guides for energy conservation (example), as well as links to professional energy audit sources in NW CT (example) .

We plan workshops and direct guidance to town governments to help them find and use technical assistance, available energy audits, equipment replacement financing (example) .

We encouraging distributed power generation to ease the load on the power grid and to reduce transmission loss (example) .

Recommended Insulation Levels (source: Energy Star)

Zone

Add Insulation to Attic

Floor

Uninsulated Attic

Existing 3–4 Inches of Insulation

5 (CT) to 8

R49 to R60

R38 to R49

R25 to R30

Wall Insulation: Whenever exterior siding is removed on an

Uninsulated wood-frame wall:

Drill holes in the sheathing and blow insulation into the empty wall cavity before installing the new siding, and
Zones 3–4: Add R5 insulative wall sheathing beneath the new siding
Zones 5–8: Add R5 to R6 insulative wall sheathing beneath the new siding.

Insulated wood-frame wall:

For Zones 4 to 8: Add R5 insulative sheathing before installing the new siding.

This chart below is from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority's GREEN DESIGN and CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS, Jan 2007 at: http://www.chfa.org/Multifamily/CHFAGreenStandards2007.pdf. HOWEVER If we intend to minimize energy loss as much as possible, insulation should be increased to R-40 in the walls and R-60 in the roof as recommended by the Federal Energy Star Program

Insulation Levels

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Northwest ConnVERT

Northwest CT Renewables

Energy Conservation in NW CT