Renew • Colorado's Remodeling Magazine

The Department of Energy estimates the average American homeowner spends $1,900 per year on energy bills, with half that total going toward heating and cooling.

In turn, more than 70 percent of Colorado electricity is generated at coal-fired power plants, with another 25 percent coming from natural gas. That’s a lot of burned fossil fuels, emitted carbon and dollars used to heat and cool homes.

Fortunately, there are an ever-growing number of solutions. As the green movement expands, the range of energy-efficient products widens and prices drop.

The first step doesn’t involve a major purchase. Adding insulation, sealing drafty windows and doors, repairing ductwork and tuning up the furnace can lead to substantial energy savings.

Most heating and air conditioning contractors can survey a home’s energy use, and other companies offer detailed home energy audits that review every aspect of your home’s energy usage.

Once the current system has reached optimal efficiency, it may be time for an HVAC upgrade. A contractor can evaluate the appropriate size of your replacement heating or air conditioning system.

The federal Energy Star program rates a variety of systems, and recommends replacing any heating system more than 15 years old with a new Energy Star model. The newer technology will quickly bring considerable energy savings, whether through a new gas furnace to fit your existing system or a whole new heating system. Here are a few options:

Efficient gas furnaces: Forced-air furnaces, which use natural gas to heat air and blow it through ceiling ducts, remain the most common heating system in Colorado. While they are typically not the most efficient systems available, the relatively low cost of natural gas makes them an economical option for most homes — and they are consistently becoming more efficient.

Cooper Heating and Cooling in Denver sells energy-efficient gas furnaces made by Lennox and Carrier. Both are modulated, variable-speed models that operate at various capacities in warmer and cooler days, maintaining a more constant temperature in the home, and lowering energy costs.

Cooper operations manager Dave Anderson said the units are chosen for their proven reliability and durability, and they are among the most energy-efficient gas furnaces on the market.

At an installed price of $4,500 to $5,500, Cooper systems are among the most cost-efficient options. No retrofits or other new equipment are typically needed.

Geothermal systems: For a more serious shift, geothermal systems may be the best option for energy-efficient Colorado homes. Geothermal pumps use electricity to draw heat from the earth into your home. The heat from the ground can provide heating, air conditioning and hot water in one relatively simple system.

The systems use 40 to 70 percent less energy than conventional furnaces, according to the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium. In fact, they are considered up to 400 percent efficient because they can deliver four units of heat for every unit of electricity pumped into the system.

The California Energy Commission’s Consumer Energy Center estimates a geothermal system costs about $7,500 for an average home, plus $10,000 to $30,000 for drilling into the ground to reach the heat source. The center estimates system costs can be recouped in two to ten years through lower utility bills. The savings could add up even faster if energy prices keep rising.

The system also saves maintenance costs, and the underground pipes are often guaranteed to last 50 years. Finally, to help offset the high initial cost, the federal government has a tax credit of up to $2,000 for homeowners who install geothermal heat pump systems.

Some local companies also sell air-source heat pumps, which are very efficient and may cost less than geothermal systems. Unfortunately, they are not designed to work as efficiently during subfreezing periods. Therefore, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and other experts do not recommend air-source heat pumps in Colorado.

Solar Heating: Solar energy is another fast-growing part of the heating industry. Even the coldest winter days in Colorado can be sunny, so why not capture some of that sunshine to heat your home and keep hot water flowing?

Solar heating systems are larger and more expensive than solar panels that only generate hot water heating, and will likely need a backup gas furnace or other more traditional heating system.

The Department of Energy estimates an installed solar heating system will cost from $30 to $80 per square foot. A larger system will cost less per square foot, and the general industry rule of thumb is two square feet of solar panels for every 10 square feet in the home.
With the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden and 300 days of sunshine, Colorado is a hotbed for the solar industry. There are plenty of resources in the area to answer questions and provide estimates for active solar heating systems.

Floor heating: Both geothermal systems and solar panels can be used ultra-efficiently in conjunction with a radiant heating — essentially, coils that directly warm the floor, with the resulting heat radiating up through the room. Floor heating is more efficient than most forced-air systems because energy is not lost in ducts. It is also better for allergy sufferers to not have air blowing through dusty ducts.

The coils can pump water, air or electricity. Water is clearly the most popular, cost-effective and energy-efficient option for radiant residential systems. The hot water coils can either be directly planted into a concrete slab or attached under the subfloor or finished floor. The most complex systems have zoning pumps and thermostats to regulate the temperature in each room. Even so, these systems use minimal electricity, so they can be a good option for homes off the grid.

Due to the variety of options and details, few companies offer generic
estimates on radiant heat flooring. Anderson Radiant Heating in California projects an installation cost of $6 to $12 per square foot.

Wood heating: A century ago, most Coloradans burned wood to heat their homes. As homes have grown larger and we have grown accustomed to greater comfort, this may no longer be practical. However, a new generation of wood and pellet stoves can help lower heating bills and reduce the household carbon footprint. A wood stove may not heat every room in a large modern home, but new pellet stoves can heat up to 2,000 square feet of space, depending on layout, said Ryan McPeak, sales manager at Rocky Mountain Stove in Lakewood.

“Our customers find the biggest savings is with zone heating,” he said. For example, he said families will often buy a wood stove to heat a living room or den while the family is gathered there. Meanwhile, the furnace can be turned down for the rest of the house, or the heat can be turned off entirely and the furnace fan can be used to spread some of the stove heat around the house.

Thanks to massive thinning of beetle-infested forests, wood is cheap and widely available throughout Colorado.

“If you’re willing to go get it, it’s free,” McPeak said. “We’re not running out anytime soon.”

For those who don’t want the hassle of getting their own fuel, wood pellets — typically compacted sawdust and other biomass waste — are widely available for home delivery. With either pellets or logs, plenty of environmentally friendly options exist. McPeak said all the stoves at his store are clean-burning and approved for use every day of the year, even on red pollution advisory days.

Efficient cooling: Again, geothermal systems offer efficient cooling, but other options exist for those not ready for the geothermal plunge. New central air conditioning models are far more energy efficient than older units, but they can’t top a swamp cooler, according to the federal Department of Energy.

Also know as evaporative coolers, the machines won’t drop temperatures to the arctic climes of an air conditioned home, but they also use roughly one quarter of the energy, according to the DOE. Colorado’s dry, mild climate is ideal for a swamp cooler, which draws hot air from outside the home and blows it over cold water. The cooler, more humid air then displaces warmer air in the house, making for a constant stream of cool, fresh, humid air.

The energy usage can be further optimized with small openings in shaded windows and shades over sunny windows.

Swamp coolers should be drained and cleared of sediment regularly, which is more regular maintenance than air conditioners need. They also continually use water, so they should be used sparingly during drought summers.
Steve Graham is a Fort Collins-based freelance writer.

Solar panel image provided by Namaste Solar