The Doctor is In

I recently had an opportunity to ride along with one of our Energy Doctors on a home energy survey. (These surveys are a free service offered by MLGW to residential customers.)

I am pretty versed in energy conservation and spend a good deal of time talking to customers about high bills and how to reduce them, but to actually go to someone’s house and do a one-on-one evaluation was enlightening to say the least.

We were called out by the owner of a rental property in Midtown. A large house built in 1917 that is divided into three apartments—two downstairs and one upstairs. The owner lives in another state, but employs a management company to oversee the property. The tenants pay rent only—utilities are paid by the owner. The January bill topped $700.

The tenants were very happy to see us and had a list of complaints about the management company overseeing the property. The Energy Dr. explained the reason for our visit and let the tenants know that we’d need to see the heating and air conditioning units, inspect the water heater, windows and doors, major appliances, and plumbing.

Our first stop was the basement. The Energy Dr. noted that the pilot lights were out on the hot water boiler which powered the heating. The tenants commented that they often went out and that they relit them on a regular basis. Also of note, was the fact that the water heater and water pipes were not insulated.

A non-functioning washer and a dryer with a broken timer were also in the basement. With a dryer that runs indefinitely, the tenants aren’t just running up their electric bill, they’re risking starting a fire!

Next, we went into the first unit. It was about 50 degrees outside, and 75 inside. There was a window unit that both heated and cooled the apartment, as well as a radiator in each room. The tenant explained that he had no control over the radiant heat in his unit and that it often got extremely hot. (There was not a thermostat in the apartment.) He was unaware that he could turn his radiator off with the knob at the bottom and stated that when it got too hot, he turned on his air-conditioning unit.

We inspected the unit and pointed out that the large gaps around the unit were allowing air to come in from the outside. The Energy Dr. explained several ways to plug the holes and we then continued around the apartment inspecting windows. Although there were storm windows, several of them were broken, open, or loose, allowing additional air to come in.

Finally the tenant showed us his bathtub, which has a dripping faucet. It’s dripping hot water which will increase the water and gas bill. Additionally, if you looked at the drainage pipes, you could see all the way into the basement.

Next door, in the second unit, the temperature was even higher. The tenant claimed to have no control over the radiators and felt that it was arbitrary when they came on, if at all. She also did not realize that she could adjust the radiator knobs.

The windows were in much better shape, but the security door had a large gap that allowed air in when the front door was open. Additionally, the fireplace had no damper. Despite all of this air infiltration, we remarked that the unit was extremely warm.

That’s when the tenant informed us that she had her oven on with the door open to heat the house. Using your oven to heat the house is definitely not efficient—or recommended. An electric oven was not designed for space heating. (A gas oven may go out or burn inefficiently, leading to carbon monoxide poisoning.)

Although this tenant did have a thermostat—a programmable one, it was unclear whether it was actually working properly. It was mounted unevenly on the wall, which can affect the mercury inside. (Newer models are no longer made with mercury.) It was set at 62, but the reading was 84.

Upstairs, in the last unit, the Energy Dr. found that he too was using his stove to supplement the erratic heat. When it got too hot, he opened his door.

Clearly the mysterious heating system is causing many problems for the tenants, and as a result, the owner of the property who is responsible for paying the utility bill.

To sum up the Energy Dr.’s suggestions:
1. Call a technician to make sure heating & cooling systems are operating properly.
2. Set thermostat at 68 degrees in the winter, 78 in the summer.
3. Repair the dryer’s timer.
4. Caulk around windows, especially those with window units, or cover with plastic on the outside.
5. Replace broken windows, repair loose windows, and close open ones.
6. Weatherstrip around doors.
7. Put a damper in fireplace, or cover fireplace with wood or plastic.
8. Repair leaky faucet.
9. Insulate water heater.

To schedule an Energy Doctor visit at your home, call 528-4188. This service is free for all residential customers.