Oct. 13—With utility bills increasing, the cheapest energy is the energy you don't use, an expert told a group of about 25 people in Keene Wednesday evening during Button Up New Hampshire, a workshop focused on home heating and electricity savings.

From quick tips to reduce electricity use to an in-depth discussion on how to contain heat in your home, the presentation by Andy Duncan, the energy training manager at Lakes Region Community College in Laconia, covered a plethora of topics that could help reduce the costs — and environmental impacts — of energy usage in the home.

"We have a cold climate, what we call a heating-dominated climate, in the sense that we spend a lot of our fuels on heating our homes in the wintertime," Duncan said during the nearly two-hour talk at the Keene Recreation Center.

Duncan, who holds a doctorate from the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability in Ann Arbor, presented as part of the statewide series coordinated by the non-profit Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative and hosted by NHSaves, a collaboration between electric and gas utilities in the state. Two area nonprofits, Keene Clean Energy Team and the Monadnock Sustainability Hub, helped bring the event to Keene.

In New England, about 40 percent of energy costs stem from heating indoor spaces, around 13 percent from heating water, roughly 7 percent from refrigerators and about 3 percent from air conditioning, according to the presentation. Another 37 percent comes from household energy uses including lights, computers, washing machines or dryers.

On average, residential energy can cost a household about $3,600 annually, Duncan said. But, with the price of electricity and heating fuels on the rise, he said, he expects that this year some homes might see costs closer to $4,000 or $5,000 this year.

Even small changes, though, like turning lights off when you're not in a room or switching to LED lightbulbs, can make a big dent in those bills, Duncan said. Among the other tips he offered: turning the hot water heater down to about 120 degrees, shutting off dehumidifiers unless rooms are above 60 percent humidity, washing clothes in cold water, insulating hot water pipes in the basement and moving to low-flow shower heads, like those with a 1.5 gallon per minute rating.

"All these things that just kind of add up to reduce your energy costs," Duncan said, noting that lighting especially — which can account for as much as 15 to 20 percent of some homes' electricity bills — can make a big difference.

Using ENERGY STAR labeled appliances and electronics can also help reduce energy, Duncan said. This program, run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, labels products that are energy efficient and can even offer rebates on some products. (Visit energystar.gov or NHSaves.com/nh-rebates for more information on potential rebates.)

When it comes to getting the most bang for your buck, investing in expensive energy efficient devices may not always be the best way to conserve energy, Duncan said. New England homes often don't do a good job of containing heat, he said, noting that New Hampshire homes can be two-to-four times more leaky than they should be, resulting in a significant loss of heat.

"Really, the number one goal we should be having in terms of energy efficiency in our homes is keeping that heat in," he said. "Another way to think about it, particularly these days — that warm air that is in your home, that is expensive air and you don't want to waste that expensive air. You want to keep that warmth in the home."

Turning down the thermostat when you are asleep or not at home for several hours on end is one of the easiest ways to reduce heating costs, Duncan said. He added that he often gets questions about whether this really saves energy if the heat has to kick in at a higher level to reheat the house — in most cases the answer is yes, it does conserve energy.

Making sure all windows are closed and latched — and all A/C units are removed — in the wintertime is another simple step that can do wonders for keeping warm air in the house, Duncan said.

Materials like brick, concrete and wood are not good insulators, Duncan said, noting that heat always moves from hot to cold. The goal, he said, is to slow that movement down with better insulated materials.

How well a product insulates is indicated by its R-value, with higher R-values indicating better insulation, Duncan said. However, proper installation of insulation to completely cover a surface can often be more important than the material's R-value, he said.

But perhaps even more important than insulating a home is making sure that it is not leaking air, Duncan said.

"What a lot of people don't realize is they can have an insulated home and still have a lot of air leakage," he said. "There's a decent number of homes that have more heat loss from air leakage than they have from lack of insulation."

If you're thinking of air leakage, think A-B-C, Duncan said, the attic is the highest priority, the basement is the second highest priority and the center of the house is the lowest priority.

In the attic, areas where pipes, electrical fixtures or bathroom fans poke through, as well as chimney chases and hatches often can be better sealed to reduce air leakage, Duncan said. Meanwhile, in the basement, exterior doors, plumbing and electrical fixtures and old windows can often be better sealed, he said. Sealing unused fireplaces and installing weatherstripping under doors in the house can also reduce air leakage.

Hiring a professional to help with insulation and air leaks may be necessary, Duncan noted. He suggested a blower door test — which uses a diagnostic tool with a fan installed in a doorframe to measure the amount of air leakage in a house — as a particularly cost effective way to identify areas of a home that could use work.

For homes that qualify, NHSaves offers a home energy audit for $100 and covers 50 percent of eligible energy improvements up to $4,000, Duncan said. To see if your home qualifies go to NHSaves.com/programs/energy-audits-weatherization.

Ryan Spencer can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1412, or rspencer@keenesentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @rspencerKS

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