******* HEATLOSS 1.0 ******* INTRODUCTION HEATLOSS.EXE calculates the cost-benefit of seven home heating energy conservation measures. The input is a series of 17 survey questions and the output is an ascii file named PRINTOUT.TXT. When the program is run (by typing HEATLOSS) a screen is presented with six questions. The default answers are displayed. The answer to any question can be changed by typing the question number and the new answer separated by a space, and then hitting . The screen will be redisplayed with the updated answers. When all the answers are correct, type C to go to the next screen. There are three screens of questions. When the third screen is completed the calculations are made and the output file is written. INPUTS 1. Daytime temperature is the daytime setting of the thermostat in degrees Fahrenheit. Centigrade can be converted to Fahrenheit by multiplying by 1.8 and adding 32. This input is used to adjust the actual heating degree-days. The ideal value is 65 degrees. 2. Nighttime temperature is the sleeptime setting of the thermostat. This is used to calculate a reduction of the total usage if the night thermostat setting is lower than the day setting. The ideal value is 55 degrees. 3. Attic insulation is entered in equivalent inches of fiberglass. This assumes the fiberglass has an English R value of 3.16 per inch. So 6 inches is R19 and 12 inches is R38. The ideal value varies with location and is given in PRINTOUT.TXT. 4. Wall insulation is also entered as equivalent fiberglass inches. The ideal value is 3 inches. 5. Percent of all windows that are well-sealed with at least two panes of glass or the equivalent. The ideal value is 99%. 6. The number of closed, unheated rooms is multiplied by 120 square feet and subtracted from the heated square feet total. 7. The heating fuel type is used to adjust the cost of energy and the efficiency of the furnace. 8. The furnace type is used in the efficiency estimation. 9. The furnace age is also used in the efficiency estimation. 10. If there has been no recent tune-up then the furnace efficiency is reduced by 10%. 11. The drafts answer is used to adjust the infiltration rate. Infiltration is a primary source of loss in many structures and sealing and weatherstripping is one of the easiest retrofits to perform. 12. Window coverage and is used to estimate the area of single-pane and double pane windows. 13. Heated square feet is used to calculate areas and volumes of the various components of the structure. 14. The wall material establishes a baseline wall thermal resistance. 15. Floor insulation, if absent, triggers an evaluation of the floor loss based on average ground temperatures. The ideal calculation assumes 6 inches of insulation. 16. The story height is the number of heated stories. This is used with other inputs to find various areas and volumes. A half story is a heated area with at least some of the walls slanted to follow the roof line. 17. Heating zone determines the degree-days, the solar radiation and the average winter ground temperatures. Select the state or portion of state that is closest to where you live. CALCULATIONS The program calculates the losses due to each of seven factors for the actual structure and then recalculates using ideal values. The calculations are based, in part, on formulas developed at Brookhaven National Laboratories. These formulas can be found in ENERGY CONSERVATION STANDARDS FOR BUILDING DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND OPERATION by Fred S. Dubin, McGraw-Hill, 1978. Other information came from the free DOE information fact sheet (D.O.E./CE-0180) which can be obtained by writing to: U. S. Department of Energy Technical Information Center P. O. Box 62 Oak Ridge, TN 37830 This pamphlet also contains numerous other addresses to write to for more information. OUTPUT The top section of PRINTOUT.TXT is an echo of your survey inputs. Next, a table is given of the ideal and actual losses in kilojoules per season in several areas. These will not add since the effects of setback gain and furnace efficiency are included in the total. If you need to do some calculations a Therm (for gas) is 1.055E5 Kj, and a Kwh is 3600 Kj. A recommendation for retrofit or action is then given for each area that returns the original cost within 15 years. The difference in energy use is divided by the total use to provide a percent improvement that can be expected. A dollar cost estimate and the energy cost are used to predict a simple payback period (no interest). ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS Further improvements can be realized by several other retrofits: Seal all fireplaces. Operating fireplaces can be sealed by making a custom fit wood panel that goes over the front. Stuff fiberglass into the space between the bottom of the first floor and the top of the foundation around the edges of the basement. Add a water heater insulating "blanket". This will save about $20 per year. Insulate and seal any ductwork in unheated areas. Add a automatic stack damper for heavy convection furnaces (with gas pilots) that tend to stay warm after the burner is off. Close and seal an unused room. Go to the public library and borrow some books on do-it-yourself insulation retrofits to find out more. Many articles can also be found on the subject. Write to the above USDOE address for free information. Call your local utility for their literature on the subject. AIR CONDITIONING If there is central air conditioning then most of the heating energy conservation improvements will give an additional cost-benefit in the summer. Proper attic ventilation above the insulation layer is important in winter to prevent moisture build-up which will damage the structure and the insulation. In the summer the attic ventilation should be increased by opening windows, if possible, to prevent excessive temperatures. FURNACE REPLACEMENT If an older gas pilot convection furnace is replaced with a forced-air unit there will be a reduction in the energy usage due to the increased efficiency and the electronic ignition. This may be a good option at the next major repair of the existing furnace. A more efficient furnace will heat the basement less, and adding floor insulation in conjunction with the furnace change will enhance the benefits. Forced-air furnaces are noisier than convection units, and some duct systems may amplify this noise unacceptably. A possible remedy is to wrap the ducts with insulation to control the sound. This will also improve efficiency. USE OF THE HEATLOSS PROGRAM The heatloss program is free for personal uses if downloaded from a bbs. A written agreement is required if used for profit, for commercial use, or with non-bbs distribution. If you find this program useful please send any comments, suggestions for improvement, and questions to: William Snyder 3 Rundel Park Rochester, NY 14607 wcs2227@borg.cis.rit.edu