►
Description
The Center for Energy and Environment will be on hand to give tips on assessing your home's energy efficiency and no cost and low cost ways to make improvements.
A
A
My
name
is
Tom
Wollman
I
work
for
the
Bloomington
housing
authority.
Among
other
things,
we
do
redevelopment.
One
of
our
projects
that's
currently
underway,
is
the
apartments
and
retail
complex
dassault
assault,
Tom
on
Penn,
Avenue
and
american
boulevard.
We
also
offer
home
improvement
loans
for
homeowners
to
improve
energy,
the
exteriors
mechanical
systems
in
their
homes
and
their
brochures
on
the
table.
Regarding
that
tonight
we
are
having
Neely
crane
Smith
from
the
center
of
energy
and
the
environment,
talk
about
no
cost
and
low-cost
ways
to
reduce
energy
waste
in
your
homes
and
I'm.
B
Hey
so
good
evening,
folks,
you
get
a
gold
star.
Let's
try
that
again
good
evening.
Thank
you
hi.
So
my
name
is
Neely
and,
like
Tom
said,
I
work
for
a
nonprofit
called
the
center
for
energy
and
environment
and
we
are
located
out
of
Minneapolis
and
what
we
do
and
what
we've
been
doing
for
the
past
30
years
is
help
homeowners
and
businesses
across
the
state
of
Minnesota
save
on
energy.
Now
I'm
a
certified
residential
energy
auditor,
but
my
job
is
it
going
to
people's
homes.
B
What
I've
been
doing
for
the
past
five
years
is
talking
to
schools
and
churches
and
businesses
and
lovely
folks
like
yourself
about
reducing
energy
waste
in
your
homes
and
I've,
actually
given
over
300
of
these
talks
over
the
past
five
years,
so
I'm
excited
to
be
back
here
in
Bloomington,
so
today,
I
want
to
talk
about
reducing
energy
waste
in
our
homes,
but
I'm
going
to
start
with
a
quick
show
of
hands.
Who
here
thinks
that
saving
energy
is
a
good
idea?
You're
like
duh?
B
So
what
I'm
going
to
start
out
with
tonight
is
kind
of
a
little
energy
101,
so
how
our
homes
use
in
waste
energy,
then
I'm
going
to
talk
about
some
of
those
good
low-cost,
no-cost
ways
to
reduce
energy
waste
and
then
going
to
follow
up
with
some
resources,
so
some
places
that
you
can
go
to
get
some
more
help
to
reduce
energy
use
in
your
home
sounds
good.
Alright,
please
feel
free
at
any
time
if
you'd
like
to
purchase,
partake
and
some
coffee,
cookies,
water,
sugar,
caffeine.
Anything
you
need
to
keep
going.
B
It's
good
with
me,
alright,
so
we're
going
to
start,
like
I,
said
with
some
energy
101.
So
here's
a
little
bit
of
trivia
about
myself,
I'm,
not
from
Minnesota
I'm.
Actually,
a
born
and
bred
native
of
Albuquerque
New,
Mexico
right,
but
I've
been
here
for
10
years
now,
but
I
learned
thing:
one
learned
one
thing
really
quickly:
when
I
moved
up
here.
B
What
do
you
think
is
the
number
one
use
of
energy
and
a
Minnesota
home
guesses
heating,
exactly
heating
and
cooling,
so
this
chart
is
going
to
is
going
to
be
a
nice
little
cheat
sheet
for
you
on
how
our
home
uses
energy.
You
always
want
to
start
where
you're
using
the
most
energy.
That's
where
you're
going
to
get
the
biggest
bang
for
your
buck
and
in
Minnesota,
that
is
always
always
always
heating
and
air
conditioning
fifty-five
percent
of
our
home's
energy
use.
Now.
B
Does
anyone
have
a
bright
idea
about
the
second
use,
bright,
bright
lights?
Thank
you,
lights,
electronics
or
twenty
percent.
I'll
stop
making
you
guess!
Appliances
are
15
and
water
heating
is
10,
so
you
break
down
average
Minnesota
household.
We
spend
75
percent
of
our
electric
of
our
energy
and
seventy-five
percent
of
our
energy
bills
on
heating
and
air
conditioning
lights
and
electronics
appliances
are
15.
Water
heating
is
10,
so
I'm
going
to
start
at
the
bottom,
with
water
heating
and
then
work
my
way
up
to
the
grand
finale
of
heating
and
air
conditioning.
B
B
Don't
look
at
my
windows,
you
know
I
people
get
a
little
freaked
out
and
I
want
to
tell
you
what
I
tell
the
same
thing
to
those
folks,
which
is
you
don't
have
to
do
everything
to
be
energy
efficient,
alright,
I'm
going
to
talk
about
a
list
of
things
you
can
do
to
reduce
energy
waste.
None
of
them
are
required.
They're
all
suggestions,
energy
efficiencies
like
a
recipe
and
it's
a
recipe
with
three
main
ingredients:
good
habits,
good
products
and
sometimes
a
good
investment.
So
good
products,
that's
pretty
self-explanatory.
B
That's
the
good
stuff
we
put
in
our
homes
to
help
us
save
energy,
but
products
are
not
the
end-all.
Be-All
habits
are
really
important
because,
in
fact,
if
you
cloned
your
house,
so
same
house
same
size,
same
number
of
people
who
live
there,
that
house
could
use
three
times
more
energy
than
yours,
just
based
on
habits
alone.
So
it's
going
to
be
kind
of
a
balance
there
and
then
sometimes
it's
a
good
investment.
It's
a
bit
of
a
larger
project
that
can
have
a
really
big
impact
on
your
comfort
in
your
energy
use.
B
So
you
want
to
think
about
getting
a
little
out
of
column,
a
little
out
of
column,
be
and
maybe
something
out
of
column
C
to
help
reduce
energy
waste
in
your
home,
all
right,
all
right!
So,
let's
dive
into
our
ingredients,
so
I'm
gonna
start
with
water
heating
again,
which
is
ten
percent
of
our
homes.
Energy
use-
and
this
first
thing
I'm
going
to
talk
about-
is
about
efficiency,
but
it's
also
about
safety
and
that's
making
sure
your
water
heater
is
set
to
the
proper
temperature.
B
So,
if
you've
ever
been
in
front
of
your
water,
heater,
you've
probably
noticed
a
dial
on
it
that
conveniently
has
no
numbers
on
it
whatsoever.
That's
the
temperature
setting
if
your
water
heater
now
what
your
water
heater
should
be
set
at
is
120
degrees,
which
is
usually
like
a
try.
Galore
a
hash
mark
and
that's
important
for
two
reasons.
B
One
is
that
your
water
heater
is
basically
a
giant
tank
of
water
that
your
heating
all
day
long
and
when
you're,
not
using
that
hot
water,
it's
slowly
losing
its
heat
and
you're
going
to
have
to
pay
more
to
heat
that
water
up
again,
it's
called
standby
loss.
So
when
you
keep
your
water
heater
120,
that's
that's
your
water
heater,
sweet
spot,
that's
really
where
it's
most
efficient
and
you're,
not
getting
a
lot
of
those
standby
losses.
B
More
importantly,
though,
at
120
degrees
it
takes
over
five
minutes
for
someone
to
get
a
second
or
third
degree
burn
if
your
water
heater
is
turned
up
just
ten
degrees
to
130
that
same
burn
takes
seconds
so
making
sure
your
water
heater
is
at
120
is
saving
you
money,
but
it's
also
preventing
the
risk
of
accidental
scalding.
Now,
if
you
are
thinking
okay,
but
if
I
turn
down
my
water
heater,
there
is
no
earthly
way:
I'm
getting
hot
water.
B
To
my
second
floor
or
the
bathroom
across
the
house,
the
problem
there
is
not
the
temperature
of
your
water
heater.
The
problem
is
your
pipes.
If
your
supply
pipe
those
the
pipe
that
brings
hot
water
to
your
fixtures,
if
that's
uninsulated,
you
could
be
losing
up
to
four
degrees
of
heat
between
your
water
heater
and
that
fixture
and
in
December
those
are
a
precious
four
degrees.
So,
for
a
couple
bucks
you
can
buy.
B
If
you
have
an
older
water
heater,
something
that's
10
years
or
older.
I
would
also
recommend
getting
a
water
heater
jacket
or
blanket
that
water
heater
insulation,
just
a
nice
way
to
add
another,
lay
there
to
keep
that
hot,
that
heat
in
that
water.
Where
you
want
it
any
questions,
no
all
right!
So.
B
Great
question:
newer
water
heaters
typically
are
built
with
sufficient
insulation,
so
in
some
cases
actually
installing
a
water
he
installing
a
jacket
on
a
water
heater
that
was
built
in
the
last
five
years,
depending
on
its
efficiency,
is
kind
of
a
wash.
But
if
they're
older,
it's
a
better
bet
that
they're
not
going
to
have
as
much
insulation
as
the
newer
models.
If
you
touch
the
side
of
your
water
heater
and
it's
warm,
you
can
feel
the
heat.
It's
a
good
sign
that
you
probably
need
some
insulation
on
there.
B
Alright,
so
another
another
good
product
you
can
install
is
high
efficiency,
water
fixtures.
Now
I've
heard
these
called
before
low-flow,
not
a
huge
fan
of
that
term,
because
these
new
fixtures
actually
do
maintain
a
really
good
pressure.
A
high-efficiency
showerhead
has
just
as
good
of
pressure
as
a
low
efficiency.
One.
The
difference
is
the
gallons
per
minute,
how
much
water
it's
actually
using
per
minute.
Technically
high-efficiency
water
fixtures
shower
head
or
faucet
aerator
is
anything
that's
2
point,
0,
gallons
per
minute
or
GPM
or
less.
B
So
if
you
look
at
your
showerhead
and
you
can't
find
a
GPM
number
on
there,
it's
not
high
efficiency,
but
luckily
these
are.
They
come
in
a
really
wide
range
of
colors
and
sizes
and
applications.
Now,
so
it's
not
just
one
dinky
little
high
efficiency
and
for
each
showerhead
you
replace
with
a
high-efficiency
version.
You
can
save
about
$35
a
year.
Yes,.
C
B
That
now,
if
you
have
a
high-efficiency
shower,
had
a
really
any
showerhead
and
you're
having
some
issues
with
it
getting
clogged
a
really
easy
way
to
unclog.
Those
is
to
actually
put
your
shower
head
in
a
bag
or
a
little
container
of
vinegar
or
yeah
yeah.
Just
hang.
It
have
that
bag
right
around
the
shower
head.
It's
a
really
great
way
to
rinse
that
out
that
can
improve
some
of
their
performance
as
well.
I
neck
come
on.
No,
so
a
good
habit,
a
good
habit
you
can
use.
B
This
is
an
oldie,
but
a
goodie
is
washing
clothes
and
cold
water,
so
washing
clothes
in
cold
water
gets
them
just
as
clean
okay,
I
promise,
and
actually
it
helps
our
clothes
look
newer.
Longer,
hot
water,
even
warm
water
tends
to
be
rough
on
our
clothes.
The
thing
is:
ninety
percent
of
the
cost
of
washing
clothes
at
home
comes
from
heating,
the
water
ninety
percent,
so
the
average
minnesota
family
can
knock
about
40
bucks
off
the
bill
per
year,
just
by
switching
that
dial
too
cold.
B
Now,
personally
speaking,
I'm
allergic
to
dust,
so
I
still
wash
my
sheets
linens
towels
in
hot
water,
but
I
do
everything
else
in
cold.
If
you're
kind
of
worried
about
getting
you
know,
brights
just
as
bright
whites
just
as
clean
as
they
want
to
hear,
used,
borax,
okay,
there's
a
bore
ox
bo
ro
x
is
a
non-toxic
household
cleaner.
It's
really
great
for
a
lot
of
applications
and
it's
also
a
fabulous
laundry
booster.
So
you
put
half
a
cup
of
borax
in
with
your
laundry
detergent
and
it
just
helps
amp
up
that
cleaning
power.
B
A
B
Think
you
know
we've
sort
of
it's
very
easy
for
a
lot
of
us
to
make
this
association
with
hot
meaning,
cleaner
right,
like
it's
sterilizing
or
clothes,
really
to
get
water
hot
enough
to
do
that,
to
our
clothes
we
would
be
destroying
actually
one
way
to
kill
bacteria
and
our
clothing
to
make
sure
it's
really
really
really
clean
is
too
dry
down
the
line.
Sunlight
naturally
kills
bacteria.
B
B
B
That
it
is
that's,
that's
a
really
cheap
way
to
get
solar
power,
all
right,
I'm,
going
to
move
on
to
appliances.
Fifteen
percent
of
our
home's
energy
use
and
I
have
a
little
confession
here.
I
kind
of
have
a
thing
for
the
avocado
green
fridges
from
the
70s
I.
Think
it's
super
cute,
but
the
thing
is
that
fridge
there
uses
four
times
more
energy
than
a
modern
energy
star
rated
fridge,
just
because
older
appliances
continue
to
technically
function
does
not
mean
that
they're
working
for
you
and
fridges
are
a
great
example.
B
Fridges
are
the
king
of
energy
consumption
in
our
home
they're
running
24,
7
365,
and
this
happens
to
me
a
couple
times.
Every
year,
I'll
get
an
email
or
a
panicked
phone
call
from
someone
who
says:
okay,
I,
don't
understand.
I
just
got
a
new
fridge.
You
told
me
it
was
going
to
save
me
energy,
but
my
electricity
bill
went
up
what
happened.
My
first
question
is
always:
what
did
you
do
with
the
old
fridge
we're
in
the
basement
for
beer
really
expensive
beer?
B
Okay,
if
your
fridge
was
made
in
the
1980s
cost
about
a
hundred
dollars
a
year
to
run
it
if
it
was
made
in
the
70s
or
earlier
you're,
paying
about
two
hundred
dollars
a
year
to
run
it.
If
all
you
have
in
there
is
like
a
six
pack
of
PBR.
It
really
adds
up,
especially
because
right
now,
Xcel
Energy
will
pay
you
to
come
to
your
home
and
recycle.
A
second
working
fridge
they'll,
actually
send
a
crew
out
to
your
house.
They'll
pick
it
up,
and
from
now
until
sep
tember
they'll
pay.
B
You
50
bucks
to
have
your
fridge
recycled
in
Minnesota
by
a
minnesotan
company.
So
if
you
have
that
beer
fridge
hanging
out
in
your
basement
or
garage
now
is
a
really
good
time
to
ask
yourself
if
it's
really
worth
that
one
hundred
two
hundred
dollars
a
year
when
it
comes
to
appliances
in
general,
how
old
is
too
old?
B
When
should
you
think
about
replacing
them,
have
an
easy
way
to
remember
this
rule
of
thumb
if
your
appliance
is
old
enough
to
vote
okay,
if
it's
old
enough
to
vote,
it's
probably
time
to
say
goodbye,
the
most
important
appliance
is
to
look
at
like
I
center
that
fridge,
but
also
clothes,
washers
dishwashers.
Those
are
the
two
other
appliances
that
can
eat
up
quite
a
lot
of
energy
when
you're
looking
for
new
ones.
B
There
are
a
couple
things
I
recommend
looking
at
one
is:
have
you
folks
seen
the
Energy
Star
rating
before
okay
great
and
that's
just
it's
very
common
on
appliances
on
light
bulbs,
you'll
see
that
blue
energy
star
symbol,
that's
a
great
place
to
start.
You
know
it's
just
a
basic
federal
designation
for
energy
efficiency.
However,
energy
star
is
not
the
end-all
be-all
and
there's
actually
a
really
wide
range
of
use
within
energy
star.
So
what
I
recommend
is
also
looking
at
those
yellow,
Energy
Guide
labels.
B
Have
you
folks
seen
those
before
okay,
good
they're
on
a
lot
of
appliances,
a
lot
of
electronics
you'll
start
seeing
them
on
TV
soon,
and
this
gives
you
the
most
important
piece
of
information,
which
is
how
much
is
this
thing
going
to
cost
me
a
year?
Because
when
you
look
at
those
older
appliances,
you
know
we
don't
pay
for
appliances
just
once
we
pay
for
them
every
time
that
we
use
them
and
it's
the
operating
costs,
the
day-to-day
cost
of
running
them.
That
makes
older
appliances
so
expensive
to
run
in
the
long
run.
B
So
a
good
example
is
looking
at
getting
a
new
clothes
washer,
so
you
have
a
harvest
gold
model
that
you
would
like
to
go
quietly
into
that
good
night.
If
you
get
an
energy
star
rated
model,
you're
going
to
pay
more
for
it
upfront,
but
over
its
lifetime
it
will
use
so
much
less
in
operating
costs.
You
will
have
saved
enough
to
buy
the
matching
dryer,
so
energy-efficient
appliances
really
do
pay
for
themselves.
B
It
is
important
to
do
your
research,
though,
and
I
really
really
recommend
doing
your
research
before
something
dies,
and
you
have
to
replace
it
really
quickly.
Consumer
Reports
is
a
really
good
resource
and
I
would
also
ask
your
friends
and
family
they've
worked
with
a
contract
derp
or
if
they
got
an
efficient
appliance
that
they
really
like
it's
a
great
way
to
get
some
recommendations.
B
A
good
question:
the
efficiency
of
chest
freezers
actually
has
not
changed
drastically
in
the
past
30
years.
What's
most
important
about
chest,
freezers
is
to
make
sure
they're
as
full
as
humanly
possible.
So
I
have
a
co-worker
who's,
a
hunter.
He
keeps
that
thing
stocked.
It
actually
runs
fairly
efficiently,
but
if
it's
empty,
that's
where
it
really
starts
driving
up
the
cost
exactly
water
jugs
are
a
perfect
way
to
just
keep
that
they're
all
right.
B
So
I
move
on
to
lights
and
electronics,
so
twenty
percent
of
our
homes,
energy
use
I'll,
have
it
asked
for
another
show
of
hands
who
here
has
ever
touched?
One
of
these
lightbulbs
when
they've
been
on
before
yeah?
Who
did
it
a
second
time?
Oh
quick
learner
is
going
to
say
that
you
probably
notice
that
these
lights
incandescence
get
super
super
hot,
well,
a
trick
to
tell
if
something
in
your
home
is
wasting
energy
is
to
look
for.
The
heat
heat
is
a
sign
of
energy
waste.
B
If
something
is
producing
heat-
and
it's
not
its
purpose
in
life
to
do
so
so
things
like
DVD
player,
your
cell
phone
charger
or
light
bulb,
it
means
it's
wasting.
Energy
and
incandescence
get
really
really
hot
because
they
really
really
waste
about
ninety
percent
of
their
electricity.
As
heat,
when
I
was
a
little
girl,
I
played
with
the
easy
bake,
oven,
y'all
know
what
I'm
talking
about
it
used
light
bulbs
to
bake
food.
You
could
bake
food
with
them.
B
Okay,
in
fact,
the
word
incandescent
means
to
light
with
heat
and
that's
why
a
lot
of
Minnesotans
are
switching
over
to
a
newer
lighting
technology,
any
guesses,
LEDs
and
CFLs.
Exactly
compact
fluorescent
light
bulbs,
so
CFLs
have
been
around
for
a
while
and
when
they
first
came
out,
they
were
pretty
terrible.
B
You
know,
I
and
I
talked
to
a
lot
of
people.
Who've
had
issues
with
flickering
dimming
humming.
The
light
just
looks
weird,
so
it's
good
to
know
that
in
the
past
couple
of
years,
this
technology
has
come
a
really
really
long
way
and
CFLs
that
are
made.
These
days
bear
little
to
no
resemblance
to
those
earlier
models.
They
now
come
in
a
wide
range
of
shapes
and
sizes,
so
it's
not
just
the
curly
pigtail
bulbs.
B
You
can
also
find
them
in
indoor
and
outdoor
flood
lights,
bathroom
globes,
my
favorite,
which
is
called
an
a-line,
bulb
a
line
compact
fluorescents
are
the
same
size
about
the
same
size
and
shape
as
an
incandescent
they've
got
that
nice
domed
cover.
The
difference
is
one
of
these
compact
fluorescents.
The
right
kind
of
compact
fluorescent
uses
seventy-five
percent
less
electricity
and
can
last
seven
to
ten
times
longer,
meaning
over
its
lifetime.
You
can
save
about
forty
dollars
per
bulb.
Does
that
mean
that
they
should
be
in
every
single
light
socket
in
your
house?
B
No,
you
get
the
biggest
bang
for
your
buck
with
compact
fluorescents,
when
they're
installed
in
high
use
areas
so
places
like
kitchens
living
rooms,
dining
rooms,
closets
I,
wouldn't
worry
about
it.
But
if
you
replace
the
five
most
used
lights
in
your
house
with
compact
fluorescents
you're
going
to
save
about
twenty-five
dollars
a
year
now
when
it
comes
to
buying
the
right
kind
of
compact
fluorescent,
that
is
something.
Unfortunately,
that's
still
a
little
bit
tricky.
B
So
I'm
going
to
make
it
a
little
bit
easier
and
I
have
all
this
on
one
of
my
nice
educational
handouts
up
here,
so
you
don't
have
to
memorize
it,
but
we've
all
gotten
used
to
buying
lightbulbs
based
on
wattage
right
going
to
get
a
60
watt
75
watt
in
the
future.
Wattage
is
not
going
to
be
as
useful
a
measurement
tool.
It's
a
good
time
to
start
learning.
Your
lumens
lumens
is
the
actual
measurement
of
visible
light,
that's
being
produced
by
light
bulb.
B
So,
for
example,
a
60-watt
incandescent
produces
800
lumens
of
visible
light,
which
means,
when
you're
buying
a
replacement
bulb.
You
want
to
look
for
something
that
produces
the
same
amount
of
lumens
I've,
been
at
the
store
and
seen
CFLs
that
claimed
they
were
the
same
as
a
60-watt.
But
when
I
looked
at
the
lumens
rating
they
produce
less
than
800
lumens.
Now
there
are
a
couple
ways
to
avoid
getting
a
bulb
like
that.
One
is
to
look
at
the
lumens.
B
B
The
same
amount
of
visible
light
that
whiter
light.
Our
eyes
read,
is
being
brighter,
so,
for
example,
I
cross
stitch
and
I
have
a
little
daylight
bulb
that
I
use
for
that.
It's
really
lumen
ating
for
living
rooms,
kitchens,
you
know,
sort
of
communal
spaces.
I
do
recommend
the
warm
white
bulbs
that
are
a
little
more
orange
II
sort
of
yellow.
They
tend
to
be
a
little
nicer.
Sometimes
daylight
can
be
a
little
sterile
when
it's
in
those
big
spaces,
I'm.
C
B
Sort
of
different
ones:
here's
a
trick
if
you
can't
find
a
special
or
a
kind
of
compact
fluorescent
at
Home,
Depot
Bernard,
those
excel
does
sell
specialty
bulbs
online
and
over
the
phone.
So
you
can
give
them
a
call
visit
their
website.
They've
got
a
lighting
store
that
has
things
like
those
little
decorative
bulbs
or
candelabra
base
stuff.
That's
a
little
bit
smaller.
Although
we're
starting
to
see
more
like
three
way
or
dimmable
CFLs
in
stores
as
well,
exactly
yep.
B
B
Recycle
them?
Yes,
you
can
take
down
a
hazardous
waste
or
you
can
recycle
CFLs
for
free
at
menards,
Home,
Depot,
Lowe's,
most
ace,
hardware
stores
and
IKEA.
However,
I
don't
recommend
buying
replacement
bulbs
at
ikea
because
none
of
them
are
Energy
Star
rated.
Well,
now
compact
fluorescents
they're
a
great
lighting
technology,
but
they
are
temporary
CFLs.
Our
placeholder
they're
just
hanging
around
until
the
next
lighting
technology
really
gets
its
feet
under
it.
Someone
always
already
said
LEDs
or
light-emitting
diodes
light-emitting
diodes
are
their
real
strength.
B
Is
their
lifetime
light-emitting
diodes
LEDs
last
a
really
really
long
time.
We
use
LED
nightlights
that
have
a
rated
life
of
a
hundred
thousand
hours,
so
like
heirloom
night
lights
right
and
you
can
find
them
a
lot
now
for
applications
like
holiday
lights,
flashlights,
night
lights
under
counter
lighting
and
we're
starting
to
see
more
LEDs
become
available
to
replace
your
incandescent
or
your
compact
fluorescent
personally
I'm
going
to
wait.
A
little
bit
longer
to
buy
an
LED,
and
that's
for
a
couple
reasons.
B
One
is
that
at
LEDs
tend
to
be
directional
they're
like
spotlights
they
don't
defuse,
which
is
fine
for
under
your
counters
may
be
kind
of
weird
in
a
bathroom
vanity.
Second
is
color
they're
still
working
on
getting
a
nice
warm
color
out
of
them,
but
for
me,
and
most
importantly,
is
cost.
You
can
expect
to
pay
about
50
60
bucks,
a
bulb
for
an
energy
star
LED.
B
Now
they
do
last
longer
than
compact
fluorescents,
but
it's
still
in
infant
technology.
If
you're
interested,
though
what
I
recommend
is
Philips
came
out
this
year
with
a
brand
new
LED
bulb,
it's
called
the
Endura
LED,
it's
very,
very
sharp.
It's
won
some
awards
and
I've
heard
really
good
things
about
it.
You
are
going
to
pay
a
little
bit
more,
but
it
tends
it
sounds
like
it
has.
A
pretty
good
life
span
as
well.
Any
questions
on
lights,
CFLs,
LEDs,
nope,
all
right
I'll,
keep
on
moving.
So
that's
a
good
product.
B
Remember
we're
also
talking
about
good
habits
and
one
thing:
I
really
love
about
energy
efficiency.
Is
it
something
that
everyone
can
do?
Doesn't
matter
your
age,
your
income,
your
ability,
your
living
situation,
everyone
can
do
something
to
save
energy
and
it
can
actually
be
kind
of
fun.
Yes,
it
can
be
fun
and
a
great
example
of
that
is
my
friend
Aidan
here
so
I'm
at
Eden
about
five
years
ago
when
he
was
11
and
at
the
time
Aidan
was
having
some
problems
with
his
older
brother.
His
older
brother
was
constantly
leaving
the
lights
on.
B
B
Toby
stands
for
turn
off
lights
behind
you,
so
Ayden
put
up
Toby
signs
all
over
his
house
and
now
no
one
leaves
the
lights
on
Aidan's
house,
because
someone
is
always
yelling
Toby
at
him,
and
he
got
so
excited
about
it
that
he
mailed
me
folks,
an
11
year
old
boy
emailed
me
about
saving
energy
I
should
have
framed
it.
I
mean
he
was
just
so
excited
because
he
did
something
and
saw
that
his
family
changed
their
habits.
It
was
so
empowering
for
him
even
little
things
like
turning
off
lights.
B
When
you
leave
the
room,
they
make
a
difference
and
they're
really
good
habits
to
start
teaching.
Kids
now
I
have
a
couple
treats
for
you
up
here,
because
we
like
told
me
so
much
that
we
worked
with
Aiden's
family
to
create
Toby.
The
mascot
he's
an
energy-efficient
Firefly
with
a
CFL
for
behind
and
we're
using
him
to
teach
kids
good
energy
habits
in
schools
and
at
home.
So
I
have
a
couple
of
goodies
up
here.
I
have
some
Toby
light
switch
decals.
B
If
you
want
to
help
remind
someone
to
told
me
behind
them-
and
these
are
our
most
popular
I-
have
some
temporary
Toby
tattoos.
Please
take
a
handful
on
your
way
out,
but
anything
you
can
do
to
make
efficiency
fun
or
a
bit
of
a
game.
It's
a
great
way
to
help
kids
learn
speaking
of
good
habits.
This
is
a
big
one.
Anyone
have
a
room
like
this
in
their
house.
You
turn
off
the
lights
and
suddenly
they're
like
80
red
eyes
staring
at
you
you're,
not
alone.
B
The
average
minnesota
family
has
between
30
and
40
electronics
that
are
left
plugged
in
at
all
times,
and
if
that
electronic
has
a
clock,
uses
a
remote
or
has
that
little
light?
That
tells
you
it's
ready
to
come
on
at
any.
Second,
it's
always
using
electricity
when
it's
plugged
in
regardless
of
if
it's
on
or
not,
and
that's
called
phantom
load
or
vampire
energy,
it's
very
ominous
and
for
a
good
reason,
it's
starting
to
get
really
expensive
for
us.
You
know,
if
you
look
at
these
of
these
electronics
by
themselves.
B
B
So
at
least
half
the
families
in
our
nation
have
at
least
one
video
game
console
so
stuff,
like
wii
playstation
xbox,
those
left
plugged
in
when
idle.
So
when
they're
left
plugged
in
and
no
one's
using
them
cost
our
country
over
1
billion
dollars
a
year
in
waste
of
electricity,
so
it's
a
billion
dollars
that
american
families
pay
for
electricity
that
we
never
actually
get
to
use,
and
this
number
keeps
going
up
and
up
as
we
keep
getting
more
electronics.
B
Now,
I'm
not
going
to
tell
you
to
knock
it
electronics,
because
I
live
in
a
three
video
game
console
household,
but
a
really
great
way
to
stop
that
phantom
mode
is
to
use
power
strips
if
you
unplug
something
directly
from
an
outlet
or
plug
it
into
a
power
strip
and
turn
that
power
strip
off
goodnight
Irene
you've
stopped
the
phantom
load.
Now.
B
The
electronics
that
have
the
the
biggest
phantom
load,
the
biggest
vampires
in
your
house,
TVs
computers
and
video
game
consoles,
but
remember
it's
anything
that
has
a
clock
anything
that
uses
a
remote
anything
that
has
that
little
light.
I
have
a
couple
tips
for
fighting
phantom
load.
One
is
if
unplugging
something
or
plugging
into
a
power
strip
and
turning
that
power
strip
off
means
that
you
will
have
to
reprogram
it
every
single
time.
Would
you
do
me
a
personal
favor?
Please
don't
do
that.
B
There
are
some
things
that
are
meant
to
be
left
plugged
in
and
that's.
Okay,
I
think
cable
boxes
are
a
prime
example
of
that.
If
you
had
to
power
your
cable
box
every
time
it
gets
a
little
tedious,
not
to
mention
I
killed
three
modems
from
comcast
before
I
figured
out,
they
need
to
be
left
plugged
in
at
all
times.
What
I
recommend
is
focusing
on
the
things
you
can
unplug
like
the
TV,
like
your
cell
phone
chargers.
My
second
tip
for
fighting
phantom
load,
put
your
power
strips
where
you
can
reach
them.
B
You
have
to
dislocate
your
shoulder
every
time
you
shoe
me
behind
the
TV
to
turn
it
off.
You're,
probably
not
going
to
do
it,
but
if
you
have
those
powers
out
and
visible,
it's
a
really
great
way
to
stop
that
electricity.
Waste
stop
paying
for
electricity
that
you
never
use
any
questions
all
right.
This
is
kind
of
related,
but
does
anyone
here
have
a
desktop
computer?
The
desktop
computer?
A
couple
folks,
it's
nothing
to
be
ashamed
of.
Although
this
side
note
I
was
giving
a
presentation
at
for
a
freshman
class
at
st.
B
Thomas
and
I
asked
that
same
question
and
no
one
had
a
desktop
computer.
It
was
a
very
weird
moment
for
me,
but
if
you
have
a
desktop
computer,
so
the
Energy
Center
of
Wisconsin
came
to
Minnesota
a
couple
years
ago,
and
they
did
this
study
where
they
installed
occupancy
sensors
on
desktop
computers,
because
they
wanted
to
see
when
our
computers
are
on.
Is
there
anyone
actually
in
the
room
with
it
and
what
they
found
was
seventy-five
percent
of
the
time
that
computers
are
on
in
Minnesota?
B
They
are
completely
and
totally
alone,
I'm
guilty
of
that
as
well.
You
at
home,
you
turn
on
your
computer.
You
get
distracted,
you
walk
away
and
suddenly
realize
that
it's
been
on
the
whole
time
now.
The
way
to
prevent
that
energy
loss
very,
very
simple,
is
to
set
the
proper
computer
power
management
settings
and
yes,
I,
do
have
a
handout
that
tells
you
how
to
do
that
for
all
operating
systems.
But
what
you
want
to
do
is
set
your
computer
to
sleep
after
15
minutes
of
an
activity,
and
they
found
that
doing
that.
B
Just
that
can
save
about
thirty
dollars
per
computer
per
household,
just
setting
it
to
sleep
properly.
So
this
is
a
good
one
set
that
setting
tell
your
friends
any
questions,
all
right,
I'm
going
to
go
ahead
to
programmable
thermostats,
which
means
we're
on
the
home
stretch,
heating
and
cooling,
we're
almost
there.
So
fifty-five
percent
of
your
home's
energy
use
now
programmable
thermostats,
who
here
has
a
programmable
thermostat
who
hears
programs
there
programmable
thermostat
yeah,
it's
kind
of
a
second
step
right.
B
The
thing
is
about
how
the
people
who
have
a
programmable
thermostat,
don't
use
it
and
it's
a
real
shame.
It's
a
real
wasted
opportunity,
because
we
really
don't
need
to
heat
or
cool
our
homes
as
much
if
there's
no
one
there
during
the
day
and
if
you're
asleep
at
night.
However,
if
you've
ever
tried
to
interact
with
your
programmable
thermostat,
you
may
notice
that
they
do
not
seem
to
be
designed
for
human
beings.
They
can
be
needlessly
complicated,
so
I'm
going
to
make
it
easy.
The
best
energy-efficient
setting
for
your
thermostat
is
848.
B
B
Having
said
that,
I'm
an
energy
auditor,
not
a
marriage,
counselor.
Everyone
has
different
ideas
about
where
to
set
the
thermostat
and
your
comfort
is
most
important.
But
if
you
have
a
furnace,
if
you
have
a
forced
air
system,
so
you
get
your
heat
and
cooling
from
grates
rather
than
a
boiler
where
you
get
your
heat
from
radiators.
A
programmable
thermostat
is
a
really
really
smart
way
to
help
reduce
the
energy
use
of
your
system.
B
B
Anyone
hear
about
chimney
couple
folks,
okay,
great
summer
winter,
whenever,
if
you
have
a
chimney,
you
really
need
to
make
sure
that
damper
is
closed
and
open
damper
in
the
winter
becomes
a
superhighway
for
hot
air
to
go
screening
out
of
your
house,
you
can
lose
twenty
percent
of
your
heating
bill
up
a
chimney.
If
that
damper
is
not
closed,
so
close
the
damper,
if
you
don't
have
one
you
can
get
a
product,
that's
called
the
chimney
balloon,
which
is
exactly
what
it
sounds
like
you
inflate
it
in
your
chimney.
It
helps
air
seal
it.
B
It's
got
a
nice
tag
that
hangs
down.
So
you
know
it's
there.
That's
a
really
really
smart
way
to
just
prevent
that
air
leakage.
Now
heating
tends
to
be
the
brunt
of
our
costs,
but
on
summers
like
this,
there
are
also
some
good
tips.
You
can
do
to
reduce
cooling
now,
if
you
have
central
air,
I,
really
really
recommend
contacting
Excel
to
sign
up
for
the
saver
switch
program.
Anyone
here
on
the
sabres,
rich,
okay,
awesome
good,
now
save
her
switch.
What
they'll
do
is
they'll
send
an
electrician
out
to
your
house.
B
You
don't
have
to
be
home.
They're
going
to
install
a
switch,
doesn't
actually
look
like
a
light
switch,
but
will
roll
with
it
on
the
compressor,
which
is
the
outside
part
of
your
central
air.
What
that
allows
them
to
do
is
in
times
of
high
demand.
They
can
cycle
your
compressor
on
and
off
in
15
minute
intervals.
The
thing
is:
it's
really
expensive
for
our
utilities,
when
everyone
uses
electricity
at
the
same
time,
because
they
have
to
be
able
to
provide
a
theoretical
amount
of
energy,
it's
called
the
demand.
B
If
everyone
used
it
at
the
same
time,
the
higher
the
demand,
the
more
it
costs
with
saver
switch,
it
allows
them
to
reduce
their
demand.
So
in
return
they
give
you
automatically
fifteen
percent
off
your
electricity
bills
from
june
through
September
what
happens
if
they
actually
activates
a
ver
switch
because
they're,
just
working
with
your
compressor,
the
fan
in
your
home
keeps
going
the
biggest
temperature
change.
That
they've
measured
is
one
degree,
so
you
stay
comfortable.
That
air
keeps
moving,
is
just
stopping
your
compressor.
Now.
Last
summer,
you
probably
recommend.
B
Remember
we
had
some
weeks
like
this.
We're
really
hot.
Really
steamy
and
I
thought:
okay,
they
had
to
have
activated
this,
so
I
called
Excel
I
wanted
to
know.
Are
you
turning
on
saver
switch
for
residents
and
what
they
told
me
was.
Actually
we
were
just
turning
it
on
for
businesses
and
we
were
getting
such
good
savings
from
businesses.
We
didn't
even
have
to
touch
the
residential
saver
switch,
even
if
they
never
turn
it
on.
B
You
still
get
fifteen
percent
off
your
electricity
bill,
so
it's
a
very,
very
smart
strat
gee
I
also
recommend
if
you're
running
a
window,
air,
conditioner
or
central
you'd
be
surprised
how
many
times
people
forget
to
close
a
window
or
a
door
can
be
a
small
thing,
but
it
can
make
a
big
difference
and
I.
Also,
if
you're
looking
at
window
AC
units,
it's
really
really
important
that
you
get
them
properly.
Sized
I
think
there's
this
feeling.
People
have
that
the
bigger
the
better
I'll
just
get
the
biggest
unit
I
can
put
in
here.
B
But
if
the
unit
you
get
is
too
big
for
the
space
that
you're
cooling,
it
won't
be
as
efficient
as
removing
the
humidity
which,
if
you
ask
me,
is
the
most
important
part.
So
what
you
end
up,
having
is
a
very
cold,
very
damp
room.
A
properly
sized
window
unit
will
help
remove
that
humidity
and
cool
at
the
same
time,
without
using
as
much
on
our
gene
any
questions,
heating,
cooling,
no
but
you're-
all
awake,
which
is
wonderful,
so
I'll
keep
going.
So
you
know
those
are
good
habits.
B
B
It's
really
really
important
for
a
lot
of
homeowners
to
know
how
our
homes
breathe,
because
our
homes
do
breathe.
We
need
a
certain
amount
of
air
coming
in
and
out
of
our
homes
to
keep
them
healthy.
It's
when
there's
too
much
air
or
not
enough
air
that
we
start
running
into
some
really
common
problems.
Now,
if
you
add
up
all
the
little
cracks
and
holes
in
the
average
Minnesota
home,
it
equals
a
hole
about
the
size
of
a
basketball.
B
That's
open
all
year
round,
so
even
little
air
sealing
that
you
can
do
can
really
make
a
big
difference.
There
are
lots
of
places
that
air
likes
to
sneak
into
our
houses
at
your
outlets
and
your
switch
plates.
If
you
don't
have
any
insulation
back
there,
that's
a
very
nifty
way
for
air
to
get
in
your
dryer
vents.
Your
crawlspace
says
vents
windows
through
your
walls,
but
there's
one
place
that
hot
air
likes
to
escape
our
home
and
it's
hot
air
escaping
there.
That
can
cause
a
really
big
problem
in
the
winter
for
Minnesota
homeowners.
B
A
couple
notes
about
ace
dams,
one,
never
never
never
ever
get
on
your
roof
to
shovel
an
ice
dam.
That
is
an
exceedingly
bad
idea.
I,
don't
also
recommend
the
use
of
heating
coils.
Those
can
damage
your
roof
in
the
long
run.
Once
you
get
ice
dams,
the
safest
way
to
get
them
off
your
house
without
damaging
you
or
your
house,
is
to
get
them
steamed
off
by
a
contractor
better,
yet
prevent
them
by
having
adequate
attic
insulation
and,
more
importantly,
than
that,
seal,
your
attic
bypasses.
B
So
anything
that
comes
up
through
your
house
into
your
attic
things
like
chimneys.
Plumbing
stacks
drops
off
its
electrical
boxes.
That's
a
path
that
can
create
a
pathway
for
air
to
come
up
into
your
attic,
so
for
relatively
inexpensively
under
500
bucks.
You
can
probably
get
a
contractor
to
do
that
air
sealing.
You
can
do
it
yourself
if
you're
looking
for
air
leaks
in
your
attic,
when
I
typically
tell
people
to
look
for
a
couple
things,
one
is
places
where
the
insulation
is
sort
of
dirty
or
dirtier
than
the
other
insulation
around
it.
B
So,
if
we've
been
part
of
part
of
what
cee
does
is
going
to
people's
homes
providing
home
energy
audits,
we've
been
in
over
10,000
homes
across
the
state
of
Minnesota
and
what
we
found
are
these
three
top
improvements?
These
are
the
three
home
energy
improvements
that
give
you
the
biggest
bang
for
your
buck,
that
payback
in
less
than
ten
years,
and
that
help
you
stay
comfortable.
That's
attic,
insulation
and
air,
sealing
wall,
insulation
and
new
heating
equipment.
B
These
tend
to
be
the
most
cost-effective
smartest
home
improvements
that
you
can
make
around
energy
now
how
to
find
out.
If
you
need
one
of
these
improvements,
sometimes
you
know
it's
easy
to
tell
if
you're
uncomfortable
or
if
your
house
is
drafty
or
if
your
furnace
is
old,
but
it's
nice
to
get
some
more
technical
information
for
that.
I
do
recommend
energy
audits
with
a
couple
kodys,
so
there
are
typically
different
levels
of
energy
audits
that
you
can
get
at
your
home,
usually
for
around
fifty
sixty
dollars.
B
You
can
get
a
basic
energy
audit
from
excel
or
centerpoint
energy,
which
will
include
what's
called
a
blower
door
test,
and
this
is
really
important
because
the
blower
door
test
actually
measures
in
cubic
feet
per
minute.
How
much
air
is
coming
through
your
house?
So
a
technician
can
look
at
that
number
and
really
understand.
Is
your
house
really
drafty?
B
And
you
think
things
have
settled
in
places
that
are
kind
of
hard
to
see
what
I
recommend
is
getting
a
more
advanced
energy
audit
with
an
infrared
camera
and
you
can
typically
get
those
for
around
one
hundred
hundred
and
twenty-five
dollars,
and
here's
an
example
of
an
infrared
picture
when
an
infrared
camera
does
is
actually
takes
a
picture
of
heat
escaping
your
home.
So
these
bright
white
right
there
that's
heat
coming
through
a
door.
So,
instead
of
peeling
off
an
entire
section
of
your
wall,
an
infrared
camera
can
actually
see
the
heat
that's
moving
there.
B
You
do
need
a
20-degree
temperature
difference
between
the
inside
and
the
outside
of
your
house
for
an
infrared
camera
to
work
and
because
it's
a
little
more
expensive
I
typically
only
recommend
that,
if
you're
having
some
sort
of
weird,
if
you're
having
ice
dams
or
weird
cold
spots,
you
can
get
a
lot
of
really
good
information.
With
a
blower
door,
I'll
say
this
about
energy
audit.
The
great
thing
about
them
is
they
give
you
a
lot
of
information
and
the
bad
thing
about
them?
B
Is
they
give
you
a
lot
of
information
and
I
have
talked
to
some
people
who
sometimes
feel
overwhelmed
after
an
energy
audit,
and
that's
why
I
talk
about
these
top
three
energy
improvements?
They
could
give
you
a
laundry
list
of
a
million
things
focus
on
one
or
two
things
to
get
done
this
year.
That's
really
all
you
need
to
do
a
couple
things
off
that
list.
It'll
make
a
difference.
You'll
end
up
saving
money
on
your
energy
bills,
which
you
can
put
towards
the
next
improvement,
but
don't
stress
about
getting
all
of
that
done.
B
It's
really
about!
What's
going
to
be
the
biggest
bang
for
your
buck
now
when
it
comes
to
paying
for
these
things,
Tom
mentioned,
HRA
has
a
great
rehab
loan
program
now
the
center
for
energy
and
environment.
The
nonprofit
I
work
for
also
has
a
couple
financing
programs
that
can
help.
We
do
have
a
home
energy
loan
program
that
has
a
2.99
percent
interest
rate
loan
for
certain
energy
improvements,
so
that
includes
the
insulation,
air,
sealing
heating
equipment,
new
water
heater.
B
So
if
you're
looking
into
something
like
that,
I
would
recommend
visiting
our
website
or
giving
us
a
call.
It's
cee
loans,
org
I
have
some
business
cards
that
can
give
you,
and
we
also
are
one
of
the
administrators
of
the
Minnesota
Housing
and
finance
authorities
fix
up
fund,
which
is
a
5.99
program
which
includes
energy
but
also
general
general
home
improvements
with
that
I've
completely
exhausted
my
knowledge
of
financing.
So
if
you
have
any
questions
like
I
said,
I
can
give
you
a
card.
A
B
B
The
reason
I
think
why
a
lot
of
people
go
to
windows,
and
it's
easy
to
understand
is
that
glass
is
very
conductive.
It
conducts
heat
really
really
well,
which
means,
if
you're
standing
near
a
glass
window
in
the
winter,
and
you
start
to
feel
cold.
That's
because
it's
literally
sucking
the
heat
out
of
your
body,
but
getting
brand-new
windows
can
be
very
expensive
and
in
some
cases
it
may
not
do
that
much
to
improve
your
comfort.
B
So,
if
you're
having
issues
more
around
the
rough
edge
of
it,
if
you're
looking
at
replacing
windows,
I
do
recommend
pairing
that
with
insulation,
especially
in
your
walls
or
your
attic,
you
can
typically
insulate
your
entire
house
for
the
cost
of
four
or
five
windows.
So,
if
you
do
the
insulation,
first
you're
going
to
have
a
little
bit
more
money
in
your
pocket
to
look
at
doing
windows
in
the
future
that
make
sense
it's
it
is.
B
It
is
kind
of
one
of
those
things
where
yes,
when
you're
near
a
window,
you're
going
to
be
cold
but
you're
going
to
be
cold
near
a
really
new
window
as
well
I.
What
we
do
in
the
winter
in
my
house
is
we
do
that
plastic
window,
wrap
any
layer,
you
add
between
yourself
and
a
window
is
just
going
to
help
with
that
or
using
blinds
or
curtains
helps
in
the
summer
as
well.
B
B
B
Okay,
yes
on
demand
or
tankless
water
heaters,
so
this
is
a
kind
of
water
heater.
That's
been
used
in
Europe
for
a
while,
but
it's
starting
to
gain
more
traction.
The
concept
is
instead
of
having
that
giant
tank
of
water.
You
just
heat
water
when
you
need
it,
thus
tankless
or
on-demand.
Now,
right
now,
tankless
water
heaters
are
about
five
percent
of
the
water
heaters
installed
in
the
US,
which
means
a
couple
things.
B
There
aren't
as
many
contractors
that
install
them
and
there
aren't
as
many
models,
but
our
research
department
recently
did
a
study
on
tankless
water
heaters
in
Minnesota.
We
installed
them
in
a
couple:
different
water
heaters
in
10
houses
to
see
how
they
worked.
What
we
found
was,
on
average
tankless
water
heaters
used
between
about
thirty
five
percent,
less
energy
than
a
standard
water
heater.
However,
the
payback
can
be
between
20
to
60
years
depending
and
that's
for
a
couple
reasons.
B
One
is
like
I
said
there
just
aren't
as
many
folks
who
do
them,
but
the
other
reason
is
that
they
actually
need
quite
a
bit
of
gas
when
you
turn
them
on
you
gotta,
you
gotta
keep
that
water
really
really
fast.
In
some
older
homes,
your
existing
gas
line
may
not
be
sufficient,
so
I
have
a
co-worker
who
installed
one
bless
his
heart.
B
He
ended
up
putting
in
a
whole
new
gas
line
and
a
gas
meter
that
tends
to
drive
up
the
cost,
but
if
you're
interested
in
them,
I
can
give
you
some
resources
about
them.
I
think
they
can
be
good.
You're
like
okay,
you've
convinced
me.
They
I
think
they
can
be
really
good
in
some
applications,
especially
if
you
dont
have
space
for
a
tank
water
heater
or
like
in
a
cabin
or
place
where
you
you're,
not
using
hot
water
as
much,
but
the
economics
are
still
a
little
squidgy
on
them.
B
B
B
It
kind
of
depends
on
what
your
house
is
needs
are
now
you
guys
memorized
everything
that
I
said
tonight
right
word
for
word:
okay,
good!
Just
in
case
you
didn't
there's
this
website.
It's
called
the
Minnesota
energy
challenge.
It's
fun!
It's
fabulous!
It's
free!
It's
mine
and
it
has
all
the
information
about
all
the
good
products.
Good
habits
that
I
talked
about
tonight
and
that's
at
MN,
Energy,
Challenge
dot
org.
Now
the
energy
challenge
is
a
knowledge
repository,
but
it's
also
an
outreach
program.
B
So
we
have
teams
on
the
energy
challenge,
for
businesses,
for
schools,
for
churches
and
what
we're
trying
to
show
is
what
happens
when
Minnesotans
come
together
to
save
energy.
Now,
right
now
on
the
challenge,
we
have
over
28,000
members
across
the
state,
from
Duluth
to
Rochester
and
in
total
they're
pledging
to
save
over
14
million
dollars
a
year
in
energy.
That's
just
28
thousand
folks!
So
it
really.
When
you
make
these
changes,
even
if
they're
small,
these
good
habits,
they
really
do
add
up
and
they
can
make
a
big
difference.