Energy Efficiency Basics

DOE: Department of Energy
EPA: Environmental Protection Agency
HVAC: Heating, Ventilation, and Cooling Systems.

CERTIFICATIONS

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI): The Sustainable Forestry Initiative works to keep forests healthy and thriving for people and nature. They set standards for responsible forest management and sustainable forest products, support conservation projects, help communities, and provide education so forests can continue to provide clean air, clean water, jobs, and wildlife habitat—now and for future generations.
Indoor AirPlus: Indoor AirPlus is an EPA program that certifies that homes were built with materials that are free of toxins and practices that reduce indoor air pollutants—especially important for people with asthma or other respiratory conditions.
Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH): A home that is certified by the DOE that uses 60-70% less energy than a code-built home. This is achieved with more energy-efficient windows, appliances, and HVAC systems and by higher levels of insulation and air tightness.
EnergyStar Home: A home that is certified by the EPA that uses on average 20-30% less energy than a code-built home.

DEFINITIONS

Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE): A measure the efficiency of natural gas furnaces, with high ratings indicating greater energy efficiency. This directly measures what percentage of natural gas is converted into heat, and the highest rating is 0.98.
Eco-friendly Home: A house designed to minimize its environmental impact by efficiently using energy, water, and building materials, often incorporating sustainable features like solar panels, high-performance insulation, water-saving fixtures.
Energy-efficient Homes: Homes that minimize energy use by using smart design, high-performance materials like advanced insulation and windows, and efficient systems like LED lighting, heat pumps, and smart thermostats.
EnergyStar: Is an energy-efficiency program established in 1992 and is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Healthy Home: A home that is more than just a place without dangerous pollutants and other hazards. Healthy homes also save energy, and can help provide access to important places and resources like schools, healthy food, health care, and parks.
High-efficiency HVAC (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning): A high-efficiency HVAC system uses advanced technologies to provide superior comfort with lower energy consumption compared to standard systems. These systems are measured by ratings like AFUE for furnaces and SEER for air conditioners, with high ratings indicating greater energy efficiency. Key features include variable-speed motors, advanced heat exchangers, and two-stage or modulating technology for better temperature control.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ): Describes how air inside buildings affects human health and comfort, influenced by pollutants like mold, dust, chemicals and poor ventilation.
Net-Zero: An energy state where a building or a system produces as much energy as it consumes, typically by generating its own renewable energy. This is achieved through a combination of high energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy production, such as solar panels.
Renewable Energy: Major types include solar, wind, hydropower (from water), geothermal (from Earth's heat), and biomass (from organic matter like plants). These sources are beneficial because they are abundant, can reduce carbon emissions, and help ensure energy security by providing a reliable supply of energy for future generations.
Renewable Materials: Materials that are sourced from natural materials that replenish within a short time frame, such as wood or fibers.
Renewable-Sourced: Products, services, or energy that come from renewable resources, natural resources that are replenished faster than they are consumed, providing a sustainable energy supply.
Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER): A measure of the efficiency of air conditioners, with high ratings indicating greater energy efficiency. The highest SEER ratings for central air conditioners are currently around 25.
Smart House: Use of WiFi-enabled technology to make homes healthier and more energy efficient.
Super-Insulated: Home designs that dramatically reduce energy for heating by creating a continuous, well-sealed, and highly insulated "thermal envelope" to minimize heat loss, often incorporating passive solar design, airtightness, and heat recovery ventilation. These designs can significantly lower energy bills by relying on internal heat sources and external natural conditions, making them comfortable and efficient even in frigid climates.
Sustainable: Capable of being maintained at a certain rate or level indefinitely.
Sustainable Home: Minimizes its environmental impact by using resources efficiently, reducing energy and water consumption, incorporating renewable energy, and utilizing low-impact, durable materials. Key features include passive design strategies that leverage natural light and ventilation, high-performance insulation, energy-efficient appliances, water-saving fixtures, and the use of recycled or rapidly renewable building materials.
Sustainably Certified Materials: Products verified by third-party standards to demonstrate reduced environmental impact and socially responsible manufacturing, including initiatives like organic farming, fair labor practices, and responsible resource use.
Toxic Chemicals: Substances that can harm human health and the environment, posing risks such as causing cancer, disrupting hormones, or damaging organs and systems like the nervous and reproductive systems. Common examples include heavy metals (like lead and mercury), pesticides (like glyphosate), persistent chemicals such as PFAS (forever chemicals), and certain industrial chemicals and flame retardants used in products from cosmetics to non-stick cookware.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): VOCs are found in many things, including glue, new car interiors, house mold, and upholstered furniture, sea weed, trees.