The truth according to Doug Rye:
By SANDRA STONE “I’m sick and tired of our country buying energy from countries that want to kill us.” Thus began Doug Rye as he addressed nearly 70 people who gathered Nov. 30 for a seminar on energy efficiency. “We’re seven times less ready for an oil embargo than we were 20 years ago,” said Rye, and he is looking ahead to seven years from now when he predicts we will experience a great oil decline in the world – the day demand for oil is larger than the supply. “Americans need to wake up and do everything we can to conserve energy.” Now that he had everyone’s attention, Rye, a nationally recognized energy consultant and licensed architect, shared the good news. “If you build your house like Doug Rye teaches you, your energy bill will always be half your neighbor’s.” In a fast-paced and folksy style, Rye shared information about ways everyone enjoyed and understood. While he focused primarily on new construction, the advice applies to existing homes as well. The three most important items are as follows, according to Rye: 1. Air infiltration. 2. Air infiltration. 3. Air infiltration. Thirty percent of heating and cooling costs, said Rye, are due to air infiltration. “Air loss in a home is equivalent to leaving a door wide open every day of your life,” said Rye. “Find the places where air is coming in, buy clear caulking and caulk until you hate the word.” And fill holes with expanding foam. “If an ant can get in, so can cold air,” said Rye. Rye is also a strong proponent of cellulose insulation as opposed to fiberglass. He showed the difference between fiberglass and cellulose by running lights and a computer fan in a demonstration box. The side with the cellulose insulation began with a 69.3 temperature while the fiberglass side began with a 74.2 temperature. After three minutes, the cellulose insulation was 69.4 degrees; the fiberglass was 90.9 degrees. In addition to insulating your home from heat and cold, said Rye, cellulose will also make a home soundproof, bugproof and fireproof. Geothermal systems are another major energy saver. While the initial startup costs are high, the resulting savings, said Rye, more than justify the initial costs, particularly in a new construction when the costs can be absorbed directly into the mortgage. And never, said Rye, put heating and cooling systems on a roof or in an attic (the hottest place on a hot day, the coldest place on a cold day). For existing homes, there are ways in addition to caulking until you hate the word to save energy. Purchase appliances with a high efficiency rating. Locate your water heater so it’s close to the points of use in your home. When you need additional insulation, use cellulose. Put foam insulation under your electric water heater and wrap it in insulation. And use energy efficient light bulbs. “If you don’t already have at least three compact fluorescent light bulbs, go out and get them today,” said Rye. They last seven times longer than standard bulbs, and you will have saved $50 to $75 before they burn out. “Energy items cost you nothing. They make you money,” said Rye, repeating his favorite mantra. Meade County RECC had brought Rye to Meade County approximately 12 years ago and decided it was time to bring him back. Adhering to that old adage, “if you feed them, they will come,” they provided a meal beforehand catered by Catering by Jackie. That, alone, was enough for more than a few people to come out on a cold, rainy night. But the information presented by Rye was more than worth the price of admission – free. And the door prizes – compact fluorescent light bulbs, expanding foam and Rye DVDs – weren’t half bad, either. “I heard Mr. Rye when he was here before, and I’ve implemented a lot of his advice,” said Leon Pike of Pike Electric. “This is really valuable information. I just wish more contractors had been here.” “I learned a lot from that man,” said Mary Medley, who had never heard of Rye before she saw the advertisement for the seminar. “I actually live in a concrete tavern. That’s why I came here tonight,” she continued, saying she does a lot of the work on her home herself and was looking for ways to make it more comfortable and energy efficient. “I found it very informative. I learned a tremendous amount. I can’t say enough.” To learn more about energy efficiency, log onto Rye’s Web site at www.dougrye.com.
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Photo by Sandra Stone