On the heels of the Northeast’s longest cold snap and biggest snowstorm of the year, it is worth asking how warm our houses stayed in Harvard and at what cost. Home heating accounts for a large part of a household’s carbon footprint, and yet there are some simple ways to avoid wasting energy.
Approximately 66% of homes in Harvard are heated by burning fossil fuels, according to a 2018 study by KLA Associates, which specializes in climate action solutions. Heat pumps, although standard in many parts of the country and run on electricity, have been less popular in Massachusetts due to the perception that they cannot handle cold winters.
Shifting to electric-powered heating is essential to reducing greenhouse gases in Harvard, and in Massachusetts, where 65% of the total energy usage from buildings comes from fossil fuels. In Harvard, the Community Choice Aggregation program supplies electricity produced from 100% renewable wind energy; therefore, switching to electric heating offers the opportunity to significantly reduce carbon emissions. (See harvard-ma.gov/energy-advisory-commit tee/bulletins/community-choice-aggreg ation-electricity-supply-company.)
No matter what kind of dwelling you call home, it is always possible to use energy more stringently. Converting to cleaner heating in our homes is a multipronged approach that combines personal effort, local and state policies, and some activism. Older homes, especially those built before 1970, often have energy efficiency several times lower than that of newer construction. As the recent blizzard indicated, the season is just getting started, and it’s not too late to winterize!
Tips of the Week
The cheapest and cleanest energy is the energy we don’t use.
This common sentiment among green energy advocates reminds us to turn down the thermostats. In the 19th century, New Englanders were known to have snow drifts piling into their houses—a little extreme, of course, but a good reminder that we do live in a cold climate. If you’re typically dressed for the beach indoors in the winter, you might consider putting on some cozy socks and going easy on the heat. In addition, turn down the heat when you’re away from home and at night while sleeping: Programmable thermostats can help.
“Close the door!”
This tip is delivered in my father’s voice, hence the quotation marks, but you might read it with the tone of one of your parents or grandparents. For many of us, it’s a mantra stamped in our psyche, something to pass on to future generations. Please ensure that kids, pets, and absent-minded adults in your household take no more than a blink of the eye for entrance and egress in the winter. Also, close the garage door at night, if you have one, and the doors to any cooler or less-heated rooms. Trap warm heat where you want it in your house and try to keep the cold out with effective barriers.
Speaking of effective barriers, search out and impede drafts around problem areas such as windows, doors, vents, heating ducts, switch plates, and recessed lighting.
Weather strips and caulking can handle many drafts. It’s okay to improvise and repurpose depending on your taste: For my leaky windows, I have found that weather tape and dense foam strips cut from cushions my dog chewed have proven to work better in some places than store-bought weather strips.
Make your windows more effective.
New double- or triple-paned windows would be nice, of course, but other options include exterior storm windows, interior storm windows, weather tape for cracks, heavy curtains, plastic insulation kits, and weather strips. Although it is debatable whether single-use plastic kits offer up environmental benefits when weighing the balance of resources used, if the windows are very old and leaky, over the course of a winter, it may be worthwhile.
Call in the professionals.
Get an energy audit from Mass Save (https://www.masssave.com). A service that is largely funded by a surcharge on electric utilities, Mass Save is no-cost when you schedule a visit. Regardless of other benefits, you will receive some free LED lights and electric strips. Further, depending on the assessment, you could score a major rebate on additional insulation and learn about rebates and incentives for new windows, more efficient appliances, heat pumps, and other energy-saving means.
Sign up for HarvardEnergize.
For more tips on energy efficiency and to track your progress, go to community.massenergize.org/HarvardMA.
Catherine Warner is a freelance writer and educational consultant based in Harvard. An amateur gardener and environmentalist, she was a member of the Community Resilience Working Group.
