At First Choice Power, we’re always thinking about home energy efficiency and ways to help our customers save electricity and money. That’s why we were really excited to see this cool video about a special house that the University of Texas has developed to measure energy usage and indoor air quality.
Located on the J.J. Pickle Research campus, the UTest House measures everything from different kinds of windows and window frames to insulation and HVAC systems in real-world Texas conditions. Other than the complex instrumentation designed to collect all those fancy measurements, the house is pretty ordinary—except that no one actually lives in it, of course.
So what have they learned so far? In the video, professor Jeff Siegel from the Cockerell School of Engineering shares a few tips and facts, such as window frames that are made of conductive material such as metal are not as energy efficient as those made of wood. And two panes of glass are better than one. Cleaning your AC can help it work more efficiently, and make sure it has enough refrigerant in it. Professor Siegel tells us that half of American homes have either too little or too much refrigerant! Want to know more? Watch the video for yourself.
If you like energy saving tips like this, we’ve got lots more in the Learning Center on FirstChoicePower.com. And don’t forget to subscribe to The Current for information on everything from saving electricity to interesting energy research that’s happening all over the Lone Star State.
Photo by Flickr user “Nickname.”
