Green retrofit, home energy retrofit, home retrofit, Deep energy retrofit

Deep energy retrofit

A deep energy retrofit is a building retrofit approach that uses to improve the economics of efficiency and achieve much larger energy savings than conventional energy retrofits. Deep energy retrofits can be applied to both residential and non-residential buildings...

 and home performance retrofit are terms with overlapping meaning for retrofit

Retrofit

Retrofitting refers to the addition of new technology or features to older systems.* power plant retrofit, improving power plant efficiency / increasing output / reducing emissions...

s that ensure the maintenance and preservation of buildings and the continued operation and maintenance of energy efficiency

Efficient energy use

Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...

 technologies. The meaning ranges from steps home owners can do themselves to buying up distressed properties and making them certifiably green. In the United States, the DOE issued a solicitation for $390 million for a "Retrofit Ramp-Up" program.

Simple steps

Steps home owners can do themselves include the following:

• Switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs
• Programmable thermostat
  Programmable thermostat
  A programmable thermostat is a thermostat which is designed to adjust the temperature according to a series of programmed settings that take effect at different times of the day...
  
  s
• Plugging air leaks with weather stripping and caulking
  Caulking
  Caulking is one of several different processes to seal joints or seams in various structures and certain types of piping. The oldest form of caulking is used to make the seams in wooden boats or ships watertight, by driving fibrous materials into the wedge-shaped seams between planks...
  
  . (This is what inspired the name "Cash for caulkers
  HOME STAR
  HOME STAR, , informally known as Cash for Caulkers, is a United States government program proposed in November, 2009 to encourage economic growth by offering incentives to homeowners and retailers for improving the energy efficiency of existing homes.-Background:In late 2009 there was a broad...
  
  " in the United States.)
• Tuning up heating
  Heating system
  A heating system is a mechanism for maintaining temperatures at an acceptable level; by using thermal energy within a home, office, or other dwelling. Often part of an HVAC system. A heating system may be centralized or distributed.-See also:...
  
   and cooling (HVAC)
  HVAC
  HVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
  
   systems.
• Choosing appliances with low energy consumption. In the United States, this is certified by the Energy Star
  Energy Star
  Energy Star is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products originated in the United States of America. It was first created as a United States government program during the early 1990s, but Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and the European Union have also adopted...
  
  .
• Reducing water use by installing aerator
  Faucet aerator
  A faucet aerator is often found at the tip of modern indoor water faucets. Without an aerator, water usually flows out of a faucet as one big stream. An aerator spreads this stream into many little droplets...
  
  s and low-flow showerheads
• Switching to green power
  Green Power
  Green Power is a Hong Kong-based non-governmental organization concerned with the city's environmental issues. The NGO was founded in 1988 by a group of volunteers who made environmental education the foremost priority of the organization....
  
  , including solar energy
• Using low-VOC products to improve indoor air quality
  Indoor air quality
  Indoor air quality is a term referring to the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants....
  
  
• Planting native plant
  Native plant
  Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...
  
  s and other appropriate landscaping
  Landscaping
  Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:# living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.#...
  
  measures.

External links

• Residential Sector: Designing a prescriptive whole house retrofit program, Michael Wheeler, California Public Utilities Commission