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by ASHLEY BENNERS
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
This winter, advocates for a greener community encourage the Boone community to adjust their homes for energy efficiency.
Quint David, a former Appalachian student, is a current employee of Building Performance Engineering and Western North Carolina Renewable Energy Initiative.
“Apartment
complexes usually buy the cheapest stuff they can and pass the wasteful
[energy] things down to who ever is living there” David said. “There
are a lot of problems that really should have been fixed the first
time.”
 Appalachian State University alumna Nikki Rezvani prepares for a duct blaster test, which is used to test the efficiency of a duct system. Up to 30 percent of energy used in a home can be lost in a leaky duct system. Special to The Appalachian
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Despite
the inefficiencies affecting an individual apartment, Andrew T. Sams,
junior building science major, offer apartment and residence halls tips
for energy efficient winter proofing.
“A
person’s lifestyle can really make a big difference,” Andrew said. “A
lot of times people won’t do what needs to be done because it’s just a
rental property, but by just not being careless you can keep your
apartment warm without wasting too much energy.”
David said one of the biggest issues affecting the insulation of an apartment is air infiltration
He suggested using more heavily insulated curtains to keep the heat inside instead of films.
“Films
actually cut down the amount of heat that gets kept in,” David said.
“They work like tinted windows in a car. They block energy from the sun
from coming in, so it would definitely help to keep the apartment cool
in the summer.”
“You should also feel around your windows and doors for cracks,” Andrew said. “For those you’ll need weather stripping.”
David also advocates the use of compact fluorescent light bulbs, which last seven years and cut down energy usage by 70 percent.
It is also important, David said, to unplug or turn off power strips to avoid what is called a “phantom load.”
“Even
the clock on a microwave and a turned off [but plugged in] television
can equate to leaving a light on all day long,” David said. “Actual
lights only use a small percentage of energy but people worry more
about it because it’s the only one you can see.”
On-campus steam heating accounts for large amounts of lost energy, David said.
“Dorm
residents pay a flat rate,” David said. “So if you don’t see the bill
you don’t know how much energy you’re using. Upgrading the heating
systems on campus would definitely help with efficiency.”
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