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 Local news and information covering Blue Hill, Brooksville, Brooklin, Castine, Deer Isle, Isle au Haut, Penobscot, Sedgwick, Stonington and Surry, Maine. |
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Batten the Hatches
by Ralph Chapman Homeowners can take some immediate steps without an energy audit: calculate the building heating index number to know how much room there is for improvement. The building heating index number is similar to the miles-per-gallon number put on the sticker of a new car. It gives a rough indication of the energy efficiency. The BHI is calculated from the amount of fuel burned annually and the floor area of the heated portion of the house. The result is an index number (lower is better) between two and 20, where two is very energy efficient, five to 10 is typical with modest room for improvement, and 10 to 20 means there is tremendous room for improvement. To find your home’s BHI in our area, take the number of gallons of oil burned per year, multiply by 15, and divide by the square feet of heated floor area. If you burn propane, multiply the number of gallons by 10, and then divide by the area. If you burn hardwood, multiply the number of cords by 2,000, and then divide by the area. |
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