Occupancy
Patterns and Recommendations
19.
Educate Occupants
Construction is just one short phase in the resource-consuming lifetime
of a house. One estimate shows that over a
30-year period, the operating costs of an average house will equal the purchase price plus
financing. Installing energy-efficient
materials and systems is the first step toward cutting the consumption rate of a house,
but the important subsequent step is to ensure that occupants operate and maintain those
materials and systems so that they can achieve their full potential and continue to
perform to that standard.
Recommendations:
§
Prepare a manual that will alert homeowners to important maintenance, and
propose a schedule for this maintenance.
§
Provide training with tips on home-operation strategies that save energy and
water.
§
Provide clear instructions on using a programmable thermostat.
§
Furnish owners with appliance operation manuals and warranties.
Reference:
§
Power$mart
Energy Efficiency Tips,
Alliance to Save Energy
§
For
an example of a homeowner’s manual, see the Canada
Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)'s manual or
the Florida
Homeowner's Manual for Energy Efficiency,
or Caring
for Your Home: A Guide to Maintaining Your Investment.
§
Home
Performance Power: Fannie Mae's Guide to Buying and Maintaining a Green
Home,
available from Fannie
Mae, includes a Seasonal Home Maintenance Checklist. §
About
the House
is an interactive website on home maintenance issues,
and HomeWorks News is a quarterly newsletter to help educate new
homeowners,
both provided by the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
Additional Examples:
§
Fireweed
Court
§
Muncie Homeownership and Development Center
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