Energy Saving Tips
Water Use - Your water heater is the second-largest energy user in your home. Here are some things you can do to help it run more efficiently:
• Add energy-efficient shower heads and faucet aerators. They reduce the amount of water released from a tap by up to 50 percent, with almost no noticeable difference in pressure.
• Insulate your water heater and set the water temperature at 120@F (49@C). Some dishwashers require the temperature to be slightly higher. Check with the manufacturer or consult your owners manual for your specific model. Caution: Turn the power off at the circuit breaker before changing the temperature on a water heater!
• Fix leaky faucets. A dripping faucet can waste 6 to 10 gallons (23-38 liters) of water a day. Repairs can be as simple and inexpensive as replacing a worn-out washer.
• Insulate hot and cold water pipes. If pipes are exposed beneath your home or in an unheated garage, insulate them with special pipe-insulating foam. This will help keep cold water pipes from freezing and hot water pipes hot.
• Take a shower instead of a bath. The average bath uses twice as much hot water as a 5-minute shower.
• Turn off faucets immediately after use. We all tend to leave the faucet running while we wash dishes or shave. When shaving or washing, fill the sink half-way instead of running the water. Turning on the faucet only when necessary can save thousands of gallons of water a year, not to mention the energy needed to heat it.
• Once or twice a year, drain a bucket of water from the water heater to remove sediment that can reduce the efficiency of the unit.
Heating Tips - There are many no-cost or inexpensive ways to save energy with your homes heating system. Here are a few to get you started:
• Thermostats should be set and then forgotten. The more you change the setting during the day, the more likely you are to waste energy. Install a programmable thermostat that will give you 4 settings a day.
• Keeping the temperature a few degrees cooler can lower your heating bill and still keep you comfortable. During the day, keep the thermostat between 65@F and 68@F (18@ to 20@C). Cut up to three percent from your heating costs for every degree you set your thermostat back over an 8-hour period.
• Check forced air furnace filters regularly and clean or replace them as needed to keep efficient airflow through the system. Shake reusable filters outside or spray them with a garden hose. Be sure they're dry before replacing.
• Close chimney dampers since warm air rises quickly up and out open chimneys. Close your damper as soon as you're certain the fire is completely out.
• On cloudy days, keep drapes and blinds closed. Drapes add an extra layer of insulation. Mini-blinds also insulate, but not as much. On sunny days, open up the drapes and blinds to let in the suns free heat.
• Don't block registers, baseboards, radiators or cold air returns. Air must circulate through and around them for maximum efficiency.
• Seal heating ducts and insulate those that run through unheated spaces.
• Have a professional inspect and tune-up your heating to help save on operating costs and extend the life of the system. A check-up is recommended every year for heat pumps and every five years for other systems.
Cooling Tips - Your energy use can go up in warm weather, too. Here are some ways to beat the heat and keep energy costs down:
• Maintain 78@F (26@C) or higher if you're still comfortable. The higher you set the thermostat, the less it will operate unnecessarily.
• Keep air conditioners and swamp coolers clean. Air conditioner filters should be cleaned or replaced once a month during use. If you can do so safely, also clean the exposed grill and spines on the outside unit. Swamp cooler filters should be cleaned or replace every year. Make sure your floats and pumps are operating properly and that the water is distributed evenly over the filters.
• Don't block window air conditioners. Make sure no objects are leaning on or directly in the path of the air flowing in or out.
• Use a programmable thermostat. Just like your heat, you only need your air conditioner or swamp cooler on when you're home. Set timers to come on no more than 30 minutes before you arrive home.
• Make sure your home has the appropriate amount of insulation in walls, attics and crawl spaces. Insulation is just as important in the summer since it helps keep warm air outside.
• Seal air-conditioning ducts and insulate those that run through unconditioned spaces.
• Plant deciduous trees to shade your home’s walls, windows and roof in the summer.
• Install a ceiling fan to circulate air above the area where you spend most of your time. You'll feel just as cool under a ceiling fan when it's 82@F (28@C) as you would in 77@F (25@C) still air.
• Run exhaust fans when you shower or cook to vent warm air.
• Have a professional inspect and tune-up your central air system or swamp cooler to help save on operating costs and extend the life of the system. A check-up is recommended every year for heat pumps and every five years for other systems.
Lighting - While your home’s lighting uses less energy than heating, cooling and water-heating, you can still reap considerable energy savings by making a few changes.
• Place compact fluorescent bulbs in light fixtures that are most frequently used (those operated more than three hours per day). They draw about one-quarter the energy and can last 10 times as long. And many of the newer bulbs fit into standard screw-in socket fixtures.
• Keep lights off in unoccupied rooms and get in the habit of turning off the light every time you leave a room for more than a few minutes.
• Use low-wattage bulbs when you can. Bright lights are often not needed in hallways or closets.
• Clean light bulbs and fixtures since dirt can reduce light output by as much as 10 percent.
• Remove unnecessary bulbs in track and recessed lighting. Positioned correctly, three bulbs can sometimes provide nearly the same light as four.
• Install dimmers in areas where they make sense, like the dining room and bedroom. The amount you dim equals your energy saved. For example, lights dimmed 15 percent reduces energy consumption up to 15 percent.
• When working at a desk or workbench, use task lighting. Other lights in the room could be turned off or dimmed.
• Pull the plug on instant-on appliances (such as televisions) when you don't plan to use them for a few days or more. They draw current even when they're switched off.
Refrigerators and Freezers
• Keep condenser coils clean and unobstructed for maximum energy savings.
• Locate your refrigerator or freezer away from heating equipment, heater vents and direct sunlight. Provide adequate clearance above, behind and on the sides for good air circulation.
• Set the temperature of your refrigerator between 37@F and 40@F and your freezer at 0@F for top efficiency. The Food and Drug Administration also recommends these settings to prevent rapid bacterial growth.
• Clean door gaskets with warm water or a detergent that leaves no residue since a tight-sealing door gasket is critical to the efficiency of your refrigerator.
• Keep your refrigerator or freezer full, but do not overload it. Overloading causes the compressor to have to run longer. Place foods slightly apart on shelves, making sure they do not block the unites interior air vents.
• If you have a second older freezer that only has a little food in it, use the newer freezer and turn the old one off.
• Cover all liquids stored in the refrigerator. Moisture can be drawn into the air, making the unit work harder.
Cooking Appliances
• If you have both a large and a small oven, use the smaller one whenever possible.
• Save time and energy by using one oven to prepare the entire meal. A pie or cake can go into the oven as a main dish is removed.
• Warming foods, plates and platters with the ovens stored heat after baking, requires no energy. If the food must be kept warm for an extended period of time, set the oven no higher than 140@F to 200@F.
• Consider using a microwave oven, small portable electric frying pan, grill, or toaster/broiler instead of the oven. Cook outdoors, or prepare cold meals to avoid heating up the kitchen and adding moisture to the air. Microwaves use less than half the power of a conventional oven and cook food in about one-fourth the time.
• Cook by time and temperature. Precise timing eliminates repeated opening of the oven door to check on cooking progress. Each time the door is opened, the temperature drops 25@F to 50@F.
• Choose pots and pans that evenly cover the heating elements. Use pans with flat bottoms, straight sides and tight-fitting lids that hold heat and permit lower settings.
• Make use of crock pots, outdoor grills or one-pot-meal recipes to minimize the use of your stove top burners and oven.
• Use only enough water to produce steam and prevent sticking when cooking fresh or frozen vegetables.
• Make sure reflector pans beneath the stove's heating elements are bright and clean. They reflect heat onto the bottom of the cookware.
• Covered pots or pans will boil or steam faster, allowing lower temperature settings.
• On a surface unit, start with high heat and lower the setting when the food starts to bubble or boil. Turn off the surface element or oven a few minutes before cooking time is up. Electric stoves stay hot for a few minutes after they're turned off.
• Don't line oven racks with foil. It blocks heat flow and makes the oven work harder to cook food.
• Do your heavy summer cooking in the cooler early-morning or evening hours. Try to use the range top more, the oven less.
• It takes energy to heat water so use as little as possible. Most frozen or fresh vegetables can be cooked in a quarter cup of water. Even eggs will cook in this reduced amount if the pan has a tight-fitting lid.
• Use a pressure cooker. It cuts cooking time to one-third that of conventional methods.
Dishwashers
Washing and rinsing dishes by hand three times a day actually uses more hot water and energy than one load a day in an automatic dishwasher. Here are some tips for operating your dishwasher efficiently:
• Run your dishwasher only when it is filled to capacity, but not overloaded. This will cut the costs of energy, water and detergent.
• Use partial-load cycles, rinse-only cycles, mid-cycle turn-offs and other special features designed for better energy use and more convenience.
• Always choose the shortest washing cycle that will clean your dishes, and scrape off heavy food accumulated before loading dishes into the dishwasher.
• Wait to use your dishwasher until night on hot days. You will avoid adding heat in the house during the hottest time of the day.
In The Laundry Room
Clothes Washer
• Wash with warm or cold water rather than hot. Rinse all loads with cold water
• Run full loads. Reduce the water level setting for small loads.
• Purchase energy efficient washers that use less water and less electricity
Clothes Dryer
• Hang clothes outside when it is sunny.
• Clean the lint filter after every load.
• Run separate loads for fast and slow-drying clothes.
• Load the dryer as full as possible without overloading. Overloading a dryer will cause the dryer to run longer.
• Use energy efficient dryers and ones that contain moister sensors that will shut the dryer off when the clothes are dry.
• During warmer days run the dryer during the cooler hours to avoid heating the house, requiring more cooling.
• Clean the outside exhaust event, the exhaust hose, and the dryer connection every three months allowing better airflow.
Insulation - The most important areas in your home to insulate are the attic, floors and walls. Here's what you'll need to know to get the job done:
• Do you need more insulation? As a rule, if you have less than three inches of existing insulation in the attic, you should probably add more to achieve proper levels. If none exists in the floors or walls, insulation is recommended.
• Decide whether you want to do the insulation work yourself or hire a contractor. Take into consideration that some insulation jobs are easier than others.
• If you do the job yourself, follow installation instructions carefully and adhere to proper safety precautions.
• If you'd like a contractor to do the work, make sure you get several bids. Only hire a licensed, bonded contractor.
• Decide what type of insulation you need (this will depend on the area you are insulating).
• When purchasing insulation, check the R-value. This indicates the effectiveness of insulation, the higher the number the higher the insulating capability. You can ask a knowledgeable salesperson to help determine the R-value of insulation you need.
Caulking and Weather-stripping - In addition to inadequate insulation, air leaks are among the largest sources of energy loss in many homes.
• Check your home for hidden air leaks by using a damp hand to detect air movement. Close all doors, windows and fireplace flues and turn off all ventilating fans to make the air leaks easier to locate.
• Caulk is most effective on gaps less than 1/4" wide. Look for caulks that will remain flexible over a 20-year period. If it will be visible, choose a tinted caulk or one that can be painted.
• If there are large cracks and holes shielded from sunlight and moisture, try expanding foam sealant to fill them. Please buy only products listed as "ozone-safe."
• Backer rod, or crack filler, is flexible foam material sold in long coils, with a variety of diameters available. It can be used to seal large cracks or provide backing in deep cracks to be sealed with standard caulking.
• Weather-stripping can be purchased by the foot or in kit form. There is a special kind for double doors, which are often hung with a substantial gap where they meet so the doors can swing freely. For the bottom of a door you may want to use a "door sweep."
• Behind electric outlets and switches place insulation that has been precut for the size of outlets and switches that you have.
Windows - Windows are rated by a U-value, which indicates the windows insulating ability. The lower the number, the better the window is at preventing the transmission of heat. The U-value of a window is based on the number of glass panes, the thickness of air space between the panes and the type of window frame.
• Check windows for cracks, damaged frames or seals, rotten wood, missing putty, poorly fitting sashes, and draft.
• For a temporary but quick fix before the winter hits, you can purchase storm-window kits consisting of plastic film you tape to the inside of your windows. The kits are available at most hardware stores for $3 to $8 per window. They usually last for one to three years.
• You can reduce heat loss through windows by installing insulated curtains or drapes on a windows interior. They help keep heat in during the winter and out during the summer.
• In the winter open the curtains during hours of sunlight to allow natural heating, and during the summer keep the curtains closed or add an UV film to help keep the heat out.
• During the summer, when possible open two or more windows at night and early mornings when there is a breeze. Opening a window on each side of the house will help with circulation and offer better cooling. |
