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Basic Energy Saving Tips

November 6th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Energy Saving Tip #1:
Maintain Your Heating System:

• Have a qualified technician service your heating system
   once a year to help improve the overall system’s efficiency.
• Clean and/or replace your furnance filter once a month during winter when you are using the system.
• If your heating system is old, you might want to consider replacing it with a newer, more efficient system.  You could save between 15% to 24% on heating costs.

Energy Saving Tip #2:
Turn Down Your Thermostat:

• Turning down your thermostat by 10% to 15% for eight or more hours a day will save you 10% per year on your energy costs.
• Set your thermostat between 65 degrees F and 70 degrees F during the winter.  If you have elderly people or children in your home, you will need to set your thermostat
  to a warmer temperature.
• Purchase a programmable thermostat for greater temperature control.

Energy Saving Tip #3:
Make Windows Work For You:

• Open drapes and blinds on sunny days to let in the sun’s warmth.
• Close draperies and blinds at night to insulate against cold air.
• Install storm windows during the winter season when you are using your heat.

Energy Saving Tip #4:
Stop Drafts and Air Leaks:

• Use caulking and weatherstripping to seal leaks when you are winterizing your house.
• Be sure the attic and basement have recommended levels of insulation.
• Adding extra insulation
  can help youu reduce energy use and save on your future fuel bills.

Energy Saving Tip #5:
Keep Warm in Winter:

• Warm air rises, so use heat registers to direct warm airflow across the floor.
• Keep hot and cold air heat registers free of dust and do not block them with carpet or furniture.

Energy Saving Tip #6:
Showerhead/Faucets:

• Install water flow restrictors in showerheads and faucets.
• Repair leaking faucets. A leak that fills a coffee cup in 10 minutes wastes 3,280 gallons of water a year.

Energy Saving Tip #7:
Washer/Dryer:

• Run washing machines and clothes dryers with full loads only.
• Consider washing with cold water.
• Replace old, outdated appliances with high efficiency models.

Cut Your Energy Costs

October 5th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

With winter right around the corner and energy costs on the rise, it has never been a better time to make your home more energy efficient and cut your overall energy costs.  Here are some tips to cut your energy costs:

• Install a thermostat that can be programmed to reduce the temperature during the night and when you are away from home.  You can reduce your heating costs by as much as 10 percent by simply reducing the heat.
• Insulating your water heater with a water heater jacket can keep heat from escaping.  A water heater jacket is easy to install and can save hundreds of dollars on your energy bills over the lifetime of your water heater.
• Make sure that you have adequate insulation in your attic; this can reduce your energy heating needs by up to 20 percent.  You need at least 19 inches of batt or 22 inches of blown insulation.  Make sure that your attic is properly ventilated.  If your insulation gets even slightly damp, it can lose as much as one third of its ability to insulate.
• Clean or replace your furnace filters before you need to start using your furnace.  A clogged or dirty filter will reduce the airflow in your heating system.
• Check your heat ducts.  By sealing your heating ducts, you can reduce the amount of warm air that is lost from poor fitting duct joints and cut your energy costs.  Use either foil-backed tape made for this purpose.
• Check the caulk and weather strip around your windows, outlets, doors and light switches.  If it is showing signs of wear, replace it.  This will prevent warm air from escaping and cold air from entering your home.
• Keep the drapes and shades on the south side of your house open during the warmest part of the day to capture as much sunlight as possible.  The sunlight will help warm your house and cut your energy costs. Close all your drapes and shades at night to keep the warm air inside your house.
• Use long lasting compact fluorescent bulbs in your house.  They require less power and can save you money on your electric bill.
• Shut down stereo systems, TVs and computers when you are not using them.  Most of these systems will continue to draw energy even when they are idle.  Install a power strip to easily shut down these systems and cut your energy costs.

By using all or even a few of these energy saving tips, you will cut your energy costs and save yourself some money.

Energy Saving Light Bulbs

September 27th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

One of the fastest ways to save energy is to update your lighting with energy saving light bulbs.  The average household currently spends 11% of its energy budget on lighting.  By utilizing new lighting technologies, which include energy saving light bulbs, you can reduce the energy use your in home by 50% to 75%.  You can obtain additional savings by using lighting controls to shut off lights when they are not in use.

Energy saving light bulbs such as compact fluorescent bulbs are four times more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs and provide the same levels of light.  Fluorescent light bulbs last up to 10 times longer than the traditional incandescent bulbs and provide higher quality and higher efficiency lighting.

Energy saving light bulbs, such as the fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps cost a little bit more than the incandescent bulbs, they pay for themselves by saving energy over their lifetime.  When you are purchasing your energy saving light bulbs, look for the Energy Star label.

Energy Saving Indoor Lighting Tips:

• Turn off the lights in any room you are not using or install timers to shut them off.
• Use task lighting instead of brightly lighting an entire room.  You can install under the cabinet lighting in the kitchen.
• Use three-way energy saving light bulbs.  You can keep lighting levels low when brighter light is not necessary.
• Use 4-foot fluorescent fixtures with reflective backing and electronic ballasts for your workroom, garage and laundry areas.
• Use energy saving light bulbs in all your portable table and floor lamps.
• Use light colored, loose weave curtains to allow the sunlight to enter the room and still maintain your privacy.  Also, decorate with lighter colors that reflect daylight.

Energy Saving Outdoor Lighting Tips:

• Use small photovoltaic modules, which convert sunlight directly into electricity, for your pathway lighting and motion detector flood lights.
• Use outdoor lights that have a motion sensor.  This will increase your energy savings.
• Turn off decorative outdoor natural gas lamps; just eight such lamps burning year round use as much natural gas as it takes to heat an average size home during an entire winter.
• Exterior lighting is one of the best places to install energy saving light bulbs like compact fluorescent lamps because of their long life.

Installing energy saving light bulbs both indoors and outdoors will save on your overall energy costs.

Future of Solar Energy

September 14th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Solar energy is defined as being the sun’s rays (solar radiation) that reach the Earth.  Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into other forms of energy such as heat and electricity.  Typically solar energy and solar power are used interchangeably.

There are two basic types of solar energy.  One is to use the sun’s energy to heat things such as our houses, swimming pools, the water for houses and the food in a solar cooker.  Solar energy that is converted to heat can also be used in greenhouses which would expand the growing seasons to a year round production of growth.  The future of solar energy for this purpose would allow specialty crops not normally suited for a local climate to be produced year round regardless of the climate.  This type of solar energy is called thermal energy.

The second basic way to use solar energy is to turn the light from the sun into electricity.  This is accomplished using solar panels.  Once sunlight hits the solar panels, which are made from silicon, electrons in the silicon move around and create electricity.  This is of course a very simplified version of turning solar energy into electricity which is known as photovoltaics.  The point to remember is that the future of solar energy is that it is becoming a popular method of providing a portion of the electricity required to power a house or building.

One advantage for the future of solar energy is that it is free and the supply is unlimited.  Using solar energy will not create air or water pollution.  Another advantage to using solar energy it makes you more aware of the amount of energy you use every day.  For example, if you are not in a room, shut off the light or if you’re not watching TV, turn it off.  Try hanging your clothes out on a clothes line instead of using the dryer.  Or ride your bike instead of driving your car on short trips to save energy.

One disadvantage for the future of solar energy is that sunlight is not constant.  The amount of sunlight received will depend on the time of day, time of year and weather conditions.  Another disadvantage is that a large surface area is necessary to collect enough energy to be useful.

Solar energy is still an expensive technology to implement for a single family home.  However, the future of solar energyis going to depend on all of us looking at the impacts on the environment of using this type of energy as opposed to the impact that using energy produced by coal plants is having on our environment.

Energy Efficient Windows

August 31st, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Windows can be one of the most attractive features of your home and also the area that will account for up to 25% of your total heating bill.  During the summer your air conditioner is going to have to work overtime in order to cool hot air from sunny windows.

Install energy efficient windows with the Energy Star symbol to reduce heat loss.  Install curtains and shades to reduce the amount of heat that may come in through your energy efficient windows during the hotter months.  If you currently have single-pane windows in your house, consider replacing them with double-pane windows.

If you decide not to replace your current windows with more energy efficient windows you can still lower your heating and cooling bills by following some of these tips.

Cold, winter month’s window tips:

• You can install heavy-duty, clear plastic sheets that are attached to a frame or attach the sheets directly to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months.  Make sure that the plastic is sealed tightly to help reduce heat loss.
• If your windows still feel drafty after weatherizing, install tight-fitting insulating window shades on your windows. 
• Keep your shades and curtains closed at night and open them up during the day.
• Clean the windows on the south side of your house to let in the winter sunshine. 
• An excellent alternative to energy efficient windows is to install storm windows.  By installing storm windows you can reduce your heat loss by 25% to 50%.

Warm weather window tips:

• Reflect heat away from the house by installing white window drapes, blinds or shades.
• Make sure that the curtains or blinds on the south and west facing windows are closed during the day.
• Install awnings on south facing windows to reduce the amount of heat that can come through the windows.
• Installing reflective films on south facing windows will reduce heat from the sun.

Replacing old windows with energy efficient windows is the preferred method to improve your home’s energy performance.

Cut Your Energy Costs

August 30th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

If you are trying to cut your energy costs, you will first need to find out which parts of your house use the most energy.  Every house will have different areas that use more energy than another area.  You can have an energy audit performed on your house to show you exactly where you are using the most energy and suggest the most effective ways to cut your energy costs.

There are a couple of different ways that you can perform an energy audit.  You can do the audit yourself; you can contact your local utility company or an independent energy auditor for a complete examination.

Try checking the insulation levels in your exterior and basement walls, attic, floors and crawl spaces to cut your energy costs.  You will also want to check for holes or cracks around your windows, doors, ceiling, light and plumbing fixtures to cut your energy costs.  Fixing and closing off open fireplace dampers will also cut your energy costs.

Another excellent way to cut your energy costs is to make sure your appliances, heating and cooling systems are properly maintained.  To find out the recommended maintenance for these appliances, check your owner’s manual.

Studying and learning your family’s energy needs and patterns, such as energy use for high use areas like living rooms, kitchen and outdoors light can cut your energy costs.  Use dimmers, timers or occupancy sensors to reduce your overall lighting energy use.  You can also replace stand or incandescent light bulbs with compact or standard fluorescent lights.

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Copyright © 2008 Best Energy Saving Tips

Credits: Work From Home | Matteo Turchetto | Andreas Viklund