Home Energy-Saving Measures
A guide for going green from Dakota
Electric
Two days ago our furnace went out and we heated the house with with our two gas fireplaces. The temperature actually stayed a little higher than with the furnace but we'll see if my gas bill went up because of it. Our son's furnace went out too so I've been thinking about heating issues this weekend. I also learned that if you can wait until business hours, you'll save almost half of the service charge. I also checked three reputable companies based on the ratings and Better Business Bureau and picked the one with the lowest service call rates. The three were $125, $99, and $89 just to come out but would include up to one hour of repair.
We'll I want to turn a leaf at our next home and be a little more green so I found these tips on the company's website that is fixing my furnace. I hope you all are thinking about how you can contribute to our world's energy problems. So here they are!
Water Heating
1. Set water heater temperature no higher than 120 degrees F.
2. For households with one or two members, a 115 degrees F setting may
work fine.
3. Install a water-heater wrap per manufacturer’s instructions.
4. Drain 1- 2 gallons from the bottom of your water heater each
year to reduce sediment build up.
5. Install heat traps on hot and cold water lines when it’s time
to replace your water heater.
6. Insulate exposed hot water lines.
7. Limit shower length to 5 - 7 minutes.
8. Install low-flow shower heads.
9. Fix dripping faucets.
10. Don’t let water run while you are shaving.
11. Don’t let water run while brushing your teeth.
Laundry
12. Wash clothes in cold water. Use hot water only for very
dirty loads.
13. Do only full laundry loads.
14. If you must do smaller loads, adjust the water level in the
washing machine to match the load size, especially when using hot water.
15. Always use cold-water rinse.
16. Use bath towels at least twice before washing them.
17. Clean your dryer’s lint trap before each load.
18. Make sure that the outdoor dryer exhaust door closes when
the dryer is off.
19. Verify that your dryer vent hose is tightly connected to the
inside wall fitting.
20. Check that the dryer vent hose is tightly connected to the
dryer.
21. Make sure that the dryer vent hose is not kinked or clogged.
22. Minimize clothes drying time. Use your dryer’s moisture
sensor if available.
23. Dry consecutive loads to harvest heat remaining in the dryer
from the last load.
24. Consider using a “solar-powered” clothes dryer, an
old-fashioned clothes line.
Kitchen
25. Use your refrigerator’s anti-sweat feature only if
necessary.
26. Switch your refrigerator’s power-saver to “ON,” if
available.
27. Clean your refrigerator coils annually.
28. Set your refrigerator temperature to 34 degrees – 37 degrees F
29. Ensure
gaskets around refrigerator and freezer doors seal tightly.
30. Unplug unused refrigerators and freezers.
31. Use the microwave for cooking when possible.
32. When cooking on the range, use pot lids to help food cook
faster.
33. If you are heating water, use hot tap water instead of cold.
34. Remember to use the kitchen exhaust fan when cooking, and
turn it off after cooking.
35. Let hot food cool before storing it in the refrigerator.
36. Rinse dirty dishes with cold water before putting them into
the dishwasher
37. Use cold water for the garbage disposal.
38. Only run the dishwasher when it’s fully loaded.
39. Use your dishwasher’s air-dry cycle instead of heat-dry
cycle to dry dishes.
Lighting
40. Replace any light bulb that burns more than one hour per day
with an equivalent Energy Star® compact fluorescent bulb (CFL).
41. Turn off unnecessary lighting.
42. Replace outdoor lighting with an outdoor-rated equivalent
compact fluorescent bulb (CFL).
43. Use fixtures with electronic ballasts and T-8, 32-watt
fluorescent lamps.
44. Use outdoor security lights with a photocell and/or a motion
sensor.
Miscellaneous
45. Turn computers and monitors off when not in use.
46. Make sure electric blankets are turned off in the morning.
47. Turn your waterbed heater off when it’s not needed.
48. Turn large-screen TVs off completely when not in use.
49. Turn off stereos and radios when not in use.
50. Remember to turn off hair curling irons and hot rollers.
51. Turn off coffee makers when not in use.
52. Turn off pool pump and/or heater when not needed.
53. Verify livestock water tank heaters are off when not needed.
54. Make sure heat tape is off when not needed.
55. Unplug cell phone chargers when not needed.
56. Ensure all new appliances you purchase are Energy
Star®-approved.
Heating & Air Conditioning
57. Set your thermostats to 78 - 80 degrees F in the summer, 65 - 68 degrees F in the
winter.
58. Run ceiling fans on medium, blowing down in the summer.
59. Run ceiling fans on low, blowing up in the winter.
60. Change furnace filters monthly.
61. When installing new air filters, make sure they are facing
the correct direction. (Look for arrow on the side of the filter.)
62. When heating or cooling, keep windows locked.
63. Insulate electric wall plugs and wall switches with foam
pads.
64. Caulk along baseboards with a clear sealant.
65. Close fireplace dampers when not burning a fire.
66. Caulk around plumbing penetrations that come through walls
beneath your bathroom and kitchen sinks.
67. Caulk electrical wire penetrations at the top of interior
walls.
68. Close shades and drapes at night to keep heat in during the
winter.
69. Make sure drapes and shades are open to catch free solar
heat in the winter.
70. Close shades and drapes during the day to help keep heat out
during the summer.
71. Ensure your attic access door closes tightly.
72. Insulate your attic access door.
73. Make sure insulation in your attic does not block soffit
vents.
74. Do not close off unused rooms that are conditioned by
forced-air systems.
75. Do not close supply air registers.
76. Ensure return air grilles are not blocked by furniture or
bookcases.
77. Ensure windows and doors are properly weather-stripped.
78. Make sure outside soffit vents are not blocked.
79. Do not use roof-top power ventilators for attic exhaust as
they may evacuate conditioned air from your home.
80. Have your HVAC system serviced once per year by a
NATE-certified technician.
81. Monitor your home’s relative humidity in the summer. If it
consistently stays in the 60-percent range or higher, ask your HVAC technician about lowering your central air conditioning
unit’s indoor fan speed.
82. Ensure window air conditioning units are weather-stripped.
83. Ensure windows with window-mounted air conditioning units
have weather-stripping between the middle of the top and bottom pane.
84. Remove and clean your window air conditioner’s filter
monthly.
85. Keep “fresh-air” vents on window air conditioning units
closed.
86. Minimize use of electric space heaters.
87. When using the fireplace, reduce heat loss by opening the
damper in the bottom of the firebox (if provided) or open the nearest window slightly.
88. Caulk around your basement windows.
89. In a basement, seal the sill and band joist with durable
caulking or foam sealant.
90. Ensure floor registers are not blocked with rugs, drapes or
furniture.
91. Ensure your outdoor heat pump or air conditioning unit is
kept clean and free of debris.
92. Outside your home, caulk around all penetrations, such as
telephone, electrical, cable, gas, water spigots or dryer vent.
93. Caulk around storm windows.
94. Use heavy-duty, clear sheets of plastic on the inside of
your windows to reduce the amount of cold air entering your home.
95. Verify that your supply air duct “boots” (behind supply air
registers) are caulked to your ceiling, wall sheet rock or flooring.
96. Verify that your ducts are tightly connected to your HVAC
equipment if your ducts are in an unconditioned space.
97. Verify that all outdoor doors (including storm doors) close
and seal tightly.
98. In two-story homes serviced by one HVAC system, a paddle fan
at the top of the stairs can push down hot,second-floor air.
99. Install 15-minute, spring-wound timers on bathroom
ventilator fans.
100. Always run your HVAC system fan on “AUTO.” Running it on “ON”
uses more electricity and can decrease your air conditioner’s ability to remove moisture.
101. Keep your garage door down. A warmer garage in the winter
and cooler garage in the summer will save energy.