Saving energy does not necessarily need to cost an arm and a leg. Implementing simple, inexpensive changes now can really add up over time, allowing you to save money for the bigger projects that have the potential to save you even more.
Following are a Baker's Dozen of tips to get started...
1. Breathe Easier
Help your furnace, central air conditioner and you breathe easier by checking the filter at least once a month and replace it whenever it's dirty. In general, thinner one inch thick filters should be changed every 2 or 3 months; thicker four inch thick filters should be replaced every 6 or 12 months. Creating an electronic calendar appointment is a great way to help you remember when its time to replace the filter.
A dirty filter can increase energy costs by making your fan work harder and longer. Clean filters help to extend the life of your heating and cooling equipment, slow the build-up of dirt in your ventilation ducts and promote cleaner air throughout your home.
2. Set it Right for the Season
Installing and using a programmable thermostat is one of the most reliable ways you can save you money on heating and central air cooling costs. According to the
ENERGY STAR website, "A programmable thermostat is ideal for people who are away from home during set periods of time throughout the week. Through proper use of pre-programmed settings, a programmable thermostat can save you about $180 every year in energy costs." A programmable thermostat saves energy by automatically reducing your heating and/or cooling demands when you're away from your home, or nestled snug in your bed. Four set points allow you to specify the precise time and temperature you desire when your home and away. Programmable thermostats are available in three different configurations:
- 7-day – This is your best choice if your schedule tends to vary from day to day throughout the week.
- 5+2-day – This choice is ideal if your weekday and weekend schedules are consistent.
- 5-1-1-day – This choice is ideal if your weekday is consistent, but your weekend schedules are variable.
Also, our friends at
A&P Furnace tell us that programmable thermostats tend to be much more accurate than their antiquated mercury-filled counterparts. This minimizes the wide swings in temperature that leave you too hot one minute and too cold the next. Speaking of mercury, please dispose of those old thermostats responsibly. See how by visiting the
Thermostat Recycling Corporation website.
Even if you don’t want to install a programmable thermostat right now, you can still cut your heating and cooling bills with your current thermostat. Set your heat to 68-70 degrees when at home; lower it by 8 degrees at night or when you’re away. Save 3% on your gas bill for each degree lower that you set your heat over an 8 hour period. And when your air conditioner is running, set it to 75-78 degrees when at home, 4 degrees higher when you’re away. You’ll use 4% less electricity for every degree that you raise your thermostat.
3. Chill Out Your Washing Machine
Did you know that 90% of the energy used to wash clothes goes towards heating water? A laundry detergent designed for cold water washing usually works just as well. So switch to cold water and save $30 - $40 in energy costs a year.
Always running full loads in your washing machine can save 3,400 gallons of water a year, saving your more $.
4. Retire Your Refrigerator
An old fridge (pre-2001) is potentially one of the biggest energy hogs in your home falling just behind electric furnaces and whole house air conditioning. If you have an older refrigerator and replace it with a new one that’s ENERGY STAR™ certified, you’ll notice the difference in your utility bills – because the new fridge will use about 40% less electricity and your utility may even offer a rebate for buying ENERGY STAR. And don’t forget that old, nearly empty fridge in the basement or garage. Depending on your power company, it could be costing you between $100 and $150 per year to operate!
Find out how much that old refrigerator is costing you by visiting the
ENERGY STAR Refrigerator Retirement Savings Calculator.
Save more by participating in
Allegheny Power or
Duquesne Light’s refrigerator recycling programs. Duquesne's program will pay you $35 and Allegheny's program will pay you $50 when you recycle your working 10 to 30 cubic foot refrigerator.
5. A Bright Idea
Take another look at Compact Fluorescent and LED lighting…
- They’ve gotten better and cheaper recently, often paying for themselves in less than 2 months.
- They’re available just about everywhere light bulbs are sold in a wide variety of sizes, outputs and configuration, including 3-way and dimmable.
- They’re often discounted by your electric utility at the point of purchase, or mail-in rebate, making them even more affordable.
- Newer models are available in a variety of temperatures ranging from cool white to the same warm light as old incandescent bulbs.
- CFLs last years longer than old-fashioned bulbs, an added bonus if you have hard-to-reach light fixtures.
- Switch from old-style bulbs to CFLs and you’ll cut your electricity bill for lighting by around 75%.
- Switching from a 15 watt incandescent nightlight to a 1/3 watt LED equivalent could save you $16.74 per year. Additionally, LED nights are cool to the touch helping to avoid burns that can result from incandescent lights.
But CFL’s cost more…
Not true when you factor in energy savings and bulb life. Using unsubsidized retail pricing (August 2011) and availability for incandescent and CFL bulbs sourced from a local big-box retailer, CCI’s energy efficiency experts computed the number of days it takes for a CFL to “pay for itself” in energy savings using two utility electricity rates typical of western PA. Although the initial cost of the CFL is $1.41 more than the incandescent equivalent, the CFL actually pays for itself in energy savings in as little as
57 days at $0.13 per kilowatt-hour, and 71 days at $0.105 per kilowatt-hour.
Looking at savings from a lifetime perspective, the CFL wins by as much as
$78.29!
If every American home replaced their 5 most frequently used light bulbs with CFLs, we would save close to $8 billion a year in energy costs… and we’d prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars!
6. The Smart Turn-Off
The easiest way to save energy and save money is to turn off lights, TVs, computers and other appliances when you’re finished using them. Don’t forget to encourage the whole family to participate.
7. Put a Stake in the Energy Vampire
Many appliances continue to draw a small amount of power even when they are switched off. These "vampire" loads occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, printers, and kitchen appliances. Vampire loads can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance.
Smart Power Strips are a great way to have one device control the powering off of several other devices. For example, by plugging your monitor, speakers, and printer into a Smart Power Strip, it automatically turns off these secondary peripherals when you shut down your computer. Smart Power Strips are a great way to put a stake in the heart of the energy vampire!
8. Upgrade Your Shower Head
Prior to 1992, many shower heads had flow rates of 5-½ gallons per minute (gpm) or more. Replacing that old shower head with new low-flow models 2-½ gpm head will cut both water and energy use by 25% or more. This simple investment of $10 - $20 per shower head coupled with limiting your shower time to 10 minutes or less can save you up to
$145 per year according to ENERGY STAR. If you don’t know how old your shower head is, this quick test will determine whether you should replace it:
- Place a bucket—marked in gallon increments—under your shower head.
- Turn on the shower at the normal water pressure you use.
- Time how many seconds it takes to fill the bucket to the 1-gallon (3.8 liter) mark.
If it takes less than 20 seconds to reach the 1-gallon mark, you could benefit from a low-flow shower head.
Faucet aerators and toilet tank volume-reducing bladders will also help conserve water. Fix your leaky faucets – a faucet that drips 3 times in 5 seconds wastes 13 gallons per day and 4,927 gallons per year!
9. Fast & Thrifty: Your Microwave
A microwave oven cooks 75% faster than a conventional oven and uses 80% less power. You can also save energy with a toaster oven or a slow cooker – they’re smaller than a full-size oven and require less power to heat.
Sometimes, only a full-size oven will do. But you can still save energy by keeping your oven clean so it reflects heat more efficiently. And don’t pre-heat your oven unless the recipe insists on it.
10. The Energy Trap
The U.S. Department of Energy & the Environmental Protection Agency figure you’ll save around $34 a year in energy if you clean the lint trap in your clothes dryer before each and every load.
At least once per year, check and clean the exhaust pipe from your dryer to the outdoors vent.
For the ultimate savings: use solar power! A backyard clothesline uses no electricity, no gas, and will help your clothing to last longer.
11. Scrape & Save
Are you still rinsing dishes before you put them in the dishwasher? If so, you’re wasting time and hot water. Dishwasher manufacturers recommend scraping leftover food from plates and bowls, not rinsing them. One study found this simple step saves 20 gallons of heated water a day. Running the dishwasher only when its full saves both water and energy!
If you have an energy-saving cycle on your dishwasher, give it a try! Your dishes will air-dry and you’ll save electricity that would otherwise go to heating up electric coils inside the machine.
12. Seal the Leaks and Save
Air leaking into your home is called “infiltration” and is a leading cause for high heating and cooling bills. Air enters your home in obvious places such as leaky fireplaces, cracks around windows and inadequate seals around doors. It also enters through less obvious places such as attic entrances, wall outlets, plumbing/electrical penetrations and where your home’s foundation meets the framing of the house. Here are a few do-it-yourself tips to seal the leaks:
- Replace missing/cracked caulking around windows and doors
- Replace missing/damaged weatherstripping and sweeps on doors
- Close fireplace dampers when not in use
- Install outlet gaskets behind wall outlets and switches to help slow the flow of air into your home
- Use spray foam to seal around plumbing/electrical penetrations
13. Get Professional Help
Sometimes, knowing where to start is the most difficult thing. Our trained Energy Auditor specialist can help by checking out your entire home with advanced equipment that can spot leaks, missing or inadequate insulation, identify equipment issues and pinpoint other ways to save on your utility bills. An energy audit from Conservation Consultants can give you the answers you are seeking at a cost is surprisingly affordable.
Click
here or call Conservation Consultants toll-free at
1-877-376-2783 for more information about the range of audits we provide or to schedule your home energy audit today.