Tips to Save Energy
Today
• Set your thermostat
comfortably low in the winter and comfortably high in the summer. Install a
programmable thermostat that is compatible with your heating system.
• Use compact
fluorescent light bulbs.
• Air dry dishes
instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle.
• Turn off your
computer and monitor when not in use.
• Plug home
electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips; turn the power
strips off when the equipment is not in use (TVs and DVDs in standby mode still
use several watts of power).
• Lower the thermostat
on your hot water heater to 120° F.
• Take short showers
instead of baths.
• Wash only full loads
of dishes and clothes.
• Look for the ENERGY
STAR® label on home appliances and products.
ENERGY STAR products meet
strict efficiency guidelines set by the U.S.
Environmental
Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Your Home’s Energy Use
The first step to taking a whole house energy
efficiency approach
is to find out which parts
of your house use the most energy. A home
energy audit will pinpoint
those areas and suggest the most effective
measures for cutting your
energy costs. You can conduct a simple
home energy audit yourself,
you can contact your local utility, or
you can call an independent
energy auditor for a more comprehensive
examination. For more
information about home energy audits,
including free tools and
calculators, visit www.energysavers.gov or
www.natresnet.org/resources/
Energy Auditing Tips
• Check the insulation levels
in your attic, exterior and basement walls,
ceilings, floors, and crawl
spaces. Visit www.energysavers.gov for
instructions on checking
your insulation levels.
• Check for holes or cracks
around your walls, ceilings, windows,
doors, light and plumbing fixtures,
switches, and electrical outlets that can leak air into or out of your home.
• Check for open fireplace
dampers.
• Make sure your appliances
and heating and cooling systems are properly maintained. Check your owner’s
manuals for the recommended maintenance.
• Study your family’s
lighting needs and use patterns, paying special
attention to high-use areas
such as the living room, kitchen, and outside lighting. Look for ways to use
lighting controls—like occupancy sensors, dimmers, or timers—to reduce lighting
energy use, and replace standard (also called incandescent) light bulbs and
fixtures with compact or standard fluorescent lamps.
Formulating Your Plan
After you have identified
where your home is losing energy, assign priorities by asking yourself a few
important questions:
• How much money do you
spend on energy?
• Where are your greatest
energy losses?
• How long will it take for
an investment in energy efficiency to pay
for itself in energy cost
savings?
• Do the energy saving
measures provide additional benefits that
are important to you (for
example, increased comfort from installing
double-paned, efficient
windows)?
• How long do you plan to
own your current home?
• Can you do the job
yourself or will you need to hire a contractor?
• What is your budget and
how much time do you have to spend on
maintenance and repair?
How We Use Energy in
Our Homes
Heating accounts for
the biggest chunk of a typical utility bill.
Once you assign priorities
to your energy needs, you can form a whole house efficiency plan. Your plan
will provide you with a strategy for making smart purchases and home
improvements that maximize energy efficiency and save the most money.
Another option is to get
the advice of a professional. Many utilities conduct energy audits for free or
for a small charge. For a fee, a professional contractor will analyze how well
your home’s energy systems work together and compare the analysis to your
utility bills. He or she will use a variety of equipment such as blower doors,
infrared cameras, and surface thermometers to find leaks and drafts.
After gathering information
about your home, the contractor or auditor will give you a list of
recommendations for cost effective energy improvements and enhanced comfort and
safety. A good contractor will also calculate the return on your investment in
high efficiency
equipment compared with
standard equipment.
Tips for Finding a
Contractor
• Ask neighbors and
friends for recommendations
• Look in the Yellow
Pages
• Focus on local companies
• Look for licensed,
insured contractors
• Get three bids with
details in writing
• Ask about previous
experience
• Check references
• Check with the Better
Business Bureau
Checking your home’s insulation is one of the
fastest and most cost efficient ways to use a wholehouse approach to reduce
energy waste and make the most of your energy dollars. A good insulating system
includes a combination of products and construction techniques
that protect a home from
outside temperatures—hot and cold, protect
it against air leaks, and
control moisture. You can increase the comfort of your home while reducing your
heating and cooling needs by up to 30% by investing just a few hundred dollars
in proper insulation and sealing air leaks.
Insulation
First, check the insulation
in your attic, ceilings, exterior and
basement walls, floors, and
crawl spaces to see if it meets the
levels recommended for your
area. Insulation is measured in
R-values—the higher the
R-value, the better your walls and roof
will resist the transfer of
heat. DOE recommends ranges of
R-values based on local
heating and cooling costs and climate conditions in different areas of the
nation. State and local codes
in some parts of the
country may require lower R-values than the
DOE recommendations,
Where to Insulate
Adding insulation in
the areas shown below may be the best way to improve your home’s energy
efficiency.
Crawl space
Basement
Attic
Walls
Floors
For customized insulation recommendations, visit
energysavers.gov and check out the Zip Code Insulation Calculator, which lists
the most economic insulation levels for your new or existing home based on your
zip code and other basic information about your home.
Although insulation can be
made from a variety of materials, it usually comes in four types; each type has
different
characteristics.
Rolls and batts—or
blankets—are flexible products made from mineral
fibers, such as fiberglass
and rock wool. They are available in widths suited to standard spacings of wall
studs and attic or floor joists.
2x4 walls can hold R-13 or
R-15 batts; 2x6 walls can have R-19or R-21 products.
Loose-fill
insulation—usually made of fiberglass, rock wool, or
cellulose comes in shreds,
granules, or nodules. These small particles should be blown into spaces using
special pneumatic equipment. The blown-in material conforms readily to building
cavities and attics. Therefore, loose-fill insulation is well suited for places
where it is difficult to install other types of insulation.
Rigid foam insulation—foam
insulation typically is more expensive
than fiber insulation. But
it’s very effective in buildings with space limitations and where higher
R-values are needed. Foam insulation
R-values range from R-4 to
R-6.5 per inch of thickness (2.54 cm),
which is up to 2 times
greater than most other insulating materials
of the same thickness.
Foam-in-place
insulation—can be blown into walls and reduces air leakage.
Insulation Tips
• Consider factors such as
your climate, building design, and budget
when selecting insulation
R-values for your home.
• Use higher density
insulation, such as rigid foam boards, in cathedral
ceilings and on exterior
walls.
• Ventilation plays a large
role in providing moisture control and
reducing summer cooling
bills. Attic vents can be installed along
the entire ceiling cavity
to help ensure proper airflow from the soffit
to the attic to make a home
more comfortable and energy efficient.
• Recessed light fixtures
can be a major source of heat loss, but you
need to be careful how
close you place insulation next to a fixture
unless it is marked
IC—designed for direct insulation contact. Check
your local building codes
for recommendations.
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