Energy Saving Tips For Fall These are free things you can do to save energy, thus saving you money this fall. 1. Take advantage of the heat from the sun Open the curtains of your south-facing windows during the day. This allows the sunlight to naturally heat your home. close the curtains at night to reduce the chill from cold windows. 2. Adjust your Thermostat Set your thermostat as low as possible while still being comfortable. When your asleep or out of the house, change your thermostat from 10° to 15°. 10° to 15° for eight hours can save you approximately 10% a year on your heating bill. Note: A programmable thermostat makes it easy to set back your temperature. 3. Seal Those Leaks Seal the air leaks around utility cut-throughs for pipes (plumbing penetrations), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, windows and doors and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. 4. Maintain your heating system Schedule service for your heating system. Some people think this is useless and does nothing, but keeping your furnace maintained can prolong its life and keep it running efficiently. If your furnace is not running at its efficient level it can cost you more money in heating. Note: It is a good idea to replace your furnace filters once a month or as needed. Clean the flue vent regularly. Clean the inside of appliance with a wire brush periodically to ensure that your home is heated properly. If you have a fireplace: 5. Reduce loss of heat from your fireplace Keep your fireplace damper closed when a fire isnt burning. Keeping the damper open is the equivalent to keeping a window wide open during the winter.The warm air goes right up the chimney and out of your home. When your fireplace is in use, open dampers in the bottom of the firebox (if provided) or open the nearest window slightly -- approximately 1 inch -- and close doors leading into the room. This reduces your heat loss. Lower the thermostat setting to between 50° and 55°F. NOTE: If you never use your fireplace, plug and seal the chimney flue Install tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room. Check the seal on the fireplace flue damper and make it as snug as possible. Note: grates made of C-shaped metal tubes draw cool room air into the fireplace and circulate warm air back into the room. Add caulking around the fireplace hearth. 6. Lower Your Water Heating Costs Many people dont realize that water heating accounts for on average 14% to 25% of the energy consumed in a home. Save money by turning down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120°F). 7. (All Year Around) unplug any cords from the power outlet such as TVs etc. Many people dont realize this but even if your TV or other electronics are turned off, they are still using the standby power and costing you money. A surprisingly large number of electrical products, TVs to microwave ovens to air conditioners, cannot be switched off completely without being unplugged. These products draw power 24 hours a day. An individual product draws relatively little standby power, but a typical home has forty products constantly drawing power. Combined these amount to almost 10% of residential electricity use. We hope you liked this post and it helps you to save energy! Image courtesy of Jeff Ratcliff at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 18:38:45 +0000
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