Top 5 Guidelines To Save Money And Energy At Home

Top 5 Guidelines To Save Money And Energy At Home

Insulate and Seal Air Leaks

First, do a home energy audit. If you determine you need more insulation, make sure you pick the right type and level, or R­value, for your area. You can figure that out here, or ask a contractor about it. You might also need to insulate walls and air ducts. If you have the money, though, you might want to consider replacing your old windows with thermopanes, which can increase energy efficiency by up to 70 percent. Also, close off rooms you don’t use regularly and shut their vents to contain the heat to a smaller space.

Use a Programmable Thermostat

You can save up to 10 percent a year on your heating and cooling bills by simply turning your thermostat back 10­15 percent for eight hours. It’s easy to do with a programmable thermostat. Once the thermostat is installed – your utility provider may do this for you – you can set it at varying temperatures during different times of day. For example, you may set it several degrees lower while you’re at work, a few degrees higher when you get home, then back down when you go to bed. Usually, there’s room for several settings a day.

Improve Water Heating

Water heating accounts for about 12 percent of your utility bills, so try these things to cut that back: Use less hot water.

Take shorter showers and wash your clothes in cold water.

Turn down the water heater’s thermostat; they often come set high, but 120 degrees is a good temp. Insulate the water heater storage tank (NOT thermostat) by following the manufacturer’s recommendations. You can also insulate the first couple of feet of the water pipes connected to it. If possible, buy an energy­efficient water heater model, as well as dishwashers and clothes washers, for more long­term savings. Heat pump, natural gas on­demand, solar and tankless water heaters have been known to be very cost­ efficient.

Upgrade Lighting

Lighting can account for about 11 percent of your energy budget. Improving on it can be one of your easiest fixes, so start by trading out your old incandescent bulbs for more efficient linear fluorescent tubes or compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Yes, I know those bulbs cost more, but they’re cheaper in the long run because of how little electricity they use. Energy Star CFLs can save about $30 over each bulb’s lifetime. They also use about 75 percent less energy, produce 75 percent less heat and last 6­12 times longer, the DoE said.

Use timers and dimmers to save electricity, and of course, turn lights off when you’re not in the room. If you want to get even more savings, try LED lights, which use even less energy than CFLs.

Unplug

The DoE said turning off computers, printers and small appliances and unplugging chargers and plug strips when they’re not in use actually does conserve power. If you don’t already have a laptop, get one instead of a desktop ­ they use much less energy. Lastly for, all of the above, buy Energy Star products, making sure to activate the “power management” features to get the energy savings.

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