Category : Science and Education
Archive   : HOUSE.ZIP
Filename : ENERGY.TIP

Setting your thermostat to 78
degrees or higher during the hot
summer months can cut your air
conditioning costs by much as
15%.










Setting your thermostat to 68
degrees or cooler during the cold
winter months can cut your heating
costs by as much as 20%











Use extra blankets and set your
thermostat down at night. The
blankets will keep you warm and you
will save valuable heating energy.











Plant trees or shrubs on the south
side of your house to provide
shade. If you live in an area with
prevailing winds plant some trees
on the windward side of your house
to provide a wind block.









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Well fitted lined drapes keep out
the cold or heat much better than
poorly fitted or unlined drapes.
If you do not have double pane
glass you might consider spending
a little on new drapes or having
your old ones lined.








Caulk around drafty windows and add
weather stripping around doors.
These improvements are not very
expensive and can quickly pay for
themselves.










On pleasant days use natural
ventilation to cool your home.
A natural breeze is much cheaper
and smells fresher than cooled or
conditioned air.










Examine the insulation in your
attic. Poorly installed or
inadequate insulation can be
costing you money every day.











Uninsulated or sparsely insulated
attics waste valuable heating or
cooling energy. If you live in a
cold or hot climate you can easily
gain back the cost of insulating
your home through reduced energy
costs.








Examine the insulation in the walls
of your home. The easiest way to
do this is to remove an electrical
outlet or light switch and shine
a flashlight into the wall. When
it comes to insulation what you
"don't" know can cost you.








Uninsulated or sparsely insulated
walls do lose a lot of energy, but
the cost of adding insulation to
finished walls is expensive and
sometimes not practical once the
home is built. Keep this in mind
if you are ever building a home.








Air conditioners are more pleasant
than evaporative coolers but they
use many times more energy. If the
humidity in your area is not too
high for one, a piggy back
evaporative cooler may be an
excellent way to cut your electric
energy costs.







Change the filter on your air
conditioner once a month. A dirty
air filter blocks air flow and
wastes energy.











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Check the temperature on your hot
water heater. If it is set to over
120 degrees you are probably
wasting energy. The hotter the
thermostat temperature is the more
energy it takes to get the water up
to temperature and the harder it is
to keep it there.







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A fire place without glass doors
can actually draw more heat out of
your home than it generates. This
is due to the fact that the hot air
rising through the chimney draws
warm room air out the chimney with
it and sucks cold air in thru the
cracks and crevices of your home.







Close the damper of your fireplace
when it is not in regular use. An
open damper can lose as much heat
as an open window.











Cover pots and pans while you are
cooking. The food cooks faster and
you are not filling the room with
heat and humidity. This tip is
especially important in the hot
summer months when you are trying
to cool your home.








Never cook with the oven door open.
Your oven was designed to heat up
a small area not the whole room.
Leaving the door open wastes energy
in two ways. First the food takes
longer cook and second the room is
heated and may have to be re-cooled.








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Dishwashers are very convenient but
are heavy users of electricity.
Hand washing of dishes is a good
way to get your dishes cleaner and
save energy too.










Washing one dish in your dishwasher
uses as much energy as a whole load.
One way to save energy is to wait
until you have a full load of dishes
before starting your dishwasher.










The air dry cycle on your dishwasher
uses much less energy than the heat
dry cycle and is less harmful to
wood handled or plastic utensils.











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Washing one full load of laundry
is more energy efficient than
washing several partial loads.












Washing your clothes in warm or cold
water can not only saves energy but
also prevents damage to your
fine clothing. This saves money
in two ways.










A faulty seal on your refrigerator
can waste energy and spoil your
food. The replacement seals are
fairly inexpensive and quickly pay
for themselves in saved energy.










Every time you open the door of
your refrigerator about 25% of the
cold air falls out onto the floor.
You can save energy if you plan your
trips to the refrigerator removing
or replacing several items in each
trip.














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