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During California power crisis time, we thought that you would find this
article very helpful. Look around
your home and check off the practices below that apply to you. Also listed
for some tips are the possible energy savings for each practice. Read this
list over carefully, share it with your family and put it up somewhere
around the house where it will remind everyone to practice these
money-saving/energy-saving recommendations.
NOTE: These are typical savings for the
typical household. The savings percentages apply only to the category of
energy use. For example, using fluorescent lamps saves 30 to 38 percent of
your lighting bill, not your total electric bill. The figures cannot be
added to find your total savings.
Winter Tips
Summer Tips
Anytime Tips
Winter
Tips
 | Install clock
thermostats or set-back thermostats to automatically change thermostat
settings at certain times of the day. For example, set your clock
thermostat at 55 degrees or off for the night and 68 degrees for the
time right before you awake.
| In the
heating season, set your thermostat at 68 degrees or lower during the
day, health permitting. Keep warm indoors by wearing warm clothing,
especially several light-weight layers. Savings: 5-10 percent of space
heating costs.
| For every
degree you lower your heat in the 60-degree to 70-degree range, you'll
save up to 5% on heating costs. PG&E recommends turning your
thermostat down to 68 degrees during the day, 55 degrees or off at
night or when leaving home for an extended time.
| Set your
thermostat back to 55 degrees before you to bed at night or when
you'll be away from home for more than four hours, health permitting.
(Heat pumps should only be set back five degrees to prevent unneeded
use of backup strip heater.) Savings: 5-20 percent of space heating
costs.
| Plug gaps
around pipes, ducts, fans and vents that go through walls, ceilings
and floors from heated to unheated spaces. Savings: 1-3 percent of
space heating costs.
| If your home has
zoned or individual room controls, close off heating to rooms and
areas that don't need it. Central forced air heating with one or two
centrally located returns requires that doors be opened to work
properly. Savings: Up to 10 percent of space heating costs.
| Get your ducts
tested for air leakage. Leaking ducts can reduce the efficiency of
your heating system by up to 30 percent. Seal leaks with mastic or
non-cloth backed tape labeled UL181 B-FX.
| Keep your
furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted. And remember to clean
or replace the filter regularly. Savings: Up to 5 percent of space
heating costs.
| Check your
furnace periodically. First, turn off the power source. Then visually
inspect the furnace and vacuum away lint, dirt or other obstructions.
Be sure the filters are cleaned or replaced as necessary. Dirty
filters reduce air flow and make your furnace work harder.
| Use
insulating shutters or drapes and keep them closed during winter
nights and summer days. Savings: 8-15 percent of space heating costs.
| Turn your
heater(s) down when you're using your fireplace. and don't forget to
close the damper when you're not using the fireplace. Savings: 2-8
percent of space heating costs.
| Many electric homes
were built with base board heaters with individual room thermostats.
Unless maked with an "off" setting, these units will only go
to a low setting of about 50 degrees and will run whenever the room
temperature drops below that temperature.
| Use passive
solar heating on sunny days. Open the drapes on windows facing south
and let the sun shine in. Then at night, close the drapes to retain
indoor heat. If you have a large expanse of glass that doesn't receive
direct sun, keep the drapes closed. Up to 16% of your heat can escape
through unprotected windows. |
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Summer
Tips
| In the
cooling season, set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher when
you're at home. Savings: 10-20 percent of cooling costs.
| When you're
away from home during the cooling season, set your air conditioner at
85 degrees. Savings: 5-12 percent of cooling costs.
| Switch pool
filter and sweeper operations to off-peak hours. Peak hours are
between noon and 6 p.m. Consider replacing pool pumps and motors with
updated, more efficient equipment. Savings depend on your use.
| Shorten the
operating time for your swimming pool filter and automatic cleaning
sweep (if your pool has one). For winter, two hours a day of filtering
could cut your filter's energy use by 40% to 50%, yet keep your pool
clean.
| Turn off your
furnace pilot light during the non-heating season. Savings: 3-9
percent of cooling costs.
| Provide
shading for your air conditioning condenser. Savings: 2-3 percent of
cooling costs.
| Use exterior
shading devices or deciduous plants to shade your home and windows
from the sun. Savings: Up to 8 percent of cooling costs.
| Keep pool
cleaning and heating equipment clean and lubricated.
| Reduce pool
water temperature and the number of months you heat your pool.
| Pool covers
save energy and money. 70% of pool heat loss is by evaporation. |
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Anytime Tips
| Seal any
leaks in your heating or cooling system ducts. Also fix leaks in
water/steam heat pipes. Savings: 5-25 percent of heating/cooling
costs.
| Set your
water heater thermostat to 120 degrees, or 140 degrees if you have a
dishwasher. Savings: 7-11 percent of water heating costs.
| Select the
most energy-efficient model when buying a new ENERGY STAR
refrigerator, washer, or other appliance. Savings: 5-25 percent of
operating costs.
| Replace
incandescent bulbs with fluorescent lamps. Savings: 30-38 percent of
lighting costs.
| Insulate
attic access and basement trap doors with R-19 insulation. Savings:
1-3 percent of heating/cooling costs.
| You can cut
your heating costs up to 25% simply by installing proper ceiling
insulation to at least R-30 standards. Insulate walls, floors and
heating ducts, too. This insulation will not only keep heat from
escaping, but will also make your home more comfortable.
| By caulking
and weather-stripping, you can cut your heating bills up to 10%.
Weather-strip doors and windows, and caulk air leaks around windows,
door frames, pipes and ducts.
| Convert
incandescent bulbs to fluorescent lamps with screw-in bases.
Fluorescent lamps can give the same amount and quality of light as
incandescent bulbs, yet use one-third the amount of energy and last
ten times longer.
| Unplug and
recycle your extra refrigerator if it's used mainly for occasional
cold drinks or ice cubes. You could reduce your annual energy bill by
as much as $160 by doing so.
| Compact
fluorescent lamps can give the same amount and qulity of light as
incadescent bulbs, yet use one-fourth the energy and last ten times
longer.
| Use clear
plastic sheets to insulate windows during the heating season. Savings:
2-7 percent of heating/cooling costs.
| Repair any
holes in your roof, walls, doors, ceilings, windows and floors.
Savings: Up to 10 percent of heating/cooling costs.
| Seal off
electric receptacles and switch boxes with foam gaskets or fiberglass
insulation. Savings: 1-3 percent of heating/cooling costs.
| Washer: Use
cold water when possible. Wash full loads.
| Dryer:
Line-dry clothes (especially towels) whenever you can. When you use
your dryer, dry full loads.
| Refrigerator/Freezer:
Open doors only when necessary and keep the coils (on the back or the
bottom of the appliance) clean.
| Dishwasher:
Always wash full loads and air-dry dishes on the "energy
saver" setting.
| Use dimmer
switches or timers on lights. Savings: 7-10 percent of lighting costs.
| Turn off
lights whenever they're not needed. Savings depend on your current
energy practices.
| Install storm
or thermal (replacement) windows. These tightly fitting windows give
the benefit of double-pane glass. Air trapped between the two panes
acts as a thermal insulator, keeping your heated air inside where it
belongs. Be sure to get windows that have the new super-efficient low-emissivity
glazing.
| Wrap your
water heater with a water heater blanket, especially if it's in an
unheated area of your home. The blanket could save you up to 10% on
water heating costs.
| Install
energy-saving showerheads in your home. You'll reduce hot water use
and cut water costs by 10% to 16% without affecting comfort.
| Prevent heat
loss and reduce your waterbed's electric use up to 20% by covering it
with bedspreads or quilts as soon as you get up. A layer of cardboard
between the bed and the frame or an insulation kit designed for
waterbeds will also insulate your waterbed against further heat loss.
| Don't preheat
your oven, and use the smaller of the two ovens if you have a dual
unit. Cook complete meals of several dishes simultaneously in the
oven.
| Cook on
rangetop burners when practical instead of in the oven.
| If you have a
microwave oven, use it for reheating and cooking small quantities of
food.
| Install
low-flow showerheads and faucets or flow restrictors. Try to reduce
your hot water use in other ways, too. Savings: 5-10 percent of water
heating costs.
| Turn off
lights whenever they are not needed, even for one second. This applies
to fluorescent lighting also.
| Operate your
dishwasher only with full loads. And if the manufacturer's
instructions permit, open the door of the dishwasher at the end of the
last rinse cycle, rather than using the drying cycle. |
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