Cooling & Heating Tips
The Department of Energy recommends
improved insulation as the best opportunity to conserve energy. Proper
insulation keeps your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. In
fact, un-insulated homes can lose up to twice as much heat as insulated ones.
An R-Value measures insulation
effectiveness. The higher the R-Value, the better your home’s energy efficiency
will be.
Insulate your home. If your home was built before 1970, it
probably isn’t adequately insulated. However, it’s often easy to add new
insulation to your attic or top floor ceiling, and it can save homeowners as
much as 25% on heating and cooling bills.
Your attic or top floor ceiling should have at
least a 30 to 38 R-Value. If you have less than 6” of insulation, you will
probably need to add at least R-11 to bring it up to the minimum. It is also a
good idea to bring floor and wall insulation up to a 19 R-Value, but this job
can be difficult and it is best to consult a contractor.
Use drapes for insulation. Window coverings can be effective
insulation. On winter days, let sunlight in to warm the air and close the drapes at night. On
summer days, close the drapes or draw the shades to cut incoming heat.
Weather-trip windows and doors. Weather-stripping is an easy way to avoid heat loss,
drafts and high energy bills. Even if you have storm windows, make sure both
sets of windows are properly sealed. If you find condensation between your
window and the storm window in winter, consider replacing or improving the
weather-stripping. It’s easy to install weather-stripping around doors with
just a hammer or screwdriver.
Use door and window draft guards. Draft guards prevent loss of heat of air conditioning
from under doors or where window sashes meet the sills. Draft guards are 22” –
44” long and are available at hardware stores or home centres. Caulk all cracks and gaps. No matter how old your home is, there are
probably gaps where different building materials meet or where pipes and wires
enter. Check for gaps inside and out and fill them with caulk or foam sealant.
Seal air leaks to the attic. Heated air rises and can escape into the attic
through attic doors, pull-down stairways, ceiling openings, plumbing vents or
pipes and air ducts. Seal these leaks to prevent heat from leaking into your
attic.
Cooling & Heating Tips
Install draft blockers for electrical
switches and outlets. These are pieces of foam that fit under the plate to stop the loss of heat
or air conditioning. It’s a good idea to turn off the power at the circuit
breaker before installation.
Check your fireplace. Add doors to your fireplace to reduce the loss of
heated air while the fire in burning. And be sure the damper is tightly shut
when the fireplace is not in use.
Cover window air conditioners in the
winter. Use an outside cover to
protect air conditioners and eliminate drafts coming through the vents. If
you’re unable to cover the units from the outside, cover them inside with
plastic.
Install storm windows and doors. Storm windows cut heart loss, reduce drafts and lessen
the difference between room air and window temperatures. Double-pane glass will
also reduce heat gain in summer.
Keep doors closed. When the heat or air conditioning is on, open
doors lead to higher operating costs. Keep doors to the outside, garage and
attic firmly shut Install solar reflective film. On windows and glass doors, this film turns back up to 80%
of direct rays from the sun.
Install a heat pump. The air outside — even on the coldest days —
contains heat. A heat pump extracts that thermal energy from outdoors and
transfers it indoors as clean, flameless heat. In summer, the heat pump works
like an air conditioner, transferring indoor heat and humidity outside.
Choose the right size air conditioner.
Bigger is not better — a
smaller unit can often adequately cool a space for which a larger one was
recommended. In addition, a smaller model saves energy and costs less to buy.
And, when choosing an air conditioner, look for an energy efficiency ratio
(EER) of at least 10.
Install window air conditioners to
cool single rooms. Window
units are easy to install and are an economical way to cool single rooms. Use
the cooling capacity (measured in BTU’s) and the operating efficiency (a rating
of 10 or above) to select the model right for the area you wish to cool.
Place window air conditioners in the
shade. Direct sunlight reduces a
window air conditioner’s efficiency, so place units on the north (or shady)
side of your house or shade them from the sun.
Cooling & Heating Tips
Be smart using window air
conditioners. Window units are
individually controlled. Set the unit at a higher temperature — or turn it off
— if the room is unoccupied for any length of time. And, avoid opening and
closing the door.
Keep air conditioner units clean. On window units, clean or replace the filters regularly
to maintain peak performance.
Clean the outdoor surface of window units, being
careful not to damage the evaporator coils or fins.
On central air conditioning systems, clean
outdoor coils of central units every spring. Keep shrubs, leaves and flowers
away from the unit — they restrict airflow and decrease efficiency. And make it
a point to get an annual tune-up.
Use a dehumidifier and humidifier. Humidity affects the way we feel in both summer and
winter. When it’s hot outside, use a dehumidifier to remove moisture from the
air and when it’s cold outside, use a humidifier to add moisture to the air.
Use space heaters wisely. Use an electric space heater in the rooms that
you spend the most time in, and turn down your home’s thermostat to an
economical 600F. You won’t waste energy overheating unoccupied areas and you’ll save on
your winter energy bill. Always observe the manufacturer’s safety
recommendations.
Keep return-air grilles clean. With a forced air system, keep the return-air
grilles clean. Household dust and lint on the return-air grilles can lower
efficiency.
Keep furnace filters clean. Clean or replace the filter on your heating
system periodically. A clean filter will keep your home cleaner, maximize your
system’s air-moving efficiency and save energy. Maintain thermostat settings. It’s easier on your system (and bill) to settle
on a desired temperature for the season, and then leave your thermostat there.
Every degree that you set your thermostat over or under 70 0F will add or reduce your
heating costs. The cost or savings can be up to 3% for each degree.
Cooling & Heating Tips
Set seasonal thermostat temperatures
properly. In winter, lower your
thermostat several degrees at night and when you’re away from your home for an
extended time. Never shut the heat off
completely — severe cold weather might freeze the water pipes.
For air conditioning, 78 0F is the suggested setting,
but you may be comfortable at a higher setting. Each degree you raise your
thermostat can save you up to 3% on energy costs. Raise your thermostat at
night and while you’re not at home. Turn your air conditioner off while away
for weekends or vacation.
Locate thermostats away from heat
sources. Thermostats should be
located on an inside wall away from heating ducts, hot water ducts, hot water
pipes, direct sunlight, outside doors and appliances that give off heat. Also,
make sure that thermostats are mounted level and cleaned once a year.
Get radiator thermostats for steam
heat. To avoid wasting energy and
prevent rooms from overheating or becoming too cold, have a plumber install
radiator thermostats (also called “steam traps”). These controls regulate steam
so your rooms stay comfortable.
Install a programmable thermostat. You can save a lot of energy by programming these
thermostats to turn down your heating and cooling systems when you’re away from
home, and to restore a comfortable temperature just before you return.
Control the flow of air. In a forced air system, install plastic
deflectors to direct the flow of heated air towards the cool air near the
floor. Reverse the deflector for central air conditioning so cool air is
directed toward warmer air near the ceiling.
If your home is heated by steam, place a
deflector between the radiator and the wall to maximize the amount of heat
entering the room.
Don’t block heating and air conditioning
registers — and keep drapes, shades and furniture clear of window air
conditioning units.
Install ceiling fans. Ceiling fans can dramatically reduce cooling
costs. You can set your air conditioning from 78 – 80 0Fand feel the same as though
the thermostat was set at 720F. Even at high speed, a ceiling fan uses only as
much electricity as a 100-watt light bulb. Reversible ceiling fans can also
move heat down from the ceiling during the winter to improve heating
efficiency.
Cooling & Heating Tips
Use fans efficiently. Except for an attic vent fan, never run window
fans to the outside when the central air is on. For homes with window units,
use fans to distribute cooled air through your home.
Use fans to circulate the air. Using fans to circulate heated or cooled air will
provide more uniform distribution — reducing the “on” time of the furnace and
air conditioner.
Improve ventilation with fans. Ventilation fans draw outside air inside and can
cool your home at a fraction of the cost of air conditioning. In summer, a
ventilation fan will bring the cool evening air into your home. Use a box fan
or window fan to exhaust interior air and to draw in cool outside air.
Install an attic vent fan. An attic fan can reduce attic temperature by as
much as 350F. Your air conditioner doesn’t have to run as often when it isn’t fighting
a hot attic.
Lighting Tips
Pick the right light bulbs. Use the information printed on the
light bulb’s package to select the right bulb. Larger wattage bulbs are usually
more efficient, producing more lumens per watt than small bulbs — one 100-watt
bulb give more light than two 60-watt bulbs, and uses 20% less energy.
Longer-life bulbs last several times longer than
standard bulbs, but with less illumination per watt. They’re best used in
hard-to-reach locations. Three-way light bulbs save energy because they can be
adjusted to specific lighting needs.
Know the differences between
fluorescent and incandescent. A fluorescent light uses less electricity than an
incandescent bulb to produce more light. In fact, a 30-watt fluorescent lamp will
provide more light than a 100-watt incandescent lamp. Though more expensive
than incandescent, they last up to ten times longer. Based on six hours of use
per day, you’ll save over 13 kilowatt-hours of electricity each month.
Dimmer switches help conserve
electricity by letting you optimize the amount of light you use. There are
three different types of dimmers: wall dimmers, dimmer boxes that you plug your
lamp into and then plug into the wall, and lamp cord dimmers that are inserted
into your lamp cord.
Caution: Most dimmers are
made to incandescent lighting only and do not work with fluorescent light
fixtures. Do not attach any motor-driven appliances to a dimmer switch or plug
a motor-driven appliance into an outlet controlled by a dimmer switch.
Avoid incandescent bulbs for
outside lighting. Sodium, mercury, halogen and fluorescent fixtures use 33%-80% less energy
than comparable incandescent bulbs, and are completely weatherproof.
Use compact fluorescent
bulbs. These days, you
can replace most regular incandescent bulbs with simple screw-in fluorescent
“compacts.” Only slightly larger than incandescent bulbs, they use
approximately one-fourth the wattage to provide the same amount of incandescent
light. Compacts are more expensive but they last ten times longer and reduce
energy by 75%.
Lighting Tips
Compact fluorescent bulbs save energy
Incandescent Bulbs Fluorescent Compacts
40 Watt 13 Watt
60 Watt 15 Watt
75 Watt 18 Watt
100 Watt 27 Watt
Use electric timers. Timers can help you realize significant
energy savings by operating lamps and small appliances such as coffee makers,
curling irons and stereos only when they’re needed. Heavy-duty timers are also
available for high-wattage appliances such as pool equipment, window air conditioners,
and even electric water heaters. Be sure that the timer you select has sufficient wattage
capacity for the lamp or appliance it will control. Use photoelectric switches
for exterior security lighting. These switches will automatically turn your exterior
lights on at nightfall and off at daybreak.
Energy-Saving Water Tips
Install the proper size
water heater. An oversized water
heater wastes energy by heating unneeded water.
Get an insulation blanket
for the water heater. Insulating your hot water pipes and electric hot water
heater will save enough energy to pay for itself within a year.
Install water-saver shower
heads and faucet aerators. A regular shower head gushes 5-6 gallons of heated water
per minute, but a water-saver shower head will deliver the same force with 1-2
gallons. Faucet aerators save water and energy by reducing water flow.
Fix leaky faucets. A hot water faucet leaking one drop per
second can lose as much as 650 gallons in a year’s time. The problem is often a
faulty washer that can be easily repaired.
Kitchen Tips
Choose the right size
appliances. Choose the size of
your refrigerator or freezer according to your family’s needs. A frost-free
model eliminates the periodic job of defrosting, but it does have a higher
operating.
Check Energy Guide appliance
labels. You’ll find
efficiency ratings and estimates of annual operating costs on this yellow and
black label. By comparing ratings, you may discover that a more expensive model
with a lower annual operating cost may be the most economical choice over time.
Locate appliances properly. A refrigerator or freezer will use less
energy if it is located away from heating equipment, in a level, dry and
ventilated space.
Check for leaks on
refrigerator and freezer doors. Check the door seal of your refrigerator and freezer by
placing a dollar bill between the gasket and cabinet. With the door closed,
pull the dollar bill straight out — there should be at least a slight drag.
Test all around the door, including the hinge side. Have the gaskets replaced
if necessary.
Don’t allow frost build-up. Defrost your freezer or freezing
compartment when front is about 1/4" thick. Frost build-up decreases
efficiency.
Keep your refrigerator
operating efficiently high, make sure the drain is clean and there’s no ice build-up.
Periodically clean the condenser coils in the back or bottom of the unit.
Turn off refrigerator when
not in use for long periods. During a vacation, a refrigerator may be left fairly
empty and set at a warmer temperature. During longer periods of non-use, remove
perishable foods, turn off refrigerator, clean it and leave the door open.
Maximize use of oven for
cooking. Use your oven to
cook a full meal rather than using both oven and surface units. If recipes call
for different temperatures, choose a setting in between.
Preheating oven may be
unnecessary. Preheating is
often unnecessary for any food requiring more than a full hour of cooking time.
Check your recipe instructions. Don’t open oven door when cooking, it will let
heat escape and cause your oven to work harder.
Use glass cooking utensils. Bake in glass or glass ceramic and
lower the oven setting by 25 0F. Use less water for stovetop
cooking. Use small amounts
of water for cooking vegetables. Turn on high until almost boiling, then low
for continued cooking. Don’t overcook — less energy is used and the vegetables
will be more nutritious.
Kitchen Tips
Use proper size pots and
pans. Use pots and pans
that fit the surface heating area, are medium in weight with flat bottoms, and
have straight sides and close-fitting covers for maximum energy efficiency.
Cook with the broiler. You’ll save energy because broiling
requires no preheating.
Thaw frozen meats before
cooking. Roasting time will
be shortened, energy will be saved and the meat will be more uniformly cooked.
Use the microwave and small
appliances. Microwaving uses
up to 75% less energy than conventional methods. And electric frying pans,
toasters, waffle irons, electric grills, corn poppers, electric fondues and
slow cookers use less electricity than your range for specialized jobs. For
example, an electric fry pan uses 30% less energy than a surface unit to cook
six hamburgers.
Fill your dishwasher. Your dishwasher is most economical at
full capacity. Do dishes from several meals at the same time. Loading items in
the assigned places helps ensure proper operating efficiency.
Use cold water with the fool
disposal. It saves energy and
solidifies grease better so it can be group up and washed away.
Laundry Tips
Don’t overload your clothes
dryer. Overloading a
dryer makes it work harder, takes clothes longer to dry and causes wrinkles.
Use proper dryer settings. Use the appropriate heat setting or
each type of laundry. The lower the temperature, the less energy is consumed.
Use a warm rather than a hot setting for permanent-press items.
Damp dry clothes for easier
ironing as it saves energy, and
makes ironing much more easier. If your dryer doesn’t have a “damp dry”
setting, shorten the drying time.
Dry similar items together, dry all towels in one load, all lingerie
in another — to avoid over-drying and under-drying.
Iron as much as you can at
one time. Avoid the need to
heat up an iron several times a day or week — and wasting large amounts of
energy — by doing all your ironing at once.
Wash clothes in cold or warm
water. The major cost
item in washing clothes is the hot water used. The more wash you can do with
cold and warm water cycles, the more energy you can save.
General Energy-Saving Tips
Avoid installing huge
windows. If you’re building
a new home, remodelling or adding a new room, consider reducing the size of the
windows to reduce heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter. For maximum
energy efficiency, your design should also shield windows facing west and south
with overhanging eaves or awnings.
Plant shade trees properly. Planted to the south and west, shade
trees will block the noonday and evening sun in summer.
Minimize appliance use on
summer days, wash, dry and iron
in the early morning or evening when the demand on your cooling system is less.
The same goes for ranges, lighting and television. Save moisture-producing
activities for cooler times.
Use an electric blanket. An electric blanket allows you to lower
your thermostat at night and save on heating costs.
Inspect electrical equipment
regularly. It takes only a
few minutes for visual inspections, cleaning, oiling and minor repairs. On
occasion, have a professional inspect your heating and cooling systems.
Electrical heating systems do not involve combustion, so annual inspections are
not required.
Read and keep appliance
manuals. When you purchase
a new appliance, read the manual, it will tell you how to avoid trouble and get
the maximum benefit from the appliance.
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