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Energy Conservation Tips

KEEP WARM ILLINOIS

So far the weather has been very mild this season, but in the Midwest things always change. And there is good news / bad news for utility bills. Natural gas may have leveled off but now we will be facing the rise of the electric rates that will continue for the next 3 years.

A typical family can spend close to $1300 yearly on utility bills. Unfortunately a large portion of that energy is wasted so everyone needs to learn to become more energy efficient. The amount of energy wasted just through poorly insulated windows and doors is as much energy we get from the Alaskan pipeline each year.

Just by using a few simple steps, you can reduce your energy bills by 10% to 50% and at the same time reduce air pollution and give a little back to the environment. Everyone needs to become more energy conscious. Start in small ways by making small lifestyle changes.

WINDOWS

  1. OPEN YOUR CURTAINS! Especially those that face south-let the sun in!
  2. Close curtains at nite-buy insulated curtains to keep the heat in.
  3. Seal any cracks in windows in clear tape.
  4. Use rope caulk around window to stop drafts ( so it can be removed in summer) . Use tube caulk for those places that you want sealed permantly as it is hard to remove.
  5. Use plastic insulation.
  6. Don’t open windows. Any time something goes out, something else is coming in- like cold air!

DOORS

  1. Open and close doors as quickly as possible.
  2. Put rolled up rug in front of doors or a door jam
  3. Use a door sweep at bottom.
  4. Use weather stripping.

THERMOSTAT

  1. SET YOUR THERMOSTAT DOWN! LOWER IT AT NITE! LOWER IT WHEN YOU ARE GONE!
  2. Day time temp should be between 65 and 68 degrees. Each degree you set in back, it could be a 3% savings.
  3. Nite time temp should be between 55 and 62 degrees. Move blankets!
  4. Turn it down when not at home. Don’t turn it up way high when you get home either. That expends too much energy. Keep your coat on till it warms up.
  5. Programmable thermostat- it can adjust times according to a preset schedule. That way you are not operating equipment during day and nite. It can store multiple settings that you can still manually override without affecting the rest of your daily or weekly program. When buying make sure to look for the ENERGY star program.

VENTS AND DUCTS

  1. Make sure your furniture does not block air coming from registers.
  2. Clean or dust vents.
  3. Close off heating vents to unused rooms or unoccupied areas in order to help concentrated heat to areas that you use.
  4. Change the furnace filters when you get your gas bill.

FANS

  1. Overhead fans help circulated air but it does use more electricity. Fans should be faced down in the winter and up in the summer.
  2. Turn off fans when leaving the room. If using with AC, the fan cools people not the room.
  3. Bathroom and kitchen fans should not be left on too long. It is expelling warm that whole time.

STOVES/OVENS

  1. NEVER USE AS A SOURCE OF HEAT! This is very dangerous. And bad for the oven.
  2. Make sure the size of the flame matches the size of the pan. If flames are bigger, you are wasting heat.6 inch pan should not be put on an 8 in. burner. This would waste more than 40% of the burners heat.
  3. Keep range burners clean so heat reflects heat properly.
  4. Cook several things at once.
  5. Use your microwave to reheat or cook small portions. You will reduce cooking energy by 80%.
  6. Use the dishwasher when it is full. Scrape the dishes rather that rinse. An average dishwasher uses 4 to 8 gallonsof water. Washing by hand with the faucet running for 10 minutes uses 20 gallons.
  7. Filling the sink uses about 5 gallons. But that uses 5 gallons for washing and 5 gallons for rinsing.
  8. Turn the tap off when you are brushing your teeth. This could save 10 gallons a day.
  9. Replace your showerhead with a low flow model, which uses 2.5 gallons a minutes, as opposed to 4 gallons a minute. If every US household did this, the US could save 160 billions gallons of water a year. And save $2billion each year in energy costs heating that water.
  10. Use cold water to wash clothes. Newer detergents are specifically made to work in cold water. Only do full loadsand use size indicator for load. Use dryer right after each other.

FRIDGE

  1. Clean coils every 6 months to keep it running efficiently.
  2. Defrost freezer so it wont work as hard.
  3. Check the seal- if you can slip a dollar thru the door, the gaskets need to be replaced.
  4. The old refrigerator in the basement is an energy hog! Could use more than $90 or more a year. Pre-1993 models use more that 2x the amount of new ones.

LIGHT BULBS

  1. Use energy efficient bulbs-called Compact Fluorescent Fixtures-CLF. These bulbs are 4 times more efficient and lasts 5 times longer. If a bulb is on more than 3 hours, it should be replaced with a CLF. Consider using 3 way bulbs and use the lower setting most of the time. This could save $25 to $ 65 a year in energy costs.
  2. Don’t use halogen lights. They are extremely dangerous due the excessive heat it generates. CLF torchiere lamps use 60-80% less energy and don’t get as hot.

SMOKE AND CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS

But and use them! Change the batteries when you change your clocks yearly. If you have a 2 story house, you should have smoke detectors on every floor. Both are easy to install. Most CO2 detectors just plug in!

Homeowners could be eligible for a tax break if they make energy efficient improvements to an existing home. This could be adding insulation, energy efficient windows and doors, etc.