Energy Savings Tips
Options to effective energy savings can vary greatly because of the different designs and components (such as the type and number of windows) used in residential housing. The location of the home and the habits of the homeowners can also affect the use of energy in the home. Because of these variables, we tend to use generalities when describing energy saving options. Your results will vary depending on your home, and conditions. When making improvements to your home, always base the cost of improvements compared to the energy savings that will be produced. This is often referred to as the payback period.
The typical home spends about 41% of the energy cost on heating and cooling. This is the largest single use of energy and should always be the first to be evaluated because of the significant savings that can be made in this area. Water heating typically uses about 14% of your energy. Refrigerator and freezers use about 10% of your energy, lighting about 6% and all other smaller factors contribute a combined 29% of your energy cost. These percentages will vary depending on the geographical location of your home, the climate in your location, construction aspects of your home and your own personal habits.
Knowledge opens the door to awareness about your energy use. From that awareness, you create options that can save you money on your monthly energy bills. The following are some energy use numbers that can give you a feel about where you can cut back and save money.
Cooking energy use GAS 8 HRS WEEKLY OVEN/RANGE BTU 20000 $80-year COOKTOP BTU 9100 $36-year | ELECTRIC 8 HRS WEEKLY OVEN/RANGE 1456 KWH $201-year COOKTOP 1453 KWH $72- year |
| MICROWAVE 5 HRS WEEKLY $43-year 312 KWH |
TOASTER OVEN 5 hr week $43-year 312 KWH | REFRIGERATOR & FREEZER 168 hours weekly 22 CU. FT. 1996 or newer $91-year 660 KWH |
1. Change your habits
The single most cost effective thing you can do to save energy and cut your utility bills is to change your habits. Your house uses no energy until you start to plug things in and turn stuff on. Spend some time looking at how you are using energy and it should become apparent how you can shave a little off here and there in your every day life. It cost you nothing to cut back on your energy use and the cumulative cost savings can quickly grow into a sizable amount.
2. Set you’re A/C thermostat higher and your furnace thermostat lower
The heating and cooling loads on your house vary greatly depending on the location of your home. The south and southwest United States have high cooling loads and moderate heating loads. The north and north east have higher heating loads and little cooling loads. Each load has different variables including the age of the home, orientation of the house and the insulation package in your home.
Regardless of these variables, you can save money by cutting the production of your heating and cooling in your home. Setting your thermostat 1 degree warmer of cooling in the appropriate season generally yields a 10% savings on your energy bill. Life without Air Conditioning in the south is not a realistic option for most people, but setting your thermostat a little warmer and then using a ceiling or pedestal fan to create air flow will help you get by until the temperature moderates some. Dressing warmer during the winter will allow you to set your thermostat lower during the winter. Think of these things as temporary life style changes until you can spend the money necessary to reduce your energy costs with improvements to your building envelope through air sealing or increasing your insulation package.
3. Install a programmable thermostat
You can constantly adjust your thermostat to fit your lifestyle, work and sleep schedules, but nothing works a well as a programmable thermostat when it comes to saving you energy. It can adjust the temperature in your house after you fall asleep and readjust it before you get up. It never forgets to set it back when you go to work and will always have the house comfortable when you come home.
Programmable thermostats cost from $60 to over $200 depending on the type of HVAC system and set back functions. Most thermostats can be easily changed out by the home owner with basic tools once you select the correct model for your system. You can find a wide selection of thermostats available online at www.SavingUEnergy.biz
4. Have your HVAC system serviced
Keeping your AC system serviced yearly will help you save money and helps your unit run more efficient and will last longer. The systems develop high pressure that causes small leaks that allow the refrigerant to escape and reduce the efficiency of the unit. The refrigerant used in your AC system not only keeps it cooling properly, but it also contains a lubricant to the motor. Charging the system regularly will help keep it at its top efficiency and save you energy.
Changing your filters is very important in keeping the system cleaner in the duct work to supply you fresh air to breath in your home. Dirt on the condensing and evaporative coils reduce the ability of those coils to efficiently conduct the heat and cold temperatures within the system and will cost you more to heat and cool your house. Change your filter regularly (monthly in high dust areas or in houses with pets and children) to keep the evaporative coils clean and hosing the condensing coils off at the compressor will help keep them clean and efficient. Keep your shrubs cut back from the compressor to improve air flow around the unit.
5. Seal your doors, windows, switches and outlets
Air infiltration into the house contributes greatly to your heating and cooling load. This air contains humidity that must be removed from the air to provide effective cooling. When combined with humidity generated within the home from cooking and bathing, it can amount to almost 41% of your cooling load. The air infiltration alone can amount to almost 39% of your heating load. Limiting the amount of air that leaks into your house may be the most cost effective improvement you can make to your home.
Sealing around doors and windows with weather strip and caulk can help minimize the air intrusion from those areas. Installing gaskets on your electrical outlets and switches can minimize air intrusion from those areas. Using the bathroom fans when bathing can help reduce the humidity load. Payback periods for these types on improvements can be as little as a single year. Don’t forget to check your fireplace damper. You could be loosing energy up your chimney and not even know it.
Air sealing is a big component of the energy efficiencies of new construction and the new energy code. You will never be able to achieve the level of efficiency of a new house, but you can definitely save energy and money on your existing home. You can find a selection of sealants and gaskets available online at www.SavingUEnergy.biz
6. Improve the Ventilation and Insulation in your attic
Heat transfer moves from a hot environment towards a cool environment. The insulation in your attic protects you from the temperature in the attic, not outside. Check your attic for missing or misplaced insulation to create a uniform thermal blanket to protect you from the attic temperatures.
There is a direct correlation between the temperature outside and the temperature in your attic, but a poorly ventilated attic can increase the temperature in the attic to 20 – 30 degrees about the outside ambient temperature. Improving ventilation can reduce those temperatures significantly and slow the progression of heat into the house. We are not big proponents of using electrical power turbines to save electrical A/C cooling cost. There are passive cooling exhaust ports and ridge vents that can help reduce the attic temperature without adding to your electric bill. There are also solar powered attic turbines that you can install that will help provide high volume air flow to reduce the attic temperatures. You can find solar powered attic turbines online at www.SavingUEnergy.biz
7. Seal your HVAC ducts in the attic
Residential housing in the Texas area typically have the HVAC ducts in the attic. These ducts can be metal, fiberboard, or flex ducts. The typical house with ducts in the attic can loose about 20 – 25% of their condition air to the attic and attic temperatures. Much of this lost energy affects the comfort in the house as well as your utility bills. All ducts should be well insulated. The new energy codes have increase the R value (resistance to heat flow) to R – 8 and energy efficiency programs such as Energy Star require the duct joints to be sealed with mastic to minimize air loss in those ducts. Improving the insulation and sealing duct joints can reduce that energy loss to 5 – 8 %. You can find HVAC duct mastic kits online at www.SavingUEnergy.biz
8. Use less hot water
Water heating uses about 14% of your energy load. Every drop of water that you do not have to heat can save you money. Most things are cheap and easy to do. Running a full load in the dishwasher will save you more water than hand washing these dishes in the sink. Set your water heater thermostat lower to reduce the cost of heating the water can save you money instantly. Insulating your water heater tank can have a payback period of 2-3 years depending on the type and location of your water heater. The best savings are found in areas where the temperature difference between the hot water tank and the surrounding air (such as attics, crawlspaces and garages) are the greatest.
9. Set your washing machine to cold water
Most laundry detergents are now formulated to clean in cold water. Switching the dial on your washing machine can save your money. Just use hot water on those hard to clean items. The new style of washer & dryers that are front loading are designed in saving the consumer electricity and excess water usage. Consider upgrading if your washer is old and near the end of its life.
10. Install low volume shower heads
Replacing the showerheads in your shower and bathtubs with an energy efficient low flow showerhead will save gallons from being wasted weekly or daily each time that you or your family turns on the shower. You can also save money by reducing the time in the shower. Reducing a 10 minute shower to 5 minutes can save you over $200 a year.
You have received this special edition of the Energy Savings Tips (EST) Newsletter because you have registered at one of our energy savings websites. You will receive follow up newsletters on a quarterly basis from us with the ability to opt out of any future newsletters. Thank you for ordering this Free EST newsletter and we hope to exceed your expectations for service and future editions.
As a special thank you, we want to invite you to go to www.SavingUEnergy.biz, check out our store and use the Promotional Code: Save Today to receive a 10% discount before the end of February 2009. Don’t lose out on this limited discount.
Your Energy Consultants for life
Larry Hughes & Jim Hemsell
Saving U Energy LLC
214-690-3838
www.SavingUEnergy.biz
info@SavingUEnergy.biz
