The US-based natural gas marketer Coweta-Fayette EMC Natural Gas have recently published cold weather energy efficiency tips for its customers to make their homes well prepared to keep warm, and prevent their bills going up. A nice intention, a good sign of customers care, and well-done PR trick. Whatever it can be, I found their tips pretty useful and appropriate.
However, I and my relativies use some of the listed tips only:
- We check the seams around doors and windows before the start of the winter.
- We prefer not to use a dishwasher.
- My relatives, who have private houses, check attic insulation regularly.
Eliminate drafts: Check the seams around doors and windows. If you can see light or feel a cool breeze, apply caulk or weatherstripping to seal the area. A thermal leak detector is a handheld device that also can help identify leaks as well as areas where insulation can be improved.
Check attic insulation: Help prevent heat from escaping through your ceilings by having a proper amount of insulation in your attic. Access doors to attics and crawl spaces often have gaps between their frames and their openings. Adding weatherstripping and insulation to these areas will produce a tighter and more energy-efficient living area.
Maintain your heating and cooling system: Keep your home’s HVAC filter clean and change it at least every other month. Trim brush and clean leaves from around the outdoor unit, and move furniture and rugs off of floor vents.
This is good time to have a licensed contractor give your HVAC system an inspection and tune-up. Leaky ducts can waste up to one-third or more of the hot or cool air your system produces. If your system is old, consider upgrading to a more energy-efficient unit.
Get a programmable thermostat: Programmable thermostats are another easy way to conserve energy without sacrificing comfort. Pre-programmable settings allow you to set room temperatures that minimize HVAC use when you are away from the house while maintaining comfortable room temperatures when you are at home.
Use your ceiling fan year round: Most ceiling fans have a switch that reverses the direction of the fan blades so that in the cool winter months, a gentle updraft can force the warm air near the ceiling down to the occupied parts of the room.
Smart cooking and cleaning: Use the lid to cover pots and pans when you are cooking. This reduces the amount of time it takes to bring pots to temperature and the amount of heat necessary to keep dishes at the desired temperature while cooking.
A dishwasher can use half of the energy and one-sixth of the water as hand washing. Remember to only run your dishwasher when it’s fully loaded and then let your dishes air dry.
Landscape your yard: In addition to looking great, landscaping can have a profound impact on your summer and winter heating bills. Plant trees that shade your home from summer heat then lose their leaves in the fall so the winter sun warms your home during the day. If your home receives direct wind, consider installing thick trees or shrubs like evergreens as a wind break.
Implementing these simply, energy conservation techniques will help you save money while providing your family with a warm, comfortable home throughout the cold winter months.
Via TheCitizen.com
After our home energy audit 2 years ago, we began to collect ideas from hundreds of people across North America on ways they use in their own homes to reduce their home heating, electricity, water heating, cooking, and clean water usage.
So far we have collected more than 500 of their energy and water conservation tips and have it freely available here:
http://dailyhomerenotips.com/energy-conservation/
This listing contains:
400+ tips which are simple and easy to do
275+ tips which cost absolutely nothing to do
115+ tips which cost just a little to do
120+ tips to reduce clean water consumption
115+ tips to reduce electricity consumption
110+ tips to reduce home heating costs
Compiling this list made us more aware of the many, many different ways to save money through reduce home utility bills month after month after month while at the same time reducing our direct and indirect consumption of non-renewable energy resources + our household’s generation of polluting emmissions in the air.
I hope this helps some as it has helped us reduce our household’s heating and water and electricity bills.
Dan