Windows
Do you know that up to 25% of your heat can go out the window? Here's what you can
do:
1. Use caulking and weather stripping to stop much of the heated air from escaping.
2. Replace single-thickness windows with thermal-type double thickness windows.
3. Install storm windows and doors to provide additional insurance against heat loss.
Insulation
Are you aware that an uninsulated attic can raise your heating and cooling costs?
Here's what you can do:
1. Install R-30 insulation in the ceiling.
Lighting
Did you know that compact fluorescent light bulbs use one-fourth the wattage and
provide the same amount of soft light as incandescent bulbs? Here's what you can do:
1. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent ones.
2. Use lower wattage bulbs for small areas like hallways and vestibules.
3. Get in the habit of turning out the lights when you leave a room.
Appliances
Do you know that the biggest user of energy on the home is your heating and cooling
system?
To conserve energy and cut down on energy waste here's what you can do:
1. Upgrade older equipment with higher efficiency furnaces, central air conditioners and
heat pumps. Make sure that your heating and/or cooling equipment is properly sized for
your home. Operating a unit that is too small or too large is very inefficient. Your
heating and air conditioning contractor can determine the best size unit for your home.
2. Check your heating system to see that it is running efficiently. Have your dealer
inspect the system before the winter months. Be sure to change the filters regularly
— at least every three months.
3. If you replace your central air conditioner, make sure that the contractor replaces the
indoor coil as well as the outside condensing unit. Otherwise, your system won’t
perform at its promised efficiency. Install electric ceiling fans to boost the efficiency
of room air conditioners in the summer and to circulate warm air away from the ceiling in
the winter. Be sure to clean or replace filters of all equipment regularly. Clogged
filters make appliances work harder, so they use more energy to do the same job.
4. Invest in an automatic setback thermostat that will adjust temperatures at night and
when you are away from home.
5. Install a zoning system to control and regulate airflow and temperature so you only
have to heat or cool areas of your home that you're using.
6. Adding a humidifier to your heating system may enable you to turn your thermostat down
and still be comfortable at lower temperatures.
7. Help lower your energy requirements by wearing appropriate clothing in your home;
lightweight clothing in the summer and warmer clothing in the winter.
8. Check the efficiency ratings mandated by the Department of Energy when you shop for new
equipment so you can make sure you're getting high-efficiency equipment. Ratings will be
prominently displayed on the yellow hangtag required by law to be on each new unit sold.
Central Air Conditioner efficiency is measured by the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio
(SEER). The higher the SEER the more efficient the unit. Units with a SEER of 12 or above
are considered high-efficiency; 17 is the highest available.
Furnace efficiency is measured by the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating.
The colder the climate and the higher the local utility rates, the higher the AFUE you
should get. Furnaces with AFUE ratings of 90% percent and above are considered
high-efficiency; 96.6% is the highest available.
Heat pump cooling efficiency is measured by a SEER rating; a heat pump's heating
efficiency is measured as the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF). A heat pump with
a SEER of 12 or higher and an HSPF of at least 8 is considered high-efficiency.
Room Air Conditioner efficiency is measured by the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER), which is
the BTU/hr output divided by the watts of electricity the unit uses. It basically tells
you how much heat you get out of the unit compared to how much electricity you put into
it. The higher the EER, the less the electricity the air conditioner will use. |
