Energy Tips

Insulation and Weatherization

Warm air leaking into your home during the summer and out of your home during the winter can waste a substantial portion of your energy dollars. One of the quickest dollar-saving tasks you can do is caulk, seal and weather-strip all seams, cracks, and openings to the out side. You can save 10% or more on your energy bill by reducing the air leaks in your home.

[Top of Page]

Heating and Cooling

Heating and cooling your home uses more energy and drains more energy dollars than any other system in your home. Typically 44% of your utility bill goes for heating and cooling.

No matter what kind of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system you have in your house, you can save money and increase comfort by properly maintaining and upgrading your equipment. But remember, an energy-efficient furnace alone will not have as great an impact on your energy as using the whole house approach. By combining proper equipment maintenance and upgrades with appropriate insulation, weatherization, and thermostat settings, you can cut your energy bills and your pollution output in half.

[Top of Page]

Programmable Thermostats

You can save as much as 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills by simply turning your thermostat back 10% to 15% for eight hours. You can do this automatically without sacrificing comfort by installing automatic setback or programmable thermostat.

Using a programmable thermostat, you can adjust the times you turn on the heating or air-conditioning according to a preset schedule. As a result, you don't operate the equipment as much when you are asleep or when the house or part of the house is not occupied.

[Top of Page]

Water Heaters

Water heating is the third largest energy expense in your home. It typically accounts for about 14% of your utility bill.

There are four ways to cut your water heating bills: Use less hot water, turn down the thermostat on your water heater, insulate your water heater, or buy a new, more efficient water heater. A family of four, each showering for five minutes a day, uses 700 gallons of water a week; this is enough for a three-year supply of drinking water for one person. You can cut that amount in half simply by using low-flow, non-aerating showerheads and faucets.

[Top of Page]

Windows

Windows can be one of your home's most attractive features. Windows provide views, day lighting, ventilation, and solar heating in the winter. Unfortunately, they can also account for 10% to 25% of your heating bill.

If your home has single-pane windows, as almost half of the U.S. homes do, consider replacing them. New double-pane windows with high-performance glass (e.g., low-e or spectral selective) are available on the market.

If you decide not to replace your windows, the simpler, less costly measures listed below can improve the performance of your windows.

Shopping Tips When Buying New Windows

[Top of Page]

Lighting

Increasing your lighting efficiency is one of the fastest ways to decrease your energy bills. If you replace 25% of your lights in high-use areas with fluorescents, you can save about 50% of your lighting energy bill.

Use linear fluorescent and energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in fixtures throughout your home to provide high-quality and energy-efficient lighting. Fluorescent lamps are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs and last six to ten times longer. Although fluorescent and compact fluorescent lamps are more expensive than incandescent bulbs, they pay for themselves by saving energy over their lifetime.

[Top of Page]

Appliances

Appliances account for about 20% of your households energy consumption, with refrigerators, clothes washers, and clothes dryers at the top of the list.

When you do have to shop for a new appliance, look for the ENERGY STAR® label. ENERGY STAR® appliances have been identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and DOE as being the most energy-efficient products in their classes. They usually exceed minimum federal standards by a substantial amount.

Dishwasher Tips

Refrigerators

The Energy Guide label on new refrigerators will tell you how much electricity in kilowatt-hours (kWh) a particular model uses in one year. The smaller the number, the less energy the refrigerator uses and the less it will cost you to operate. In addition to the Energy Guide label, don't forget to look for the ENERGY STAR® label. A new refrigerator with the ENERGY STAR® label will save you between $35 and $70 a year compared to the models designed 15 years ago.

Laundry

About 80% to 85% of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water. There are two ways to reduce the amount of energy used for washing clothes; use less water and use cooler water.

When shopping for a new washer, look for an ENERGY STAR® machine. These machines may cost more to buy but use about a third the energy and less water than typical machines. You'll also save more on clothes drying, because most remove more water from your clothes during the spin cycle.

[Top of Page]

The above text represents excerpts from the Energy Savers: Tips on Saving Energy & Money at Home booklet produced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a DOE national laboratory.

To view the entire publication, please visit the DOE website