Reduce Energy Waste and Save Dollars in Your Home

While it might not seem like replacing your light bulbs with compact fluorescents or fixing that leaking faucet will do a lot to reduce energy waste in your home, these simple tasks can actually do a lot.  If everyone was willing to give their home an energy audit, a lot of money and energy would be saved.  Here’s how to reduce your waste, and save a few dollars, too.

1. Analyze your home’s insulation, structure, and energy use patterns, as well as the lifestyle of your family, to figure out where you’re using the most energy.  Also, have your heating systems inspected regularly – you can avoid a lot of energy waste just by spending fifty to a hundred dollars on a tune up.

2.  Once every month, clean the furnace filter, or change it.  Built up dirt and dust can clog your furnace, rendering it a lot less efficient and causing breakdowns.  Never close the heat register in a room you’re not using.  This doesn’t actually save energy, since your furnace will keep working at the same pace, and cold air from those rooms can escape into the rest of the house.  Registers should be routinely cleaned, and you should avoid allowing furniture to block them.  Radiators should also operate without being blocked by furniture.

3. Install a thermostat you can program.  Use it to set the temperature in the house back around ten degrees at night, and you’ll lower heating bills by as much as ten percent.  In less than a year, you’ll have paid for your thermostat.  You can also set the thermostat higher in the evenings during the summer, and run the air conditioner less.  Avoid setting the temperature higher than you actually want it, too.  Your home won’t warm up any faster, but you will waste energy.

4. Pay attention to the thermal qualities of glass.  At night, or in the winter when there’s not much direct sunlight, close your curtains and blinds.  This will keep colder air out.  Open blinds when you want to allow the sun to warm the room.  Closing blinds during the heat of the summer can also help keep your home cooler.  Choose insulated window coverings to improve energy efficiency.  You can also improve the warmth of your home with area rugs if you have a tile or hardwood floor.  That’ll keep the thermostat down.

5. Only run the heat or air conditioning when you have to.  If you’re going on vacation and have no pets, maintain the heat around fifty-five degrees while you’re gone.  This will save energy while keeping the pipes from freezing. 

6. Inspect all fireplaces regularly and have them cleaned.  Burn only hardwood that’s fully dry, and make sure that the fireplace is well sealed.  Also, avoid using the fireplace unless you’re actively enjoying the fire.  Many fireplaces are very inefficient.  When not in use, they should be covered and dampers closed.

7. Save water.  Use a water saving shower head, low flow toilet, and efficient washer to help lower water bills and reduce your consumption.  Fix all leaky faucets, and consider insulating older water heaters to improve energy use.  Set the thermostat on your water heater lower than 120 degrees to improve safety and keep from wasting fuel. 
 
8. Switch to smaller appliances when you can.  For instance, using the toaster oven, slow cooker, or microwave can save a lot of energy over using your large electric oven.  Keep refrigerator coils vacuumed so the compressor stays at its highest efficiency, and avoid holding fridge or oven doors open.