energy conservation...
Five
Fast Ways to Conserve Energy in Just a Few Hours
- Lower the temperature on your hot water
heater. Just making hot water
constitutes almost 15 percent of your home energy use. Find
a setting that is comfortable for your household; try 120
degrees (or "warm"). It’s hot enough for most
needs – including dishwashers, which are generally made
with booster heaters — and it cuts down on energy needed
to keep water hot in the tank. Also, wrap your hot water
tank in an insulating "blanket" if it feels warm
to the touch.
- If you have a home cooling system, reset
your thermostat. Find the lowest
setting comfortable for your household; experts recommend no
lower than 74 degrees for cooling. Consider installing a
timer on your thermostat, so the air conditioner is not on
when you are out of the house. And, of course, use natural
ventilation whenever possible and cool only the rooms you
are using.
- Replace as many incandescent light bulbs
as you can with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Focus particularly on the 60 to 100W bulbs that you use
several hours a day. CFLs use one quarter of the energy of
regular bulbs, last up to 10 times as long, and save you
roughly $25 to $50 over the life of each bulb. They can be
found at most home improvement stores.
- Focus on the fridge. To really make a dent
in your energy bill, take a look at your major appliances.
Your refrigerator alone -- which is on 24 hours a day --
accounts for about 15 percent of your electricity bill. Help
it run more efficiently by unplugging it and vacuuming the
condensor coils, located on the back of the refrigerator or
behind the front grill. Dust and dirt that accumulate on the
coils make your fridge work harder. Then set the temperature
between 36 and 40 degrees, and your freezer between 0 and 5
degrees.
- Plug energy "leaks."
It’s amazing how much energy simply leaks out of our home
and office buildings. Make sure your attic and/or ceilings
are well insulated. Seal joints in the attic air ducts, and
make sure they, too, are well insulated. Use weather
stripping to seal leaks between doors and their frames, and
caulk around windows.
Other ideas:
Consider long-term energy efficiency and
conservation improvements for both cold- and hot-weather conditions.
These include improved insulation of ceilings, floors, windows,
doors, water pipes, etc. Replace old inefficient furnaces,
refrigerators or dishwashers with new high-efficiency appliances.
(They can pay for themselves in just a few years!) Look for the
"Energy Star" label whenever you shop for appliances or
computer equipment.
Turn off computer-related and entertainment
equipment when not in use.
In winter, close drapes at night and open them during the
daytime. Closed drapes at night also help keep heat in the house.
Open drapes during the day helps the sun's energy warm the house
interior.
In summer, close drapes and windows during
the day and open them at night.
Repair leaky faucets and install low-flow
showerheads. Leaky faucets waste water and make your water heater
work overtime. Low-flow showerheads reduce water and water heater
use.
Check and repair disconnected or crushed heating
ducts in attic and crawl space, and clean or replace furnace
filters. Duct repairs and clean filters will help insure the heated
air from your furnace isn’t wasted heating your crawl space and
that it reaches your living space most efficiently. No air coming
from an open register can be a sign of duct problems.
See also the
South Coast Energy Partnership.
for more information...
Download Energy
Conservation Brochure (a PDF file) from the Renewable Energy
project of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.
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