Here's part 3 of our series on energy savings tips from Energy Star:
Change a light. Lighting can make up nearly 20 percent of your household energy use. Don’t sit in the dark, but whenever possible, remember to turn lights off when not in use, and replace high-use, standard incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs that have earned the Energy Star. Energy Star qualified light fixtures and bulbs use 2/3 less energy than traditional lighting and last up to 10 times longer. By replacing just five of your home's most frequently used fixtures or the light bulbs in them with energy-efficient lighting, you can save more than $60 each year in energy costs.
Tighten up your home. This is one of the most cost effective ways to improve your home’s comfort and reduce energy costs. Hidden gaps and cracks in a home can add up to as much airflow as an open window and cause your heating and cooling system to work harder and use more energy. Seal all these leaks with caulk, spray foam, and weather stripping. Next, inspect your attic, to be sure it’s properly insulated – it’s the easiest place to add insulation and make a big impact on energy bills. Together, sealing air leaks and adding insulation can reduce your annual energy bill by 10 percent and improve comfort. Many of these steps are easy to do yourself, or you can hire a professional contractor to help. For details on how to do it yourself, get the Energy Star Home Sealing DIY Guide. Finally, keep your fireplace damper closed, unless a fire is going.
Adjust your thermostat and turn up the savings. Heating and air conditioning account for up to 50 percent of household energy bills. Set your thermostat as low as is comfortable for winter heating and as high as comfortable when air conditioning. When used properly, a programmable thermostat with 4-temperature settings can save you $100 each year on energy costs. You can set an Energy Star qualified programmable thermostats to automatically adjust your home's temperature when you're at home, asleep, or away for the day or an entire weekend.
My thoughts:
1. Sounds like the big three energy users are heating, cooling, and lighting. We found out from an earlier post that heating and cooling were 50% of energy costs and now we see that lighting is 20% of the total.
2. We've just started converting our house to energy-efficient bulbs, so it's too early to see the results.
3. More free stuff from Energy Star! I love free stuff!
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