BECOMING ENERGY EFFICENT & CONSERVING ENERGY IN YOUR HOME
When we think of conserving and ways to save electricity energy in your home, many different definitions pop into our minds. Many people think that making improvements and conserving energy is a waste of time or they just don’t want to deal with it.
There is a difference between CONSERVING ENERGY and being ENERGY EFFICENT.
CONSERVING ENERGY: is the change in behavior (energy consuming habits) that will result in using less energy.
ENERGY EFFICIENT: is the use of technology to control and use less energy for the same performance or function from energy consuming products.
Get the information you need to make smart cost effective changes that will save you money.
The improvements below defines how CONSERVING ENERGY and being ENERGY EFFICIENT APPLY TO ELECTRICAL ENERGY SAVINGS IN YOUR HOME.
With the rising cost of heating energy (Electricity, gas and oil) lowering heating/cooling costs is a must –do for families across the United States. Here are a few tips to help you and your children to become more ENERGY EFFICENT AND CONSERVE ENERGY with ways to save electricity energy in your home while staying warm during the winter month’s and cool during the summer months keeping more hard earned cash in your pockets.
Use this check list to help with:
NO COST OR VERY LOW COST IMPROVEMENTS TO HELP YOU TO CONSERVE ENERGY AND BECOME MORE ENERGY EFFICENT!
Remember that becoming energy efficient can save you major electrical energy dollars and earn you energy tax credits for your efforts.
 A good start is to invest in a energy calculation device that will tell you which appliances are using more or less energy. The will give you the information you need to save electricity in your home.
Turn down the temperature in the winter/up in the summer. This one may seem obvious, but it is the most effective way to save energy in your home ton help CONSERVE ENERGY while lowering your summer and winter utility bills. Put simply, the easiest way to pay less in your home for heat in the winter and air-conditioning in the summer is to use less energy. Did you know that for each degree you lower in the winter and each degree higher in the summer you'll save three to five percent on your heating/cooling bill? That will add up quickly!
Forget about wearing summer clothes in the house during the winter. This does not CONSERVE ENERGY. Turn down your thermostat to 65 degrees and wear warm clothing. At night, turn the thermostat down to 60 degrees and give every member of the family an extra blanket. Don't forget to adjust the thermostat lower again if you are leaving the house for extended periods.
Install a programmable thermostat: Consider installing an automated thermostat in your home that can be programmed to adjust the heating/cooling at designated times throughout the day and night, and refrain reprogramming the thermostat turning the heat up or cooling down when it feels cold/warm in the house. This makes the furnace/air conditioner work harder lowering your ability to CONSERVE ENERGY, which costs you more money.
Did you know that using a programmable thermostat in your home is one of the easiest and most efficient ways you can save energy & money? A programmable thermostat helps make it easy for you to save with four pre-programmed settings to regulate your home's temperature in both summer and winter -- when you are asleep or away.
Programmable thermostats cost between $80 and $100. Homeowners can save around $180 a year by properly setting their programmable thermostats and maintaining those settings. So you can totally recover your investment in less than six months.
Watch the use of vent fans: Use bathroom and kitchen air vent fans less often to CONSERVE ENERGY. These types of fans pull warm /cool air out and allow cooler/warm air in.
Apply caulking and weather stripping This inexpensive improvement way to save energy in your home can save you between five and 30 percent on your heating costs. Do a through inspection of your house and check for drafts, cracks and gaps. Concentrate your efforts to Areas such as windows, doors and electrical outlets that are particularly susceptible to reducing your ability to CONSERVE ENERGY, allowing cold/warm air into the house.
Have your heating system checked by a professional annually Making sure that your furnace is working efficiently is a way to save energy in your home that will save you up to 10 percent a year. You can very quickly save the cost of the inspection in lower energy bills.
Keep all forced air ducts, radiators and baseboard heating vents clean in your home to help with ENERGY EFFICENCY. Any buildup of dust and dirt will reduce heating and cooling efficient as much as 30%
Check your insulation to help with ENERGY EFFICENCY. Make sure the insulation in your home is adequate for the climate you live in and be sure to insulate water pipes and warm air ducts. Your local county extension office or home store should have a chart of recommended insulation R-values for your region/climate. Buying and installing extra insulation is a great way to save energy in your home that will save money all winter/summer long.
Close off unused areas of the home to help CONSERVE ENERGY. Heating the attic nobody goes in is costly and unnecessary. If your heating system has vents, close them off in rooms you seldom use. Note…don't do this in the room or area where your thermostat, furnace, or water heater is located – it will actually cost you more money in the long run.
Reduce your hot water heater temperature. Lowering the temperature five to ten degrees and installing a water heater blanket on you hot water heater can CONSERVE ENERGY and save five to ten percent on your energy bills. Older tank hot water heaters are among the highest energy consuming appliances in your home. If you can afford it invest in a new on demand hot water heater. This one hot water heating improvement will pay for it self quickly and save big in the long run.
Allow the sun (Passive solar heating) increase your ENERGY EFFICENCY by working for you. Keep you blinds and curtains open during the daytime and close them at night to keep heat in. Reverse the process for summertime.
Allow your kitchen to help CONSERVE ENERGY and lower your energy bills. The kitchen uses energy whenever you cook. This way to save energy in your home will help save energy in all other parts of your house. If your kitchen has doors separating it form other rooms, make sure to open the door to allow warm air to circulate into other rooms in the house.
After you have finished cooking increase your ENERGY EFFICENCY by turning of your oven and leavening the oven door open until it has cooled down.
Remember to inspect your furnace filter regularly. A dirty filter will add hundreds of dollars to your energy bills annually.
Install a dryer vent seal to your vent system. Metal flappers ARE NOT ENERGY EFFICENT and do not effectively keep cold air from entering your home. Make sure to install the proper seal for your vent system.
Install low flow heads on all showers and faucets throughout the house. These improvements will reduce your hot water usage up to 50%.
Turn your washing machine to the cold setting. Modern detergents don’t require hot water to get you clothes clean. You will CONSERVE ENERGY and still have clean clothes. The clothes washer uses 18% of your hot water in an average home. If you need a new clothes washer, front load machines will use 60% less water, and always look for the energy star label for extra savings of energy
Making your fireplace flue more ENERGY EFFICENT will help save energy both summer and winter. Insert an inflatable pillow in your flue will stop any drafts and are easily removed when you need to use the fireplace.
Compact florescent and LED (light emmitting diode) light bulbs will help you with ENERGY EFFICENCY, although they cost more initially use 75% less energy than incandescent and will last up to 10 times longer. Be prudent with this purchase also as you needs to be smarter with the use of CFLs. They require proper disposal when they burn out. RECYCLE THEM PROPERLY. There can be confusion when it comes to which of the new ENERGY EFFICENT light bulbs to use and how to get all the information you need to make a educated decision.
Check all intertainment devices and peripherals ( TV, DVDs, GAME CONSOLES, VCRs) & ( COMPUTORS, PRINTERS,) for PHANTOM POWER CONSUMPTION.
purchase a inexpensice powerstrip or Smart strip to help you control this unwanted phantom power consumption.
This power control device will pay for it self very quickly.
The refrigerator can use 15 to 20% of your monthly energy bill. Keep the refrigerator at 36 to 38 degrees and the freezer at 3 to 6 degrees to CONSERVE ENERGY .Be aware of how long you keep the door open. Get what you need and close the door. Make sure all refrigerator and freezor door seals are kept clean.
A great way to save electrical energy in your home is to teach you kids to recognize the difference between CONSERVING ENERGY and becoming ENERGY EFFICENT. This will help save your hard earned household income and enable them to save energy in there future.
When it comes time to replace the furnace, windows, or hot water heatern your home.
Make sure to do your home work. Expensive upgrades and improvements can save a lot of energy, but you must purchase the most energy efficient products possible and stay within your budget. When concidering all of the ways to save energy in your home make sure you look for energy star ratings on all energy efficent appliances and efficiency ratings for furnaces. Storm Windows and doors should have a low U-value.
The difference between R and U values.
R-value and U-value are essentially two sides of the same coin. R-value is usually cited when discussing things such as wall and ceiling insulation values. The R value does not translate well to windows products. The window industry prefers U-values. The two are actually inversely related. The higher the R-value, the better insulated are the walls and ceilings. The lower the U-value, the better job a window or door does in keeping out the heat and cold.
If you are unable to make these ENERGY EFFICIENT AND ENERGY CONSERVATION improvements you’re self, go to Angie's List - Where thousands of consumers share their ratings on the preformance of handy men and service companies they hire.
Take the time you need to learn about energy savings is a must do to help you increase your savings.
Ask your utility company for help. Utility companies around the country have programs that will help you determine exactly where you need to make improvements that will help you save energy. Certain energy savings devices can be installed at little or no charge, with special programs for lower income families.
National and state energy programs & services.
Ways to save electrical energy in your home by lowering your home's winter heating and summer cooling bills requires very little effort.
Preforming a home energy audit will be the smartest energy conservation task that you can do.
A energy audit will allow you to find all of the areas that need attention and will help you make the most important energy saving improvements first.
YOU CAN CONSERVE ENERGY AND BECOME ENERGY EFFICENT BY FOLLOWING THEASE ENERGY SAVING IMPROVEMENT GUIDE LINES.
Join the conversation with your ideas on how you save and conserve energy
at:
anewdirectionsavingenergy.com
A VERY GOOD FREE TOOL from microsoft hohm will HELP YOU ANALIZE ENERGY USE IN YOUR HOME, PLAN PROJECTS
AND HELP REDUCE CARBON OUTPUT.
Find out about all of the energy tax credits for you home
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Home energy conservation
