Make Your Home More Energy Efficient This Winter
During winter months as temperatures outside drop, most consumers experience increases in their electric bills. Why is that? Heating is one of the greatest energy expenses in our homes. However, there are many free or inexpensive ways to reduce energy when using your home's heating system. West Florida Electric Cooperative suggests trying a few of the following tips to reduce your energy consumption.
- Keeping the temperature a few degrees cooler can lower heating bills. Keep the thermostat set between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Consider installing a programmable thermostat to set the temperature back automatically at night and while inhabitants are away from home during the day. This will help save about two percent on heating bills for every degree you lower the temperature.
- Seal heating ducts and insulate any ducts that run through unheated spaces in your home.
- Check forced-air furnace filters regularly and clean or replace them as often as once each month during the heating season. Shake reusable filters outside or spray them with a garden hose. Replacing filters once a month can save up to five percent on your heating costs.
- Seal the largest air leaks in your home-ones that whistle on windy days or feel drafty. The worst culprits are usually utility cut-throughs for pipes, gaps around chimneys, recessed lights in ceilings and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. Seal doors with weather-stripping and door sweeps.
- Drapes and blinds can add layers of insulation. Keep drapes and blinds closed at night and on sunny days, open them to let in the sun's heat.
- Replace leaky windows with energy efficient models or boost their efficiency with weather-stripping or storm windows.
- Don't block central heating systems registers, baseboards, radiators or cold air returns with furniture, rugs or drapes. Air must be able to circulate through and around them for maximum efficiency.
- Consider replacing older furnaces or heat pumps. A system that is more than 20 years-old could be costing you as much as 20 to 30 percent more than a newer system.
- Insulate hot and cold water pipes. If pipes are exposed beneath homes or in unheated garages, insulate them with special pipe-insulating foam. This will help keep cold pipes from freezing and hot water pipes hot.
Cutting down on water heating costs will also help lower your electric bill during colder months. Consider installing energy-efficient showerheads and faucet aerators, which will reduce the amount of water released by up to 50 percent. There will be almost no noticeable difference in water pressure once these devices are installed. Another important energy-saving tip is to set water heater temperatures lower. Install a timer to switch it off during the hours while you are away. Each ten degree reduction will save about five percent on energy costs. Wrapping water heaters in insulating blankets is also important when striving to save energy. Having your water heater wrapped will pay for itself in one year or less.
Make sure that leaky faucets are fixed as soon as possible once they are detected. A leaky faucet can waste six to ten gallons of water per day. Repairs can be as simple and inexpensive as replacing a worn-out washer. You may also want to take showers instead of baths. The average bath uses twice as much hot water as a five minute shower.
Bad habits developed throughout your lives can also contribute to energy inefficiency and cause you to waste money and resources. The following are some ways you can change your habits and routines to conserve energy:
- Place compact fluorescent bulbs in most frequently used light fixtures (those operated three or more hours per day). They draw about one-quarter the energy of an incandescent bulb and last ten times longer.
- Keep lights off in unoccupied rooms and get in the habit of turning off the light every time you leave a room for more than a few minutes.
- Use low-wattage bulbs when possible, like in hallways or closets.
- Clean light bulbs and fixtures since dirt can reduce light output by as much as ten percent.
- Remove unnecessary bulbs in track and recessed lighting. When positioned correctly, three bulbs can sometimes provide nearly the same light as four.
- Install dimmers in areas where they make sense, such as the dining room and bedroom. The amount you dim equals your energy saved. For example, lights dimmed 15 percent reduce energy consumption up to 15 percent.
- When working at a desk or workbench, use task lighting. Other lights in the room can be turned off or dimmed.
In addition to these helpful tips, WFEC offers programs, services and tools to help consumers conserve energy in their homes. One of these services is a home energy audit. Energy audits assess how much energy a home consumes, and evaluates measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient. An audit will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time. During the audit, you can pinpoint where your house is losing energy. Energy audits also determine the efficiency of your home's heating and cooling systems. An audit may also show you ways to conserve hot water and electricity. Participating in the Touchstone Energy® Home Program can also help you make your home more energy efficient. Under the recommendations of this program, member-owners of WFEC can build new more energy efficient homes or remodel existing ones to become more efficient. By making a few small changes, you can begin to see savings in your monthly power bill. After utilizing the Touchstone Energy® Home Program, your home will be operating at peak efficiency levels. WFEC also provides an energy calculator on its website for consumers to utilize to determine the amount of estimated energy use costs based on your inputs into the calculation tool. The annual and monthly results are not intended to be extremely accurate, but, to provide a comparison platform to give you the differences between the energy your home is currently using ("Base House") versus various "Scenario" variations.
The items mentioned above are just a few of the ways you can conserve energy. Changing the types of light bulbs you use, adhering to the advice of experts and reforming the habits you have acquired will allow you to conserve energy and also save you money. For more information on how to conserve energy in your home, visit the energy calculator on our website www.wfeca.net or call (800) 342-7400 to request your energy audit.
During winter months as temperatures outside drop, most consumers experience increases in their electric bills. Why is that? Heating is one of the greatest energy expenses in our homes. However, there are many free or inexpensive ways to reduce energy when using your home's heating system. West Florida Electric Cooperative suggests trying a few of the following tips to reduce your energy consumption.
- Keeping the temperature a few degrees cooler can lower heating bills. Keep the thermostat set between 65 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Consider installing a programmable thermostat to set the temperature back automatically at night and while inhabitants are away from home during the day. This will help save about two percent on heating bills for every degree you lower the temperature.
- Seal heating ducts and insulate any ducts that run through unheated spaces in your home.
- Check forced-air furnace filters regularly and clean or replace them as often as once each month during the heating season. Shake reusable filters outside or spray them with a garden hose. Replacing filters once a month can save up to five percent on your heating costs.
- Seal the largest air leaks in your home-ones that whistle on windy days or feel drafty. The worst culprits are usually utility cut-throughs for pipes, gaps around chimneys, recessed lights in ceilings and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. Seal doors with weather-stripping and door sweeps.
- Drapes and blinds can add layers of insulation. Keep drapes and blinds closed at night and on sunny days, open them to let in the sun's heat.
- Replace leaky windows with energy efficient models or boost their efficiency with weather-stripping or storm windows.
- Don't block central heating systems registers, baseboards, radiators or cold air returns with furniture, rugs or drapes. Air must be able to circulate through and around them for maximum efficiency.
- Consider replacing older furnaces or heat pumps. A system that is more than 20 years-old could be costing you as much as 20 to 30 percent more than a newer system.
- Insulate hot and cold water pipes. If pipes are exposed beneath homes or in unheated garages, insulate them with special pipe-insulating foam. This will help keep cold pipes from freezing and hot water pipes hot.
- Place compact fluorescent bulbs in most frequently used light fixtures (those operated three or more hours per day). They draw about one-quarter the energy of an incandescent bulb and last ten times longer.
- Keep lights off in unoccupied rooms and get in the habit of turning off the light every time you leave a room for more than a few minutes.
- Use low-wattage bulbs when possible, like in hallways or closets.
- Clean light bulbs and fixtures since dirt can reduce light output by as much as ten percent.
- Remove unnecessary bulbs in track and recessed lighting. When positioned correctly, three bulbs can sometimes provide nearly the same light as four.
- Install dimmers in areas where they make sense, such as the dining room and bedroom. The amount you dim equals your energy saved. For example, lights dimmed 15 percent reduce energy consumption up to 15 percent.
- When working at a desk or workbench, use task lighting. Other lights in the room can be turned off or dimmed.
Make sure that leaky faucets are fixed as soon as possible once they are detected. A leaky faucet can waste six to ten gallons of water per day. Repairs can be as simple and inexpensive as replacing a worn-out washer. You may also want to take showers instead of baths. The average bath uses twice as much hot water as a five minute shower.
Bad habits developed throughout your lives can also contribute to energy inefficiency and cause you to waste money and resources. The following are some ways you can change your habits and routines to conserve energy:
In addition to these helpful tips, WFEC offers programs, services and tools to help consumers conserve energy in their homes. One of these services is a home energy audit. Energy audits assess how much energy a home consumes, and evaluates measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient. An audit will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time. During the audit, you can pinpoint where your house is losing energy. Energy audits also determine the efficiency of your home's heating and cooling systems. An audit may also show you ways to conserve hot water and electricity. Participating in the Touchstone Energy® Home Program can also help you make your home more energy efficient. Under the recommendations of this program, member-owners of WFEC can build new more energy efficient homes or remodel existing ones to become more efficient. By making a few small changes, you can begin to see savings in your monthly power bill. After utilizing the Touchstone Energy® Home Program, your home will be operating at peak efficiency levels. WFEC also provides an energy calculator on its website for consumers to utilize to determine the amount of estimated energy use costs based on your inputs into the calculation tool. The annual and monthly results are not intended to be extremely accurate, but, to provide a comparison platform to give you the differences between the energy your home is currently using ("Base House") versus various "Scenario" variations.
The items mentioned above are just a few of the ways you can conserve energy. Changing the types of light bulbs you use, adhering to the advice of experts and reforming the habits you have acquired will allow you to conserve energy and also save you money. For more information on how to conserve energy in your home, visit the energy calculator on our website www.wfeca.net or call (800) 342-7400 to request your energy audit.
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