Energy Efficiency

Energy Efficiency

The key to achieving energy efficiency in your home is to view it as an ongoing process – whether taking small steps or large ones. Follow these tips and tricks to start your energy conservation efforts, then visit our links page to learn more.

Lighting

Besides just turning off the light when leaving a room, you can do more to conserve light energy and save money. Replacing one incandescent, regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) will save you $30 for the light bulb’s lifetime.

CFLs are more energy efficient than standard incandescent bulbs because they have a different way of producing light. Inside incandescent bulbs, a filament heat ups and produces light. While it produces a bright, clear image, nearly 90% of the energy used to energize the filament is wasted as heat. A fluorescent bulb, however, contains a gas that, when excited, produces invisible ultraviolet light. When this light hits the white coating inside the bulb, it changes into a light visible to the eye. Because heat is not used in the production of light, fluorescent bulbs are much more energy-efficient than incandescent ones. In turn, because it takes less energy to produce light, you can purchase compact fluorescent bulbs in much lower wattages than incandescent ones and still receive the same amount of light:

With so many to choose from, how do you decide on the best bulb?

40 watt incandescent = 9 – 13 watt compact fluorescent
60 watt incandescent = 13 – 15 watt compact fluorescent
75 watt incandescent = 18 – 25 watt compact fluorescent
100 watt incandescent = 23 – 30 watt compact fluorescent
150 watt incandescent = 30 – 52 watt compact fluorescent
250-300 watt incandescent = 52 and up watt compact fluorescent

Here are some quick facts about CFLs.

If every home in the U.S. replaced one light bulb with a CFL, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.
CFLs are more expensive than regular incandescent bulbs; however, they use 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer.
CFLs work best in open fixtures. They should not be used in canned light fixtures because they don’t allow for air flow. CFLs work well in table lamps, floor lamps, ceiling fixtures and wall sconces.

CFLs do contain small amounts of mercury, but are not of major concern if disposed of properly. If a CFL is broken in your home:

Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a sealed plastic bag. Use disposable rubber gloves, if available, but not your bare hands. Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the plastic bag. Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
Place all cleanup materials in a second sealed plastic bag. Place the first bag in a second sealed plastic bag and put it in the outdoor trash container or in another outdoor protected area for the next normal trash disposal. If your local trash company will not accept broken lamps, check with your local recycling center. Wash your hands after disposing of the bag.
If a fluorescent bulb breaks on a rug or carpet, remove all materials you can without using a vacuum cleaner, following the steps above. Sticky tape (such as duct tape) can be used to pick up small pieces and powder. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag or vacuum debris in two sealed plastic bags in the outdoor trash or protected outdoor location for normal disposal.

Heating and cooling

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Did you know that nearly 45% of your utility bill goes toward heating and cooling your home? With such a large percentage of home energy dedicated to heating and cooling, you also have a great opportunity to make a big change in your utility bill. From simple to serious changes, your choices can have a dramatic impact on energy usage and costs per year.

Heating:

Have a professional check your heating and cooling system once a year. Just like cars, your unit needs a tune-up to run efficiently. You can also clean and replace your filters monthly to lengthen the life of your system.
Insulate leaks or separations at the joint of your unit. You can use mastic, butyl tape, foil tape or other heat-approved tapes. Insulate duct-work as well.
Keep furniture and drapes away from heating vents and radiator valves so air can flow freely. Close vents in rooms that are not in use and keep the door shut to prevent heating/cooling an extra room.
Keep your thermostat as low as is comfortable in the winter. Use blankets and extra layers to keep warm. Every degree over 68 adds three percent more energy usage to your utility bill.
Use the sunlight to heat your house. Keep blinds and curtains open in the day and closed at night.
Purchase a programmable thermostat and program it to turn off when you leave and to come on right before you get home.
Buy a humidifier. It takes a higher temperature to feel comfortable when the air is dry, which is normally in the winter months.

Cooling:

As with your heating system, you should have regular maintenance performed by professionals. And change your filters monthly.
Insulate leaks or separations at the joint of your unit. You can use mastic, butyl tape, foil tape or other heat-approved tapes. Insulate duct-work as well.
Keep furniture and drapes away from heating vents and radiator valves so air can flow freely. Close vents in rooms that are not in use and keep the door shut to prevent heating/cooling an extra room.
Purchase a programmable thermostat and program it to turn off when you’re not home and to come on right before you get home.
In mild temperatures, open your windows.
Keep blinds and curtains closed when the sun is brightest.
Use ceiling fans and stand alone fans to keep cool.

Both heating and cooling:

Caulk and weatherstrip leaks in your house. If properly sealed, you can save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling. Seal anywhere you feel a draft, including areas where plumbing, ductwork or electrical wiring go through exterior walls. Also check attics, basements and crawlspaces.
Install storm doors and windows for an additional layer of insulation.
Insulate attics, basements, living areas and crawlspaces. Your local home improvement store can help you decide which type – fiberglass, cellulose, rigid foam board, spray foam – is best for your home. If you only do one place in your home, make it the attic!

Water

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Water use can account for up to 13 percent of your utility bill. Here are some simple tips that can reduce your bill and wasted energy.

Exercise water conservation
- Install low-flow faucets and showerheads
- Take showers instead of baths
- Repair leaky faucets ASAP!
- Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.
- Let dishes soak in the sink.
- Don’t water the cement – aim only for your lawn.
- Use a hose with a shut-off nozzle.
- Only run full loads of laundry or dishes.
Turn down the thermostat on your water heater. A setting of 120 degrees is suitable.
Insulate your water heater to prevent heat from escaping around the tank. You can also insulate the first six feet of hot and cold water pipes connected to the water heater.
When the time is right, purchase a more energy efficient water heater. Look for one with the Energy Star label.

Appliances

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Appliances account for 20 percent of your electric bill. Refrigerators, clothes washers and dryers use the most energy. Here are some simple tips to reduce your costs and energy consumption.

Refrigerators:

Clean condenser coils every three months or less. Dust reduces the efficiency of the unit and increases energy consumption.
Check the seal on your refrigerator door. Close the door over a piece of paper and try to pull the paper out. If it comes out easily, you should have the seal replaced.
Keep the temperature in your refrigerator at 37 to 40 degrees and in your freezer at five degrees. Check the temperature by placing an appliance thermometer in a glass of water inside for 24 hours.
Cover liquids and wrap foods that are stored in the refrigerator to keep it from working too hard. Liquids and food release moisture that can cause the unit to be less efficient.
Wait for food to cool before placing it in the unit. The refrigerator will have to work harder to bring the food to the temperature inside.
Only keep the door open as long as necessary!

Range/Oven:

Use a microwave whenever possible. They only use a third to half of the energy that a conventional oven uses.
Make sure the seal on the oven door is tight. Try not to open the oven too much when baking. You lose 20 percent of the heat inside each time it is opened.
Use lids on pots and pans and cook at lower settings.
Use the burner size that best fits the pot you use. Heat and energy are wasted if you use a burner that is larger than the pot.
Keep the drip pans under coil burners clean. And don’t line them with aluminum foil, which reflects heat and can damage the elements.
Turn the oven off right before the food is finished cooking. Let the remaining heat finish the cooking.
If the flame for your pilot light and burner is yellow (it should be blue), the port needs to be unclogged or adjusted. You can use a pipe cleaner to clean it – just make sure it has cooled off!
A gas burner only uses 55 percent of the energy it produces and traditional electric ranges only use 65 percent. Get an induction cooktop, which uses 90 percent of the energy it produces.

Laundry:
About 90 percent of the energy used to run a washing machine goes to heating the water. To reduce the amount of energy used to wash clothing, use less water and use cold water. Here are some simple tips to reduce your utility bill and energy consumption when washing and drying laundry.

Wash clothes in cold water and use cold water detergents.
Wash and dry full loads to maximize your time and efficiency.
Next time you’re in the market for a washer, buy one that has the Energy Star label. They use 50 percent less energy than regular washers.
Dry heavy items like towels in separate loads from light-weight items like clothes.
Finish drying clothes with the residual heat in the dryer by utilizing the cool down cycle.
Don’t over dry laundry. Use a moisture setting if your dryer has one.
Clean the lint trap to increase air circulation, and inspect it periodically to be sure nothing is blocking it. This also prevents fires.

Dishwashers:

Run your dishwasher with a full load. Running small loads wastes energy because you do it more often.
Let your dishes air dry.
Don’t worry about rinsing dishes unless food is burned on or dried on. You can scrape off large pieces of food left on dishes.
Don’t use the “rinse hold” on the dishwasher for only a few dishes – it uses three to seven gallons of hot water.
Next time you’re in the market for a dishwasher, buy one with the Energy Star label. They use 25 percent less energy than federal standards require.

Home Office and Electronics

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With technology advancing every day, more and more homes are equipped with electronic devices. Even if your home isn’t loaded with a PC, laptop, blackberry and four cell phones, your television and stereo account for energy wasted while they aren’t in use. Here are some simple tips to reduce your electric bill and save energy.

Home office:

Try to buy energy efficient office equipment. An Energy Star computer uses 70 percent less energy than other computers.
Be sure to turn off your machines when they aren’t in use. Computers are more efficient than past models and don’t last longer if left on constantly.
Unplug or turn off (if possible) the AC adaptor for your laptop when the laptop is not plugged in. Even though the laptop isn’t charging, the adaptor is pulling electricity from the outlet.
Screen savers don’t save energy. If you walk away from your computer often, program it to “hibernate” or turn off your monitor.
Overall, laptops use less energy than a desktop computer, so make the switch!

Home Electronics:

Buy electronics with the Energy Star label.
Appliances continue to draw energy from the outlet even when they are turned off. These are called phantom loads. Unplug the appliance or use a power strip to turn off the electrical supply when they aren’t in use. This includes televisions, VCRS, DVD players, stereos, computers and kitchen appliances. About 75 percent of the electricity used by electronics is consumed when the products are turned off.
Unplug battery chargers.
Use rechargeable batteries.

Driving

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The best way to begin saving money and energy on automobiles is to buy a green vehicle. But, even if you aren’t in the market for a new vehicle, there are steps you can take to make your vehicle more efficient. How you drive and how well you maintain your vehicle will decide how much you save in terms of money and energy.

Driving:

Modern vehicles don’t need to warm up like some of the older models. And they have automatic chokes, so you don’t need to step on the gas to start the engine.
When possible, plan your drive to avoid rush-hour. Stop-and-go driving burns more gas and releases more emissions.
Don’t floor it! Quick starts waste gas and greatly increase pollution. One second of high-powered driving can equal the same amount of carbon monoxide emissions as a half hour of normal driving.
Anticipate stops so that you don’t have to slam on the brakes.
Follow the speed limit signs. Not only does it help keep you safe on the roads and reduce your chances of getting a traffic ticket, it will lower your fuel consumption by 10 percent.
Unload your cargo. Just an extra 100 pounds can reduce your fuel economy by 1 percent.
Use overdrive at cruising speeds. If you drive a manual, shift up a gear as soon as possible. Driving in high gear saves fuel.
Try to roll down a window and use vents before turning on the air conditioner.
Run all your errands at once. When your engine is warmed-up, it creates less pollution.
Try carpooling to work. Or, if you live close enough, ride your bike or walk whenever possible.
Park in the shade in the summer months to keep your car cool and minimize fuel evaporation.
Park in your garage to keep your car warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Use a windshield shade to protect your car from heat in the summer and frost in the winter.

Maintenance:

Keep your tires inflated to the pressure recommended in your owner’s manual. Fuel economy is reduced by one percent for every three pounds below recommended pressure. Tires can lose one pound each month.
Buy low-rolling-resistance (LRR) tires. These are designed to improve fuel economy.
Check your mileage versus gasoline consumption once a month. If there is a major difference in the outcome compared to what you normally get, you might need to have your vehicle serviced.
Change the oil regularly.
Use regular gasoline unless your owner’s manual says otherwise.
Buy from gas stations that use vapor-recovery nozzles (accordion-looking plastic sleeve attached to the nozzle).
Don’t overfill your gas tank or top it off after the automatic nozzles clicks off. It isn’t good for your vehicle and can cause gasoline to spill out of the tank.

Landscape

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Besides making your yard esthetically pleasing, trees can be planted to help reduce utility costs and increase your energy efficiency inside your home. Here are a couple of tips when it comes to strategically planting trees to reduce your energy costs and consumption.

Trees that lose their leaves in the fall permit warm sunlight to enter your home’s windows and heat the house. In the summer, the leaves block sunlight from entering through the windows and heating the home.
Plant trees on the south, east and/or west sides of your home.
Shade your air conditioning unit with a tree.
Use evergreens, trees and shrubs to block unwanted wind which can find itself in your home if there are small leaks in your windows, doors and walls.