Every home can benefit by conserving energy.
There are many ways to practice energy conservation in homes, but not all are practical or economical for each and every family. Although it is important for cutting energy costs individually and it is an important effort to conserve energy globally, using the suggestions in the steps below must be a subjective practice to be done be each individual home owner. You can therefore pick and choose the ways to conserve energy which will work best for your particular needs. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Check to see what areas might be letting cold air come in, or allowing heat to escape, such as outer windows, doors, outside vents, etc. Put in weather-stripping around these windows and doorways and this will cut down on your use of fuel.
2. Close the fireplace damper.
3. Reduce the temperature on the hot water heater to around 110 degrees F, and insulate the hot water heater to save 25 kilowatt hours a month.
4. Put in energy-efficient insulation in your attic. Determine the correct R-value or
resistance to heat flow for the the kind of heating you have and the climate you live in.
5. Turn down your home thermostat two degrees and save 24 kilowatt hours a month. Buy a programmable thermostat, especially if your home is vacant most of the day. You can set it to turn on 30 minutes before someone gets home. Avoid turning your thermostat up or down dramatically because that wastes energy and increases your heating costs.
6. Fix and Replace leaky faucets - Even one drip a second is 20 kilowatts a month.
7. Replace standard incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. They are more energy-efficient, last for years instead of months, and generate little heat
8. Buy major appliances that display the "Energy Star" sticker which shows the appliance meets or exceeds standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
9. Consider a front-loading washing machine. Front-loaders use 50% less energy and one-third less water. They remove much more water in the rinse cycle, resulting in far less dryer time.
10. When it comes time to replace your dryer, look for a model with a drying sensor feature that will automatically turn off when the clothes are dried. The dryer won't run any longer than necessary
11. Set your air conditioning unit to 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the air conditioning filter clean, so it will run more efficiently. Install a central air conditioning unit on the shady side of your house rather than in direct sun, the A.C. will operate more efficiently
12. Install an attic fan and it will handle much of the hot air that can put a strain on an air conditioning system during the hot summer months.
13. Plant shade trees, outside a window, help shield your house and help save power.
14. Use heavier drapes. In the winter, it will help prevent heat from escaping and in the summer, they will keep the cool air from your air conditioner inside.
15. Always turn off lights when leaving a room.
Tags: conditioning unit, conserve energy, down your, efficiently Install, hours month, kilowatt hours
