- Use
shades or drapes to help regulate the heat in your home. When it's hot
outside, cover the windows on the south, east, and west sides of the
house. During cold weather, let the sun shine in.
- Put on a sweater and lower the thermostat in the winter. At night, add an extra blanket to the bed and turn the heat way down.
- Don't
press "on" until you have a full dishwasher or clothes washer. Heating
water accounts for about 15 percent of the average home energy bill.
Use detergents formulated to wash clothes in cold water, and save even
more.
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- Once
a month, check your furnace or air conditioner filter. Clean or replace
it if it's dirty, so the air flow through your systems isn't blocked.
- Get
fans to circulate the air when you use your air conditioner. Fans cost
less to use than air conditioning, and allow you to raise the
thermostat and stay comfortable.
- Buy a space heater or two and keep unoccupied rooms at a cooler temperature in the winter.
- If
you have single-paned windows, put up storm windows in the winter. In
cold weather, they can reduce heat loss by 25 to 50 percent.
- Change
some light bulbs. Some 95 percent of the energy used by an incandescent
bulb goes to heating it, so you get a double whammy: You use more
energy and add heat to a room, which is a problem in the summer. ENERGY
STAR [R] compact fluorescent bulbs use two-thirds less energy and last
up to 10 times longer.
- Pull together your utility bills
from the past year and compare your home to similar homes across the
country, using the ENERGY STAR [R] website. Once you input your data,
you'll get recommendations for energy-saving home improvements
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- Seal
or weatherstrip windows, doors, and gaps along your home's foundation
to keep warm air from escaping in the winter and cool air from escaping
in the summer. Seal and insulate ducts that carry hot and/or cold air
through any heating and cooling systems.
- Add insulation, starting with the attic. Good insulation there can save 20 to 35 percent in heating and air-conditioning costs.
- Look
for the ENERGY STAR [R] label when shopping for new products, including
appliances, lamps, room air conditioners, furnaces, and electronics.
Dishwashers with the label, for example, use at least 41 percent less
energy than the federal minimum standard for energy consumption.
- Plant
deciduous trees. They'll shade you in the summer and, after the leaves
fall, allow sunlight to warm your home in the winter. From an energy
standpoint, trees are most effective on the south, east, and west sides
of a house.
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