These tips for saving on your home energy bill come from the Standard Pacific Homes Winter 2010 newsletter:
1. Set your thermostat to 68 degrees or lower. According to PSNC, for each degree above 68, your heating bill increases by 8 to 10 percent.
2. Replace or clean your HVAC filters once a month, or more often if needed. This simple task, combined with tip #3, could improve your system’s energy efficiency by as much as 10 percent.
3. Clean your warm-air registers and cool-air returns regularly by vacuuming or dusting. Make sure they are not blocked by furniture or drapes.
4. Use kitchen and bathroom ventilation fans prudently; in just one hour, these fans can pull out a household full of warmed air. Turn fans off as soon as they have done their job.
5. Keep doors to the outside closed. Contrary to popular belief, storm doors are usually not very effective as heat transfer barriers. Always close your primary door after entering or leaving your house.
6. Open shades and/or drapes on sunny winter days to help warm your house — especially any south-facing windows. Close curtains and shades closed at night or on cloudy days to help reduce the amount of heat that escapes.
7. Do not heat unused rooms in your home. Close vents in extra rooms, but do not close more than 20 percent of the total number of vents that your home has.
8. Check the setting on the thermostat of your water heater. Set it to “medium” or to 120 degrees. Heating water to a higher temp than is needed not only increases the amount of energy used, but is also a safety concern.
9. Have a licensed heating technician inspect your system each year. Most offer a service package to inspect twice a year.
10. Turn off all lights, televisions, radios and appliances when not in use.
11. Use low-wattage light bulbs where you can. Consider compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs). Although they cost more than standard incandescent bulbs, they last ten times longer (over five years in many cases) and only use 25 percent of the electricity that conventional bulbs use.
