Tips to Increase Your Home’s Energy Efficiency & Decrease Your Energy Bill This Winter
Think of your home like an ecosystem. Every part affects every other part. Because of that, your best approach to energy savings goes beyond simply buying a new furnace with a higher Energy Star rating (though that might help, depending on the age and efficiency of your old heating unit). Follow these tips to seal your home more tightly against the elements this winter, improve your family’s comfort and your home’s energy efficiency, save yourself money, reduce your carbon footprint by using less energy, and just generally look like a really savvy person who has it all together:
Former US President James Carter still has it right: turn down your thermostat a bit and put on a sweater. No one is suggesting you keep your home the temperature of the Arctic Circle, but be reasonable. It is illogical to dress the same in winter as you do in the summer – doing so is the same as begging the energy company to take your money away from you.
Buy a programmable thermostat if your home is empty for extended periods of the day. The idea that it costs more to heat a home that has been allowed to cool down than it does to heat one that has maintained its temperature is false. If no one is in your home from 7:30 am to 5 pm, why heat it more than necessary? Set the programmable thermostat to lower the temperature after you leave, and to start heating the house back up about half an hour before your expected return. You reap instant energy savings with no loss of comfort. According to the South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service, every 1 degree F lower your set your thermostat, you can expect an estimated 1-3% savings on your heating bill. Many programmable thermostats have multiple settings, so that you can program one set of instructions for weekdays and another for weekends, for example. (Don’t get too carried away with lowering the temperature – you don’t want your pipes to freeze!)
Discover and eradicate air leaks. A loose-fitting door or window, an open chimney flue, or even baseboards that have settled away from the foundation in older homes cost you money. Any pipes entering or leaving your home are also potential air leak minefields. A simple, inexpensive way to discover your money leaks involves a string and a somewhat windy day. Holding one end of your string with your fingertips, make a circuit of your home. Hold the string close to any area where you suspect there might be a possibility of an air leak. If there is, the string will flutter. If the string flutters, energy saving steps need to be taken. Apply weatherstripping, available in most hardware stores, around doors and windows; silicone caulk is also very effective at stopping leaks. Air leaks under doors can be minimized by attaching a door sweep, available at most home improvement stores and easily installed.
Air leaks under doors can also be staved off by constructing draft dodgers. This applies to both interior and exterior doors. Using a tightly-woven fabric, sew a tube slightly longer than the width of the door. Fill the tube with enough sand to give it body, but will still bend enough to hand over a doorknob. Sew the tube closed, and then sew another slightly larger tube of fabric. Slip the sand-filled tube inside the larger tube of fabric. Sew the larger tube closed as well (the larger tube helps catch any stray particles of sand that slip through the weave on the first tube). Lay the draft dodger along the bottom of your doors to stop drafts and save on your energy bill.
Windows lose heat particularly quickly, as glass is not a very efficient insulator. There are many simple steps to increase the energy efficiency of your windows. First, hang curtains if you have not already done so! Even if you already have blinds up for privacy, adding curtains will save money on your heating bill. Thin cotton curtains are okay, but curtains of a heavier fabric will do even better.
Insulate your windows further by applying a barrier of plastic sheeting. The sheeting must cover the window tightly to be effective. If the look of a plastic-covered window does not appeal to you, consider adding a barrier such as a fleece curtain between your interior curtains and the window. Choose light colors to avoid the dreary interior look that dark colors on closed windows will induce.
Open the curtains or drapes, especially on south-facing windows, during the day to gain a little free heat from the sun. Close them as soon as it starts getting dark to prevent the extra-cold nights from leaking in and stealing your heat gains.
While a little more expensive than most options listed thus far, installing storm windows can save significant amounts on your energy bill, especially in homes with particularly drafty windows or single-pane windows.
An often-overlooked heating-related energy draw is your home’s hot water heater. Unless your dishwasher requires the extra heat for proper disinfection, it is rarely necessary to set your water heater thermostat above 120 degrees F. Also, if your hot water heater is hot to the touch, it is not properly insulated. Consider buying an insulating sleeve made specifically for water heaters, or upgrade to a newer, more energy efficient version.
Close off the heat vents in rooms you don’t use, such as guest bedrooms. Be sure to close the door and drop a draft dodger in front of it so the cold air doesn’t seep into the rest of your home. And your guests would appreciate if you remember to open the vents when they come to visit.
Research “alternative” fuels to save on your energy bill. This does not necessarily mean wind turbines, geothermal activity, or even solar panels. Anything different from what you use now is “alternative”. If you use propane and electricity is cheaper, buy a room heater or two. If you use electricity and can save money with a corn- or wood- burning stove, consider if that investment would work in your situation. Compare the initial purchase price with potential energy savings; if the energy savings offset the purchase price in just a few years, it just might be worth it. Do not assume you are locked into your current heating system without looking into your options.
Insulating the attic can be an expensive job, but there is a simple test to determine if your house might benefit. Go outside and look at your roof a few days after a snowfall. Look at the roofs on your neighbor’s houses. Does your house have less snow on it than your neighbor’s? This is an indication that heat might be escaping out of your roof and causing the snow to melt more quickly on your house. If the snow always melts off your house first, check into insulating your attic. It is especially possible that your home needs additional insulation if it was built before 1980 and you have never added insulation. Most homes prior to 1980 were not properly insulated.
If the air in your home is very dry, a humidifier could increase your overall energy savings. If you think about summer, it’s always the humid days that seem the hottest – humid air holds heat and feels warmer. So it follows that adding some humidity to your home’s air might help.
Whether you systematically check your home against all of these tips or just apply a few that seem most pertinent to you, the heating efficiency of your home will increase. The results, without fail, include lower energy bills and fewer heating costs. You’ll thank yourself when the extra pocket money starts to accumulate.
Sources:
U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Savers – Tips on Saving Energy & Money at Home, EERE Energy Savers.
South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service, Extension Extra – Fuel Savings: Home Heating and Cooling, ExEx14093. Published 2006.
