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Energy Saving Tips
Here are some basic things you can do to maximize the energy efficiency of your home and reduce your utility bills.
- When building a new home or remodeling an existing one, insulate the entire exterior surface of walls with rigid foam insulating sheathing from Dow.
- If your walls aren't insulated, have an insulation contractor blow cellulose into the walls.
- Crawl into your attic or crawlspace and inspect for insulation. Is there any? Is there enough? Bring your attic insulation level up to snuff.
- Ventilation plays a large role in reducing summer cooling costs and providing moisture control. Attic vents can be installed along the entire ceiling cavity to help ensure proper airflow from the soffit to the attic, helping to make your home more comfortable and energy efficient.**
- Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120°F). You'll not only save energy, you'll avoid scalding your hands.
- Check if your water heater has an insulating blanket. An insulating blanket will pay for itself in one year or less.**
- Check the age and condition of your major appliances, especially the refrigerator. You may want to replace them with more energy-efficient models.
- Start using energy-saving settings on refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and clothes dryers.
- Check light bulbs for opportunities to replace incandescent with compact fluorescents. These bulbs can save three-quarters of the electricity used by incandescent lights. The best targets are 60-100W bulbs used several hours a day. Measure the clearance in the fixtures to make sure they will accommodate compact fluorescents, which are slightly bigger than incandescent lights. If you can't find compact fluorescents locally, check out Energy Guide or Energy Federation Incorporated.**
- Recessed light fixtures can be a major source of heat loss, but you need to be careful how close you place insulation next to a fixture unless it is marked. "I.C."— designed for direct insulation contact. Check your local building codes for recommendations. **
- Clean or replace furnace, air-conditioner, and heat-pump filters.
- Buy low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators, as needed.
- Seal up the largest air leaks in your house. The worst culprits are usually utility cut-throughs for pipes, gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. An option is to hire an energy auditor with a blower door to point out where the worst cracks are. All these cracks and holes may add up to as much as an open window or door. Seal these openings with Dow Great Stuff™ (www.itsgreatstuff.com).
- Rope caulk windows; upgrade the most leaky windows. It may be time to replace them with energy-efficient models or to boost their efficiency with weatherstripping and storm windows.
- Insulate hot water pipes and ducts wherever they run through unheated areas.
- Install a clock thermostat to set your thermostat back automatically at night.
- If you have a waterbed, make your bed today. The covers will insulate it, and save up to one-third of the energy it uses.
- Reduce your air conditioning costs by planting shade trees and shrubs around your house—especially on the west side.
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