Trying to reduce your energy costs and at the same time remain comfortable? Please try these helpful hints.
- Keep your heating system maintained yearly. According to the EPA, yearly maintained systems use 13% less fuel than those that are not.
- Arrange for automatic delivery to ensure your home always has heating oil.
- Don’t block the heating vents or radiators with furniture.
- Add insulation; feel for air leaks around windows, bathtubs, fireplaces, electrical outlets. Caulk leaks.
- Winterize doors; use vinyl-covered foam weather strip to seal up thresholds.
- Keep fireplace damper closed when not in use.
- Install a water-saving showerhead and fix those drips. One drip of hot water per second from a leaky faucet will consume the equivalent of 16 baths per year.
- By consistently reducing your thermostat by just five degrees overnight, you can cut as much as 10% from your fuel bill.
- To maximize your energy savings without sacrificing comfort, install an automatic setback or programmable thermostat.
- Indoors – adhere protective film over windows, leaving holes so that you can still open and close the blinds. Secure with double-sided tape.
- Outdoors – install a protective film over the window.
- Replace cracked window panes.
- Reglaze window glass (glazing is the putty that seals the glass to the frame). You can use a putty knife or glazing gun. Re-glazing stops air infiltration on the sash itself. You can then install a V-strip to stop any air leakage that would go around the sash (window frame) – This also makes the window easier to operate up and down.
- Wood will shrink and cracks will occur as your house gets older. Be sure to inspect at regular intervals for an infiltration.
- Threshold – is there a gap between the threshold and the door? Use a bottom seal that can be attached to the bottom of the door – it should brush up against the floor to seal up the threshold. It virtually stops drafts.
- Glass doors on the fireplace will also provide insulation.
- Caulking is one of the most cost-effective things you can do to weatherize your home.
- You should caulk where 2 different types of materials meet, i.e. where the window frame meets the wall.
- Running half or partially full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine wastes energy. Always run full loads.
- Install fluorescent lighting wherever possible since fluorescent bulbs last 6-10 times longer than incandescent bulbs and can use 50%-80% less energy.
- Windows on the south side of the house get the most sunlight. Eastern windows get sunlight in the morning. West facing windows receive sunlight in the afternoon. Open shades and drapes during the daytime and close them when the sun goes down.
- If you have an older heating system, consider replacing it with a new, efficient system. The payback can often be substantial.
