EFFICIENCY TIPS

Before spending money on expensive technologies that generate energy, consider this: It is much cheaper to save a kilowatt than to produce it.

Listed below are some basic low-cost steps that can lead to significant waste in a home. Simple, low-cost retrofits can save hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars each year while enhancing the comfort of a home.

Sealing Leaks

It's easy to detect air leaks and drafts inside our home because we feel them, like those around windows, doors and fireplaces. But most drafts and leaks occur where we do not notice them: inside our attics and crawlspaces. Sealing these leaks has a great impact on improving the comfort of your home while saving you money on your monthly energy bills.

Adding Insulation

Insulation keeps your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, but in many cases it is poorly installed. Our home energy audits check for gaps and ensure that the insulation used is still effectively acting as a barrier to the transfer of heat and cold from the outside. When correctly installed with air sealing, insulation can deliver comfort and lower energy bills during the hottest and coldest times of the year.

Heating and Air-Conditioning Systems

Does your heating and cooling system leave some rooms hot and others cold? Ducts should be sized and configured to address the heating and cooling needs of each room. In many instances, systems have been installed with the same size duct for a bathroom, a bedroom or a living room, forcing too much air into one room, not enough in another. Resizing the ducts, making sure they are adequately insulated, and repairing leaks can lead to considerable savings and enhanced comfort of a home.

Clean or Replace Filters At Least Once a Month

Dirty and/or clogged filters make your system work harder and run longer than necessary. Dirty filters are also a prime breeding ground for mold, mildew and other allergens.

Clean Condenser/Evaporator Coils at the Beginning of Each Season

Clean coils can lower energy costs and extend the life of your air-conditioner. Coils on the outside unit can be washed off with a hose, but indoor coils may require the service of a technician.

Appliances

When considering which appliances to purchase, many homeowners cut corners and choose low-cost models. Many do not realize that by spending just a little more on appliances that boast an Energy Star rating, they may save hundreds of dollars in electricity over the life of the product.

Lighting

Replacing incandescent lighting with efficient compact fluorescents can improve the energy efficiency of a home. Compact fluorescents use one-fourth of the electricity that a regular incandescent bulb uses to produce the same amount of light, and they last ten times longer.

Behavior

Unplug your phone charger when you're not using it, and check the rest of your home for other instances where electronics or chargers are plugged in when they don't need to be. Switch off power strips. Electrical cords plugged into outlets use power, called "phantom loads," even when they are not in use. Don't forget the old standards, too: Turn off lights when you don't need them. If you have a HVAC system designed using today's best practices, set your thermostat and air conditioner to levels that provide comfort and let the system do its job. If you still have an older system, be sure set the thermostat to 75 in the summer and 65 in the winter to save energy.