| New England Energy Audit HEATING TIPS |
HAVE A HOME ENERGY AUDIT DONE. Having a home energy audit done can show you exactly where all those heating loses are occurring. Do you have a room that is always colder than the others, but you cannot determine why. We can help show you the cause. If you are losing heat, that means you are losing money!! These days with fuel costs at their highest and probably going higher that usually amounts to a considerable amount. If you are thinking about purchasing a new heating system, look for ENERGY STAR models. These are the most energy efficient models on the market and will save energy, save money, and help the environment. Your house won't warm up any faster if you raise the thermostat setting. When your heating system is on it runs at the same rate regardless of the temperature setting. It is far better to raise the temperature of your thermostat only 3-4 degrees at a time. Shut the door or at least try to minimize the number of times that doors to the outside are opened and closed. Each time you open the door cold air enters the house. Leaks develop in all air ducts over time. Sealing these leaks in ducts can reduce heating costs by up to 20% with reductions of 10% extremely common! Open shades on the southern and eastern windows during the day. Close these shades when the sun goes down to keep the heat from escaping. Make sure the fireplace flue is closed when you are not using it. Ceiling fans set at slow speed push warm air away from the ceiling and move it around the room without creating a chilling breeze. This spreads the heat more evenly and will make you feel more comfortable. If your heating system has a pilot light turn it off during the summer. A pilot light typically costs $3-$5 per month to keep lit so why not turn it off when you aren't using it. Have your heating system tuned and inspected by a service professional. Losses from a poorly maintained system accumulate over time - sometimes at a rate of 1- 2% each year. Make sure that your wall and attic are properly insulated. Adding batts of fiberglass insulation in your attic is one of the most cost effective savings measures and one that you can do yourself. Leaks develop in all air ducts over time. Sealing these leaks in ducts can reduce heating costs by up to 20% with reductions of 10% common! Lowering the thermostat by as little as 1° F typically reduces your heating bill 1- 3%. Most energy experts recommend setting the thermostat to 68° F or less, and several degrees cooler overnight. Make sure you lower you thermostat if you are leaving the house for any period of time; you use much less energy to heat the house up when you return than to keep it heated while you are away. A programmable thermostat lets you easily lower the thermostat during periods when no one is home, as well as lower the temperature overnight without having to freeze in the morning while waiting for the heat to rise. You might save as much as 20% on your heating costs and recover your investment in the first year. Open drapes and shades during the day to let in the heat from the sun. Using insulated or heavily lined drapes and closing them at night can help heat from going out the window. Insulate your hot water pipes. Hot water heating systems use a network of pipes to distribute heat through your house. Uninsulated pipes waste energy. Wrapping pipes that are readily accessible with insulation is easy to do and fairly inexpensive. Pipe insulation made of fiberglass or foam can be found in all building supply stores. Use insulation with a wall thickness of 3/4 in. for fiberglass and 1/2 in. for foam. Single pane windows are not energy efficient. Not only are they inefficient, but worn and dirty windows can be unsightly as well. Replacing them with energy- efficient windows is a major investment, but in colder climates the heating savings can be considerable. Caulk windows and doors to prevent drafts. Insulate outlets. Electric outlets let cold air into the house. Remove the outlet covers and insert special insulation underneath. Use special insulating plugs in all outlets that are not being used. Make sure your furnace filters are clean. Vacuum monthly or replace. The cost of new filter can be anywhere from $1.00 to $15.00. Money well spent. Do not allow your heating fuel to go below 1/4 tank. By doing so you risk damage to your heating system causing costly repairs. Do you use portable space heaters? Not only can they be dangerous but they will also increase your electricity costs, often times enough so that you are not realizing any savings at all. If you do nothing else, simply adding layers of clothes will help reduce your heating costs. Use these thermostat setting guidelines. Recommended thermostat settings are no lower than 78 (for cooling) and no higher than 68 (for heating). Thermostats have a big impact on your energy bills. About one-half of all energy used by households goes to heat and cool the home. If you have central air conditioning, ENERGY STAR recommends that you set your thermostat as high as comfortable while you're home and at 85ºF while you're away. Lowering the thermostat by as little as 1ºF typically reduces your heating bill 1-3%. ENERGY STAR labeled programmable thermostats are easy to use and can greatly improve heating and cooling comfort in your home. NOTES ON FIREPLACES MANY OF US IN NEW ENGLAND HAVE FIREPLACES IN OUR HOMES, AND OFTEN MORE THAN ONE. WHILE THEY ARE ONE OF THE MOST ATTRACTIVE FEATURES OF ANY HOME, THEY ARE AMONG THE MOST INEFFICIENT HEATING SOURCES. A FIREPLACE CAN VENT AS MUCH AS 24,000 CUBIC FEET OF AIR AN HOUR TO THE OUTSIDE. COLD AIR FLOWS IN TO REPLACE IT. HEATING IT UP IS EXPENSIVE
METAL TUBES WILL DRAW COOL ROOM AIR INTO THE FIREPLACE AND CIRCULATE WARM AIR BACK INTO THE ROOM.
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| 866-603-ENERGY OR E-MAIL: INFO@NEWENGLANDHOMEENERGYCONSULTANTS.COM |
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