Tighten Up! - Energy Efficiency Tips

Energy efficiency tips to implement now and start saving money

Colorado residents can expect about a 35% increase in their home energy bills this year. By implementing simple energy efficiency measures – many of which are no-cost or low-cost - homeowners can help alleviate higher energy bills this winter.  These guidelines can help you learn ways to increase your home’s energy efficiency and save an average of 10 to 15% on monthly utility bills.

Heating & Cooling:

• Heating Efficiency
• Cooling Efficiency

Building Envelope:

Hot Water

Appliances & Lighting:

• Refrigerators and Freezers
• Cooking
• Laundry
• Electronics & Lighting

Miscellaneous

Vehicle Use

Heating & Cooling:

Space heating and cooling account for about half of a typical home’s energy use.  Ensuring that your home is heated and cooled as efficiently as possible requires addressing two important factors: 1) building envelope – that is, making sure your home is well-insulated and tightly-constructed to avoid loss of heated or cooled air (see the next section for more tips) – and 2) space heating and cooling equipment.

Back

Heating Efficiency

• Install an Energy Star® programmable thermostat if you don’t already have one, and keep it set at the lowest comfortable temperature: 68 to 70 degrees during the day and 55 to 60 at night, and when you’re away from home for an extended period. Every degree above 70 will cost an additional 7 to 10 percent on heating bills.
• Routinely maintain your furnace, air conditioner and/or heat pump and clean or replace filters every month or two.  This can save you up to 5 percent on the cost to operate the furnace.
• Insulate heating ducts and keep them well maintained. This can reduce your heating up to 30 percent.  Exposed ductwork joints should be sealed with mastic (a gooey substance that is applied with a paintbrush) to reduce heat losses.
• Keep areas around heat vents clear of drapes and furniture so that they do not block the flow of air.
• Using a space heater when the thermostat is set low can be an efficient way to heat a small, closed-off area when the heat in the rest of the house can be turned down. But use it sparingly! 
• Adjust the fan on your central heating unit to the “auto” position. Keeping the fan on all the time will add unnecessary costs to your monthly heating bill.
• Consider installing an energy efficient heat pump – it can trim the electricity use for heating by 30 to 40 percent.
• If you are using a heat pump, adjust the thermostat in small increments and keep it at a steady temperature. This will avoid activating the less efficient resistant heat strip in the system.
• Heat pumps are most efficient when there is free flow of air; so don’t close off more that 10 percent of your home at one time.
• Consider hiring a professional energy auditor to identify leaks and other areas for efficiency savings.  If an energy audit isn’t in your budget, you can identify many opportunities for efficiency with a Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Audit.

Back

Cooling Efficiency

• Never block, cover, or stack anything on an outside heating or A/C unit and keep the unit clean by removing any dirt, leaves, grass, etc. on a regular basis.
• Turn off kitchen, bath and other ventilation fans as soon as they have done their job.  These can pull a houseful of warm air outside in just one hour.
• Use ceiling and other fans to provide additional cooling and help air circulation to cut down on air conditioning costs.  Ceiling fans use less electricity than AC.
• In Colorado’s climate, evaporative coolers are much more efficient and less costly than central AC.  They also add moisture to the air, while air conditioning dries the air.
•   If you have central air conditioning and are an Xcel Energy customer, sign up for the Savers Switch program.  Xcel will give you a $25 credit on your utility bill for each year you participate.  Once you sign up, a licensed electrician installs a small remote-controlled switch on the outside of your home near your central air conditioner. On hot summer days, Xcel Energy may activate Saver’s Switch.  This cycles your air conditioner off and on at 15- to 20-minute intervals. However, the furnace fan stays on, circulating already-cooled air throughout your home.  Most customers don't even notice when Saver’s Switch is activated.
• When purchasing new air conditioning units, look for a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of 13 or higher.  These use 20 percent less electricity than a standard unit and can save about $600 in summer cooling costs over the system’s lifetime.  For room A/C units, look for the Energy Star® label and be sure it’s the right size for the room.
• Plant evergreens and shrubs on the north side of your house to create a windbreak in winter.  Plant leafy trees and shrubs on the south, west and east sides of your house to block the summer sun.  In the winter, when they loose their leaves, they allow winter sunlight to warm your home.  Plant trees or shrubs to shade your outdoor air conditioning unit in summer.  Just three trees, properly placed around a house, can save between $100 and $250 annually in cooling and heating costs.
• Xcel Energy offers rebates of up to $200 for the purchase of high efficiency evaporative coolers (a.k.a. swamp coolers) with an Industry Standard Rating (ISR) of 2,500 CFM (cubic feet per minute) or higher. 

Building Envelope:

A home’s envelope (walls, windows, doors, foundation, roof, attic, etc.) can account for 25-40 percent of the load on your heating and cooling system.  You can reduce these losses by looking for ways to plug holes and seal cracks that allow heated or cooled air to escape.

• Close outside doors and windows when the heat is on.
• Fireplaces are a significant source of heat loss. Add glass doors to prevent excessive heat loss and keep the flu closed when not in use.  If your fireplace still feels drafty, block off the chimney with a piece of rigid insulation from the hardware store that fits snugly into the space.
• Consider hiring a professional energy auditor to identify leaks and other areas for efficiency savings.  If an energy audit isn’t in your budget, you can identify many opportunities for efficiency with a Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Audit.
• Check around your house for air leaks.  Look for places that feel drafty on a windy day and check for obvious gaps or cracks around the usual culprits: utility cut-throughs for pipes; around ducts and electrical outlets; gaps around windows, doors, chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings; and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets.  Seal these leaks with caulk and weather-stripping.
• Install door sweeps or thresholds to doors.
• Install electrical outlet gaskets.
• Install energy efficient windows. Look for double or triple pane windows with a low-emissivity (low-e) coating, which will reflect heat back into a room during winter months and can reduce heating loss at the window by 25-50 percent.  In cold climates, low-e windows can reduce heating bills by 34 percent compared to uncoated, single-pane windows.   Always look for the Energy Star® label to ensure the highest efficiency windows.
• If new windows aren’t in your budget, think about high efficiency window blinds or draperies with insulated linings.  These can raise the R-value of single-pane windows from R-1 up to R-6.  Look for shades or drapes that fit into tracks to keep the air from passing around the edges.  White window shades, drapes or blinds reflect heat away from the house in the summer.  A triple cell honeycomb or cellular shade is one of the most energy efficient. 
• If frost or water condensation appears on your windows or they feel drafty, install storm windows or tape clear plastic sheeting to the inside of the window frame.
• In winter, utilize the sun’s heat by keeping the blinds open during sunny days; then close them at night to reduce heat loss.
• In the summer, keeping the blinds and windows closed during the day and open at night to can eliminate the need for air conditioning on all but the hottest summer days!  A whole-house fan or window fan will help to circulate night-time breezes.
• Check the insulation in your attic and crawlspaces. If you have less than R-22, or about 6 or 7 inches (bring a tape measure), add more. Homes in Colorado should have between R-38 and R-49 insulation.
• If your attic is under-insulated, your walls, ceiling and/or floors may be as well.  Call a contractor to have it checked.  Insulation can reduce heating and cooling needs by 30 percent.  Click here for a listing of Boulder area installation contractors.

Back

Hot Water

After space heating and cooling, water heating is usually the second largest energy user in a home.  New water heaters on the market can save significantly on water heating costs, but there are lots other ways to increase the efficiency of your existing hot water eating system as well as easy ways to cut down on water use and save on your water bill.

• Set your water heater at 120.
• Wrap your water heater with an insulating blanket; it will pay for itself in one year or less!
• Make sure you have adequate insulation on your hot water pipes wherever they are accessible.
• If your gas water heater is more than 12 years old, consider replacing it with a more efficient model or a tankless or on-demand system, which heat the water coming into your house only when it is needed.  For low water use homes, they are 8 to 14 percent more efficient and for higher water use home, 24 to 34 percent more efficient than hot water storage tanks. 

• Install timer controls on your hot water.  Turning it off at night can save 5 to 12 percent of water heating energy.
• Turn off the water heater if you’ll be away for more than two days.
• Install low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators (3 gallons per minute).
• Take showers instead of baths and keep them short (5 to 10 minutes).  Showers generally account for 2/3 of water heating costs.
• When adjusting the temperature in the shower use less cold water instead of adding more hot water.
• Use cold water when washing clothes instead of hot.
• Routinely check pipes for water leaks and seal potentially leaky joints with acrylic tape (not duct tape).
• Consider installing a solar thermal domestic hot water heating system. Federal tax credits beginning in 2006 will help cover 30 percent of the capital cost up to $2,000. Click here for more information on solar hot water; or here for a list of Boulder area solar installation contractors.
• Consider an air-source or geothermal heat pump.  These are 30 to 50 percent more efficient than using an electric water heater.
• Install a drain-water heat recovery system.  These are especially effective with on-demand water heaters and solar thermal systems with paybacks ranging from 2.5 to 7 years.

Appliances & Lighting

About 20 percent of all the energy used in your home goes into running appliances.  Refrigerators and freezers run constantly and are a significant energy draw; often they are the third largest electricity end use in homes.

• When it’s time to purchase new appliances, always look for the Energy Star® label.

Back

Refrigerators & Freezers

Cooking

• When cooking, keep the lids on pots to retain heat and don’t open the oven door. Or, use the microwave; they use 30 percent less energy than a conventional range or stove.
• Copper bottomed pots and pans use heat more efficiently.
• Using the oven in the summer will increase air conditioning loads and make the house less comfortable.  Use and outdoor grill or microwave instead.

Laundry

• Only wash full loads in your dishwasher and washing machine.
• Wash clothes in cold water whenever you can.
• Set the washer’s automatic water level sensor if you have one, if not remember to adjust the water level accordingly.
• Keep the dryer’s lint trap clean.
• If you have a moisture sensing setting on your dyer use it.  Avoid over drying clothes – it wastes energy and causes static and wrinkling.
• A warm dryer uses less energy, so try to wash and dry several loads in succession.
• Separate light and heavy fabrics for the most efficient drying times.
• Make sure the dryer is vented to the outside to avoid heating up the house in the summer and making your air conditioner work extra hard.  Better yet, use a clothes line whenever the weather is nice.

Back

Electronics & Lighting

• Set your computer to go to “sleep” when it’s not used for 5 minutes.  (Note: screen savers do NOT save energy).  If you plan to be away from the computer for more than 30 minutes, turn it off. This does not damage the computer.
• Unplug electronic devices and chargers when they are not in use.  Alternatively, plug these devices into a power strip with an “on/off” switch and turn it off when not in use. Even when they are turned “off” these devices can collectively and constantly draw 50 watts in a typical household.
• Install motion detectors on outdoor lights instead of leaving them on at night.
• Turn off lights when leaving a room, or install motion detectors on indoor lighting.
• Use energy efficient Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).  CFLs use only one-fourth the energy that incandescent bulbs use and last 10 times longer.  They also give off less heat than incandescent bulbs, reducing summer cooling loads.  If every household exchanged four 100-watt incandescent bulbs with four 23-watt CFLs it would save the energy consumption equivalent to seven million cars.
• Avoid heat producing halogen torchiere lamps.  They are inexpensive to buy but expensive to operate (and a fire hazard too).
• Consider installing a solar photovoltaic system to generate electricity for your home.  People in Xcel Energy’s service territory are eligible for rebates that will pay for up to half of the cost of a new PV system.  Federal tax credits up to $2,000 for residential PV will be available in 2006. 

Back

Miscellaneous

• Turn off everything not in use.
• Refinancing your home to take advantage of lower mortgage rates?  Consider an energy efficiency mortgage to finance home efficiency improvements.  The interest is tax deductible in many cases.
• Think about every dollar you spend.  Consumers can make a big impact on market forces by directing their dollars toward sustainable, low impact products and services. 

Vehicle Use

• Walk or bike when possible.  Not only will you save money, save energy and reduce air pollution – you’ll get some exercise too!
• Carpool and use public transportation whenever possible.
• If your employer allows it, telecommute a couple of times a week. 
• Combine errands to minimize vehicle use.
• In the market for a new car?  Rule #1: Don’t buy an SUV.  Rule #2: Look for a vehicle with high gas mileage.  Use the same rules when renting a car too. Rule #3: if you can, buy a hybrid. (Federal tax credits of $2,000 to $3,000 are available for the purchase hybrid cars.) Not only does it save energy and reduce pollution, it let’s auto makers and policy makers know that consumers are concerned about energy conservation.
• Keep your vehicle tuned and running properly to improve mileage.
• Have air filters changed regularly.
• Keep tires properly inflated in accordance with elevation and season.
• Use recommended motor oil depending on vehicle and season.
• Drive 60mph, each 5mph over 60 reduces efficiency.
• Use cruise control whenever possible
• If your car is equipped with an overdrive gear, use it when possible to save gas and decrease engine wear.
• Avoid idling.

Back