Building Envelope
√ Curtains and drapes can serve as an effective way to shield out the sun during the summer, especially if they are lined with a white backing.
√ Use blinds and outside shade screens on south and southwest facing windows to keep your house from overheating in the warmer months.
Furnance/Boiler
√ Set your thermostat as low as is comfortable.
√ Keep the temperature fairly constant, as frequent changes will utilize more energy by causing unnecessary cycling on and off. Setting back the temperature at night, however, is recommended.
√ Clean or replace furnace filters once a month or as needed.
√ Oil-fired boilers should be professionally cleaned and tuned once a year. Gas-fired equipment needs to be checked every other year.
√ Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure they are not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.
√ Keep draperies and shades on south-facing windows open during the heating season to allow sunlight to enter your home; close them at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.
√ Close the door to an unoccupied room or area that is isolated from the rest of the house and turn down the thermostat or turn off the heat for that room or area.
√ Use kitchen, bath, and other ventilating fans wisely. Turn these fans off as soon as they are no longer needed. In about 1 hour, these fans can pull out a house-full of warmed or cooled air. They can also pull dangerous furnace combustion gasses into the house in some situations.
√ Check your ducts for air leaks. First look for sections that should be joined but have separated and then look for obvious holes.
√ Do not use duct tape to repair leaky ducts. Standard duct tape has been shown unreliable. Various mastics or non-cloth-backed tapes are preferable.
Central Air Conditioning
√ Set your thermostat at 78 F or higher. Each degree setting below 78 F will increase energy consumption by approximately 8%. Be careful, however, that if your A/C is oversized the diminished run-time from raising the thermostat setting may result in too-high indoor humidity in some locations.
√ Use bath and kitchen fans sparingly when the air conditioner is operating to avoid pulling warm, moist air into your home.
√ Inspect and clean both the indoor and outdoor coils. The indoor coil in your air conditioner acts as a magnet for dust because it is constantly wetted during the cooling season. Dirt build-up on the indoor coil is the single most common cause of poor efficiency. The outdoor coil must also be checked periodically for dirt build-up and cleaned if necessary.
√ Check the refrigerant charge. The circulating fluid in your air conditioner is a special refrigerant gas that is put in when the system is installed. If the system is overcharged or undercharged with refrigerant, it will not work properly. You will need a service contractor to check the fluid and adjust it appropriately.
√ Reduce the cooling load by using cost-effective conservation measures. For example, effectively shade east and west windows. When possible, delay heat-generating activities, such as cooking and dishwashing, until evening on hot days.
√ Over most of the cooling season, keep the house closed tight during the day. Don't let in unwanted heat and humidity. Ventilate at night either naturally or with fans.
Lighting
√ Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents.
√ Match bulb wattage to the lighting task and use dimmers where appropriate.
Refrigerator
√ Keep your refrigerator or freezer at the following temperatures: 37-40 °F for the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator, 0-5°F for the freezer section. Use a thermometer to check inside temperatures.
√ Make sure your refrigerator and freezer door seals are airtight. Check the seal on door gaskets periodically by closing the door on a dollar bill. If it pulls out easily, you may need a new gasket.
√ To ensure proper cooling of its contents, don't crowd food items. Too many dishes obstruct air circulation.
√ Cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder.
√ Replace paper wrappings on food items with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Paper is an insulator.
√ Consider turning off the butter conditioner since it is a little heater inside your refrigerator.
√ Experiment with the "energy saver" switch in your refrigerator - it allows you to adjust the heating coil under the "skin" of the refrigerator (the purpose of the heating coils is to prevent condensation on your refrigerator).
√ Regularly brush off or vacuum the refrigerator coils on the back or bottom of the unit.
Water Heater
√ Drain a quart of water from your hot water tank every 3 months to remove sediment that prevents heat transfer and lowers the unit's efficiency.
√ Take more showers than baths. Baths use the most hot water in an average household. You use 15 to 25 gallons of hot water for a bath and less than 10 gallons for a 5-minute shower.
Oven/Range
√ Preheat ovens only when necessary. With conventional ovens, keep the preheating time to a minimum. Unless you're baking breads or pastries, you may not need to preheat the oven at all.
√ Food cooks more quickly and efficiently in ovens when air can circulate freely. Don't lay foils on racks. If possible, stagger pans on upper and lower racks to improve air flow.
√ Use glass or ceramic pans in ovens. You can turn down the temperature about 25 °F and cook foods just as quickly.
√ Do not open the oven door often to preview the food. Each time you open the door the oven temperature drops by 25 °F. Watch the clock or use a timer instead.
√ Full-size ovens are not very efficient for cooking small- to medium-sized meals. It generally pays to use toaster ovens or microwave ovens.
√ Check to be sure the oven door gasket is tight. Adjust or replace gaskets as required.
√ If you have a self-cleaning oven, consider using the self-cleaning feature immediately after regular baking when the oven is still hot. Less energy will be required to reach the cleaning temperature. Try not to use the self-cleaning feature too often.
√ Keep range-top burners and reflectors clean; they will reflect the heat better and save energy.
√ Match the size of the pan to the heating element; more heat will get to the pan and less will be lost to the surrounding air. A 6-inch pan on an 8-inch burner will waste over 40% of the energy.
√ On electric stove-tops, use only flat-bottomed pans that make full contact with the element. A warped or rounded pan will waste most of the heat.
√ When cooking with a gas range-top burner, use moderate flame settings to conserve gas. Also make sure the pilot light is burning efficiently, with a blue flame. A yellowish flame indicates an adjustment is needed because the gas is burning inefficiently.
√ Whenever possible, use a pressure cooker. By cooking food at a higher temperature and pressure, cooking time is reduced dramatically and energy use is cut by 50-75%.
Clothes Dryer
√ Check the outside dryer exhaust vent periodically. If it doesn't close tightly, replace it with one that does to keep the outside air from leaking in. This will reduce heating and cooling bills.
√ Clean the lint filter in the dryer after every load to improve air circulation. Regularly clean the lint from vent hoods.
√ Dry only full loads, as small loads are less economical; but do not overload the dryer.
√ When drying, separate your clothes and dry similar types of clothes together. Lightweight synthetics, for example, dry much more quickly than bath towels and natural fiber clothes.
√ Dry two or more loads in a row, taking advantage of the dryer's retained heat.
√ Use the cool-down cycle (perma-press cycle) to allow the clothes to finish drying with the residual heat in the dryer.
Washer
√ Wash most clothes in warm or cold water; rinse in cold. You'll save energy and money. Use hot water only if absolutely necessary. Switching the washer temperature setting from hot to warm could reduce a load's energy in half.
√ Fill washers (unless they have a small-load attachment or variable water levels), but do not overload them. In general, washing one large load is more efficient than washing two small loads. If you don ’t have a full load but need to get clothes clean, adjust the setting to a lower water level if possible.
√ Don't use too much detergent. Follow the instructions on the box. Over-sudsing makes your machine work harder and uses more energy.
√ Do not over-wash clothes. Delicate clothes don't need as long a wash cycle as dirty work clothes.
√ Presoak or use a soak cycle when washing heavily soiled garments. You'll avoid two washings and save energy.
Dishwasher
√ Always operate a dishwasher with a full load and select an energy-saving cycle whenever possible. The dishwasher uses the same amount of water whether it is half full or completely full.
√ Don't pre-rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Scrape-off food and empty liquids. Soaking or prewashing is generally recommended in cases of burned-on or dried-on food. If you must rinse dishes, use cold water.
√ Load dishes according to manufacturer’s instructions and allow for proper water circulation.
√ Don't use the "rinse hold" on your machine for just a few soiled dishes. It uses 3 to 7 gallons of hot water each time you use it.
√ If your dishwasher has a booster heater, turn down your water heater thermostat setting to 120°F.
√ Select the air-dry option, if your machine has it. If not, stop the machine before the drying cycle begins and open the doors to let dishes air-dry.
√ Help your dishwasher operate more efficiently by checking drains and filters to make sure that they are not clogged with food.
Customizing Your New Home’s Climate
sonrisasales@jdpierceco.com | 760-530-9033
© 2008 JD Pierce Company, All Rights Reserved.
Website by:
garden of e.