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Energy
Efficiency for a COLD Winter!
Halloween
isn't the only scary thing in Fall. Failing to winterize your
home will result in higher energy consumption and pricey utility
bills. Here are some home energy efficiency tips for a cold
winter.
Home & Energy
Usage Tips:
- Check out Energy Star washers which
use less water and energy yet get clothes as clean as conventional
units, plus dryers with moisture sensors, and high-efficiency
refrigerators.
- Join the Alliances "4
for the planet" challenge. Just replace your four
most used 100-watt incandescent bulbs with four comparable
23-watt compact fluorescent bulbs to save $82 over three
years. If all U.S. households did the same, wed save
as much energy as is consumed by 7 million cars in one
year!
- Plug surprising "leaks" from
standby power. Did you know that your idle TVs,
VCRs, cable boxes, CD players, cassette decks, cordless
phones, burglar alarms, and microwaves continue to consume
energy when switched off to keep display clocks lit and
memory chips and remote controls working? That costs consumers
$3 billion annually in energy costs. Energy Star electronic
products use less energy in standby mode.
- Dont like
coming home to a dark house on those short winter days? Instead
of leaving lights on, put timers on a few of the lights
in
your home, or install motion detectors on exterior floodlights
to improve your home security. After you get inside, the
sensor will "remember" to turn the lights off.
- Activate "sleep" features
on computers and office equipment that power down when
the equipment is on but not in use for a while. Turn off
equipment during long periods of nonuse to cut costs and
improve longevity.
- Let the sun help heat your home by
keeping blinds of sun-exposed windows open in the day time
and closed at night.
- Upgrade Your Oil Heat System --
New oil heat systems are generally more efficient than older
units and typically reduce heating oil consumption by 15
to 25 percent. However, in a 23-state field test, the Alliance
demonstrated that older oil fired boilers and furnaces can
achieve similar savings if they are upgraded with a properly
installed frame retention head burner. These burners strictly
control the amount of excess air that is used for combustion,
resulting in a hotter flame and increased energy savings
- To avoid $ticker $hock at the
pump, select fuel-efficient cars and the most fuel
efficient SUVs and urge manufactures to use fuel efficient
technologies for SUVs. Consider new hybrid cars. Improve
fuel economy of existing or new cars by proper maintenance
and adequate tire inflation and driving a little slower.
Fall Checkup
Before autumn
ends, inspect your roof for any shortcomings. If there are missing
or damaged shingles, immediately call an expert
(or your insurance company) about repairs and replacement. Also,
make sure the flashings around your chimney are watertight and
that the chimney itself is free of cracks. Plus, it's called Fall
for a reason, so now is the perfect time to clear the leaves from
your gutters; if they aren't clean, the extra weight of the freezing
snow can quickly bring them down. Additionally, make sure overhanging
limbs are cut back and downspouts are free of debris and pointed
away from the house.
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2008
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