Green House: 10 Steps to Energy-Efficient Home…

 

1. For every two degrees you lower your thermostat in winter (or for every two degrees you raise it in summer), you save 5 to 10% of the heating/cooling portion of your bill.
2. Have heating & air conditioning equipment serviced twice a year.
3. Consider a fan & dehumidifier.  Both use less energy and can make a home comfortable.
4. Don’t shut internal doors or registers, since that adds strain on the heating/cooling system and will make it use more electricity.
5. On sunny days, open curtains & blinds to let in the sun’s heat; close them at night and on cloudy days.
6. Close the fireplace damper & cover the fireplace when not in use; the chimney will act like a funnel & allow cold outside air to infiltrate.
7. Use enough weather stripping & caulking, including on the internal door to your heater/hot water closet and ceiling access.  Ask local utility company to perform an energy test.  Add insulation to attic.
8. Water heating usually accounts for 10 to 25% of the energy used in a home.  Tankless heaters provide hot water on demand, which reduces or eliminates standby losses.
9. Conserve bathroom water by installing low-flow shower heads & water-conserving toilets.
10. Replace single-pane windows.  Double-pane windows with high-performance low-E glass perform much better and help reduce heat loss in winter and gain in the summer.

Your comments are welcome…

And thank you for making me Your Orange County Real Estate Connection.

Best regards, Michael Caruso

 

~ by Michael A. Caruso on May 15, 2008.