| I know, I know - it's been really warm. But I | | | | energy expense in your home, typically accounting |
| promise you, winter will come (I think). The bad | | | | for about 6 percent of natural gas use. |
| news is that heating oil prices here are already | | | | Potential Savings: $18-30/month |
| over $2.60 per gallon, 40 cents more than this | | | | 6) Plastic window insulation kits - alternative to |
| time last year. Experts predict that a 20% rise | | | | new windows |
| may be on the way before winter is over - that | | | | - Plastic storm window kits or heat shrink window |
| would mean prices over $3 per gallon! | | | | film are a less costly alternative to new windows. |
| With energy prices rising almost weekly, no | | | | The extra layer of dead air space helps increase |
| matter what method you use to heat your home | | | | the insulation value of your windows. In the |
| (well, except maybe solar and geothermal) it is | | | | winter, storm windows can reduce your heat loss |
| sure to cost more to heat your home this year | | | | by 25 - 50%. |
| than it did last. Most of us can probably expect | | | | Potential Savings: $30-50/month |
| monthly energy bills between $300-500 for the | | | | 7) Install ceiling fans or reverse the direction to |
| colder months. | | | | improve heating efficiency |
| With that in mind, let me offer some hope! 10 | | | | - Reversing the direction of the blades pushes |
| quick tips to help to you save some money (as | | | | warm air down into the room. Fans should turn |
| much as $150-200 a month!), while taking the bite | | | | clockwise in the summer and counter-clockwise in |
| out of the winter chill: | | | | the winter. |
| 1) Turn down your thermostat when you are out | | | | Potential Savings: Undetermined |
| of the home and while you are asleep | | | | 8) Schedule an annual tune-up for your heat |
| - For every degree you lower your heat in the | | | | pump, furnace or boiler. K |
| 60-degree to 70-degree range, you'll save an | | | | - Keeping your furnace clean, lubricated and |
| average of 3 percent on heating costs. So setting | | | | properly adjusted will reduce energy use, saving |
| it at 65 instead of setting it at 70 can save about | | | | up to 5 percent of heating costs. Sealing leaks in |
| 15%! Installing a programmable thermostat that | | | | forced air ducts, and adjustments to oil burning |
| can raise the temperature just before you wake | | | | units can increase efficiency significantly more. |
| will make sure you are always comfortable. | | | | Potential Savings: $15-25/month |
| Potential Savings: $40-60/month | | | | 9) Close off fireplaces when not in use |
| 2) Close off unused rooms | | | | - When not in use, fireplaces should have the |
| - If you have a forced-air furnace, closing off one | | | | dampers closed. Glass doors significantly reduce |
| 100-square-foot room in a 1,800-square-foot | | | | heat loss as well. Even when in use, fireplaces |
| home could save about 4 percent on your heating | | | | allow more heat to escape from the home than |
| bill this winter. The thermostat should not be in | | | | they generate (making them little more than a big |
| the room you close off, and no more than 20 | | | | hole in the wall - a very pretty hole, but a hole |
| percent of the total living area should be closed | | | | nonetheless.) Insulating batts can also be installed |
| off. | | | | to further reduce heat loss when not in use. |
| Potential Savings: $12-20/month | | | | Potential Savings: Undetermined |
| 3) Wash clothes in cold water | | | | 10) Insulate attic and unfinished basement walls |
| - About 90 percent of the energy used for | | | | and joist bays |
| washing clothes is for heating the water - this | | | | - When installing insulation, the higher the "R-Value" |
| accounts for 16% of the average household | | | | the higher the insulating value. In existing homes, |
| energy bill. Switching your temperature setting | | | | R-11 is the standard for basements and walls, |
| from hot to warm can cut this cost in half, and | | | | while most attic areas should have R-30 or |
| switching to cold can virtually eliminate this | | | | greater, when possible. Never compress insulation |
| expense. | | | | or matt it down, this dramatically decreases the |
| Potential Savings: $30-50/month | | | | R-value, and you may as well have bought the |
| 4) Check and repair caulking and weather-stripping | | | | lower priced insulation. And always install the paper |
| - Do anything you can to reduce drafts in your | | | | facing (this is a vapor barrier) towards the heater |
| home, including caulking and weather stripping. If | | | | living space (it may make for more difficult |
| you can pass a dollar bill through the door jamb | | | | installation, but it decreases the change for |
| while it is closed, you need to replace the weather | | | | moisture related concerns, like mold!) Proper |
| stripping. Seal up any holes or deteriorated | | | | insulation can save as much as 10-40% on heating |
| caulking that can allow drafts. Energy experts say | | | | bills. |
| that weatherizing can save you between 5 and | | | | Potential Savings: $30-200/month |
| 20 percent this winter. | | | | Obviously, some of these are more important |
| Potential Savings: $15-100/month | | | | than others, and you can only save so |
| 5) Wrap your hot water heater in an insulating | | | | much....50-60% is probably as much as you can |
| jacket. | | | | hope for, despite the fact that all the estimates |
| - Check the yellow sticker on your water heater | | | | add up to more (they number were taken from |
| that tells you how efficient it is. If it is on the | | | | energy experts, not math whizzes). But you |
| lower end, install an insulation blanket around your | | | | should be able to save at least $50, and more |
| water heater (more efficient units will not benefit | | | | likely as much as $150 per month if you follow |
| as much). Water heating is the third-largest | | | | these simple and low-cost solutions. |