By Jim Neidner
Major Power usage are
Heating and cooling System
Electric Water heaters
Refrigerators
Lights, washer, dryer, cooking,
Windows
My tips are as follows:
Replace your light bulbs to Compact Fluorescents. Saves up to 75% over regular light bulbs and drops the heat in your rooms. Just be careful not a break them.
Turn Lights,computers and TV off when not in use.
If you live in the Southern Regions Plant Shade Trees around your home blocking the direct sun light at windows and doors.
Spray inside your attic at the roof decking a Product called “Radiance” from Sherwin Williams, this will reduce the heat transfer into your attic and lower utility expense. This can be done DIY.
Block out the Sun at your windows by using Sun block-out Curtains (white is best), Solar films/Screens or if your window don’t face the front yard - use Aluminum Foils if nothing else is affordable.
Building a new home-design your home around covered porches, as many porches as possible covering your windows. This is one of the best tips I can offer to lower your utility cost if you live in the Southern regions of America. New construction use window wraps to seal around all windows to stop air leakage.
Ceiling fans work best when you are in the room, turn them off when your not, they cool skin and not rooms.
Check your attic insulation. Southern zone use R-30 to R-40. I would rather have too much insulation then to too little. Colder places in the US find out what’s recommend and add 6 inches more.
Change A/C Filters every time you pay your power bills. The system runs under less pressure when filters are clean saving you money.
Buy programmable thermostat. Save money.
Try to set you’re A/C unit to 78 degrees while in the home and 80 when your away.
Heating while at home around 65 degrees and away set it to 54 degrees.
Check you duct lines for leaks and holes once a year. They can break loose and rodents get into attics.
Remove your A/C Registers and caulk around joints where the duct lines meet the sheetrock. This will stop pulling in any hot, dirty air from the attic into your home.
Have your A/C and Heating system checked and serviced once a year or every other year. Dirty coils build-up mold and mildew inside the unit and is unsafe to your health. Also gas heating systems can develop cracked heat exchangers over time and leak Carbon monoxide in to your home. Building new the A/C and Heating Company should run heat loads on your home, make sure to ask for a copy of their heat loads for your files.
Check weather stripping around all doors and windows for air leaks.
What’s a good (SEER) Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating? - 14 SEER up I think is good, let the A/C and Heating salesperson guide you. If your equipment has a low SEER 8,9,10 and older then 10 to 15 years old, consider replacing to better energy efficiency equipment.
Make sure you match the equipment.
Gas furnaces heat better than electric, burns hotter. Get rid of older A/C and Heating units as soon as possible, new systems really do drop your power cost.
When buying new Windows check for the label on the windows “National Fenestration Rating Council label. Means windows performance is certified. (Low-e) means low emissivity.
Colder regions, the Lower the U-Value the better the insulation. Discuss this with the window sales person. U-Value means the total window unit including trim/glass with the best energy saving value. The 0.35 and lower offer best values for U-Values on heat transfer reduction.
Pools and spas pull lots of power so look-out when you have one or thinking of adding them.
Gas Hot Water Heater. Turn to vacation when you leave town. Also if your unit is 10 years or older replace with new high energy saving water heater.
When leaving town turn-off your water coming into your home in case of a pipe burst.
Make sure you have good attic ventilation using ridge vents and not the powered ventilators. Best to add soffit vents if you don’t already have them all the way around your home at the overhang-eves.
In closing, renewable energy products are now starting to come available just be sure to do your homework some will work and some won’t.
New construction using the foaming of exterior walls and attic rafters are a great energy saver, just expensive going in, however, in the long run can pay for them selves and save you money on power expenses. The ICF wall Block construction is also a good product to check out along with Windmill and solar panels.
Bottom line, we must get off of our oil dependency, sooner than later.
Good luck, save money and hope this check-list and suggestions are helpful.
Visit Neidner’s website for more home tips
www.neidnerhomes.com and
www.ihomeline.com or give Jim a call 281-831-1554.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVOiJgaiwk4
