An Engineering Extension energy feature

The "Top 40"

— Forty energy-saving tips under $40 —

By Doug Walter
Cutting your utility bills need not require a trip to the bank for a second mortgage.

In fact, some of the most effective ways to save energy while maintaining or improving comfort cost less than a nice dinner and movies for two -- and some cost nothing.

No single tip on the following list of 40 costs more than $40. Most require no special skills and take only a few minutes to install or use. Some involve only a change of habit or procedure.

If you use as many of the Top 40 Tips as you can, you'll make a sizable dent in your utility bills. Then you can afford to move on to greater energy-saving investments like wall and ceiling insulation, energy-efficient appliances, a high-efficiency furnace and air conditioner, and a heat-producing sun room.

The Top 40 Tips have no particular order or priority. The following list groups them by categories of energy use.

Heating

1. Reduce cold air drafts and air leakage by caulking and sealing cracks in the exterior of your house.
   Hint: Start in your attic. Some of the largest, yet easiest to fix air leaks are around structures which penetrate your attic, such as the chimney, plumbing vent pipes, and wiring chases. Don't close attic vents -- you need them to vent moisture to the outside in the winter.
   Tightening your home will make it more comfortable as well as increase the natural humidity level.
2. Weatherstrip doors and windows to reduce air leaks and drafts. Pay special attention to high-traffic doors. Choose a quality weatherstripping product that you can adjust as the door expands and contracts during the seasons.
3. Instead of weatherstripping troublesome windows, install interior plastic storm windows. Interior storm windows are unaffected by wind and weather, easy to install, and effective.
   Hint: If appearance is a concern, purchase "heat shrink" plastic film. Attach it to the window frame with double-stick tape (provided), and then shrink it with a blow dryer to eliminate wrinkles and filmy look.
4. Install outlet gaskets behind the cover plates of your home's electrical outlets and switches located in outside walls to reduce air leakage through these openings.
5. Seal leaks in heating ducts using foil tape and insulate any ducts that pass through unheated spaces.
6. Keep supply and return registers unobstructed by furniture and drapes.
   Hint: Don't waste your money on air deflectors for supply registers unless deflectors are the only way to prevent warm air from being discharged behind closed drapes.
7. Open drapes on the south side of your house (even the sheers) to let solar heat in during the day.
8. Make insulating window panels from rigid insulation board and place over windows at night to reduce heat loss. Use 3/4-inch-thick foam rubber weatherstripping around the edge to create a friction-fit, airtight seal.
   Hint: Decorate the panels with sticky-back wall paper or shelf liner.
9. Save energy at night and when you're gone for more than six hours by turning the thermostat down five to 10 degrees.
   Hint: You can make an automatic thermostat controller for less than $10 by using an appliance, or lamp, timer (available at hardware stores), extension cord, and four-watt night light.
   Plug the night light into the extension cord and mount it about two inches below the thermostat. Plug the cord into the timer and plug the timer into a nearby outlet. Set the timer to turn the night light on when you want the temperature to be set back.
   Heat from the light bulb will "fool" your thermostat into thinking your house is warmer than it actually is. Result: a setback of approximately 10 degrees and savings of eight to 12 percent on your heating costs.
10. Check and replace furnace filters regularly. A dirty filter reduces your furnace's efficiency.
    Hint: Measure your filter size and buy a dozen. Whenever you get your utility bill, change filters.

    Cooling

11. Keep the sun out of your house by closing drapes during the day, especially on windows facing east and west.
12. Reduce heat generated inside your house. Use major heat-producing appliances, such as the oven and range, during the early morning when windows can be open. For the evening meal, reheat food in the microwave or barbecue on the grill outside.
13. Reduce moisture generated inside your house, since your air conditioner must remove it. Move houseplants outside in summer (five average houseplants give off about half a quart of moisture a day). Do major cooking and wet cleaning when you can ventilate the house. Use exhaust fans when showering and cooking.
14. Set the thermostat as high as comfort allows. You will save four percent on your cooling bill for each degree of increase. Shut off the air conditioner or turn it to 85 degrees whenever you are going to be gone for more than four hours.
15. Use fans to circulate air and improve comfort. Moving air feels as much as four degrees cooler than still air. Use a large window fan to draw in cool air at night instead of running the air conditioner.
16. If you run your air conditioner most of the time, close storm windows.
17. Locate a window air conditioner out of direct sunlight, especially afternoon sunlight, when the unit must work the hardest.
18. Replace or clean air conditioner filters regularly. Keep vegetation and other obstructions away from the outdoor coil. Check the coil regularly to make sure it is not plugged with leaves, dirt, cotton, or other vegetation.
19. Turn your furnace pilot light off during the summer. This saves 500 to 700 cubic feet, or about two dollars worth of natural gas per month.

    Hot water

20. Insulate your water heater if it is located in an unheated space. An insulation jacket will double the insulation value of most water heaters.
21. Insulate your hot water pipes for the first six feetfrom the water heater, plus anywhere they run through unheated or cool areas.
22. Turn the hot water temperature down to 120 degrees unless your dishwasher requires 140-degree water. You will not only reduce heat loss from your water heater, but will extend its life and lessen the chance of scalding.
    Hint: Don't go by the temperature markings on the control dial. Run the water a few minutes at a hot water tap, then measure the temperature. Adjust as necessary, then measure again the next day.
23. Install a low-flow shower head to reduce the hot water flow rate from six or more gallons per minute to as littleas two gallons per minute.
24. Take a short shower instead of a bath.
25. Repair dripping faucets promptly. Often, the valve simply needs a new washer. A dripping faucet (one drip per second) can waste 650 gallons of water per year.
26. Use running hot water as little as possible. Instead ofrinsing dishes, scrape them, or soak and rinse them in a dishpan. Do not run hot water constantly when shaving orbrushing teeth.
27. Wait to run your washing machine and dishwasher until you have full loads.
28. Wash clothes in cold water as much as possible. Always select the cold water rinse.

    Lighting

29. Turn lights off when you do not need them or when you leave a room.
30. Replace multiple bulbs in a fixture with a single bulb.
    Hint: Replace two 60-watt bulbs with a single 100-watt bulband receive the same light output with 17 percent less energy use.
31. Use energy-efficient bulbs, such as compact fluorescent bulbs, which screw directly into the sockets of many incandescent fixtures.
    Hint: Compare bulbs by the lumens (light output) per watt (energy consumed). The more lumens per watt, the more efficient the bulb. Fluorescent bulbs are three to five times more efficient than incandescents.
32. Put outdoor security lighting on a timer, photosensor, or motion sensor so the light will be on only when needed.
    Hint: If the light is on all night, use an efficient bulb, such as fluorescent, mercury vapor, or high-pressure sodium.

    Appliances

33. Clean the lint filter on your clothes dryer before every load. A dirty filter restricts airflow and increases drying time.
34. Dry clothes outside whenever possible.
35. Let dishes in the dishwasher air dry by turning dryer heat off or interrupting the drying cycle.
36. Clean your refrigerator's condenser coils four times a year using the crevice tool on your vacuum or a special (long, round, tapered) coil brush.
37. Unplug extra refrigerators and freezers. Partially full, they waste from 100 to 200 kilowatt-hours per month. Put refrigerated and frozen food into a single refrigerator or freezer if possible. If not, buy a small chest-type freezer for additional frozen food storage.
38. Do not preheat your oven for more than five minutes unless absolutely necessary. Most foods will bake fine if you simply increase the baking time by a few minutes.
39. Shut the oven off 10 minutes before the end of the baking period. Stored heat will complete the baking.
40. Cook with lids whenever possible to conserve heat and fluids and reduce cooking time.

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