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Congratulations! If you’ve followed this guide’s advice so far, by now your house is pretty well sealed and you’re saving from 15 to 50 percent of your heating and cooling energy. You can stop here, and enjoy lower energy bills and greater comfort—or you can go even farther. Inside your well-sealed house are the various systems that let you control the temperatures of your air and water with considerable precision. Since you’ve plugged up the holes in and around your doors and windows, these systems are no longer doomed to spill their heated or cooled air outdoors. So now it’s time to make sure they are doing their jobs as efficiently as possible. Making just a few small adjustments in these systems will net you some large energy-saving bonuses. For instance, it will cost you nothing in money or effort to turn your thermostat down 5 degrees. You may not even be home a third of the time, and for another third of the time you’re probably in bed under the warm blankets, so you may not even notice the difference in terms of comfort. But according to the Department of Energy, even this tiny change in your living habits will save you from 14 to 25 percent of your total heating bill, depending on which part of the country you live in. Turning your thermostat down another 3 degrees, for a total of 8 degrees, pushes your estimated savings up to 19 to 35 percent. Savings on heating costs will always be greater in colder climates, where more heat dissipates out of even the best-sealed house. But in warmer climates, where you may have air conditioning throughout the entire house, you can save 10 percent on your cooling bill just by turning your thermostat up 3 degrees in warm weather. Furnace maintenance is another important way to conserve energy. You al ready know that keeping your car tuned helps its ability both to perform and to conserve gasoline. This same principle holds true for any mechanical system. Some maintenance tasks, such as changing the furnace filter, should be done several times a year. But you don’t have to call in your service per son every time you need a new filter. In most cases, it is a simple job you can easily do yourself. Other aspects of furnace maintenance require annual visits by a qualified professional, but a $90 annual cost can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in the long run. Insulation does not stop with your attic or floors. Wrapping your heating ducts with insulation, particularly when those ducts pass through unheated areas, can increase the effectiveness of your heating system, and keep your heat, and heating dollars, from seeping out through unseen “holes”. Summer cooling also presents energy saving opportunities. How your house is vented, what type of fan you have and where it is placed, how efficiently you use your air conditioning system, and what kind of landscaping you have are all factors to consider when you are trying to cut down your fuel bills. The importance of good air circulation and proper venting is generally underestimated and can help cut down summer utility bills as well as raise the comfort level of your home. Whole-house fans can do wonders on those hot summer nights, particularly when your house has good ventilation. Hot-water heating generally represents 20 percent of your heating costs, and there are some simple, practical ways you can reduce waste and con serve heat. This section is devoted to exploring the various options open to you to in crease the effectiveness of all your home heating and cooling, while reducing costs. Next: How to Read Your Utility Meters |