SAVING ENERGY & MONEY

Summer Savings

Stay cool and save money with these energy efficiency tips.

  • Clean or replace filters. Dirty filters restrict the air flow and can really hurt efficiency
     
  • Raise the temperature setting on the A/C unit. One degree higher can equate to 8% + savings.
     
  • Use a fan to move air around you to feel comfortable at the higher temperature setting (wind chill effect). One ceiling fan can make the area in its breeze feel cooler. Have the fan blow down. Shut the fan off when not in the room. If you use air conditioning, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting 4°F or more with no reduction in comfort.
     
  • Control the humidity in the areas you are air conditioning. Up to half the cost of air conditioning is in removing humidity. Use exhaust fans in bathrooms and while cooking.
     
  • Seal up any outdoor leaks that blow hot humid air into the house from outdoors.
     
  • Turn off unneeded lights or any other heat generating appliances. Replace standard incandescent lights with LED’s. They will give off the same light and only put off 1/3 the amount of heat.
     
  • Close window shades on the south and west facing walls. Use insulating shades if possible.
     
  • Make sure the outdoor coil is free of debris. Have the A/C unit serviced regularly.
     
  • Raise the temperature up on the thermostat during the day if you are going to be gone 5 – 10 degrees. Avoid reintroducing humidity back into the house within a short time frame.

Winter Savings

  • Open curtains on your south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home. Close them at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.
     
  • Find and seal leaks around utility cut-throughs for pipes, gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings. Add caulk or weather stripping to seal air leaks around doors and windows. (See diagram of common air leaks.)
     
  • Cover drafty windows. Use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. Make sure the plastic is sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration.
     
  • Install tight-fitting, insulating drapes or shades on windows that feel drafty after weatherizing.
     
  • Adjust the temperature. When you are home and awake, set your thermostat as low as is comfortable. Regularly schedule service for your heating system.
     
  • When you are asleep or out of the house, turn your thermostat back 5° to 10° for eight hours and save around 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills. A smart or programmable thermostat can make it easy to set back your temperature.
     
  • Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning. Check the seal on the fireplace flue damper and make it as snug as possible.
     
  • ALL space heaters are energy hogs. They will use roughly 1,500 watts of energy per hour! That’s $3.42/day or $102.60/month if used 24 hours a day.

Data and Tips for Year-round Savings

2023 UsageAir LeaksThermostats

 

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Watch videos on saving energy, from heating and cooling to lighting and insulation. These short clips provide simple, easy to follow tips.

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ADDITIONAL ENERGY AND MONEY SAVING TOPICS:

Properly insulating your home plays a major part in energy usage. Air leaks are among the greatest sources of energy loss in a home. One of the quickest energy- and money-saving tasks you can do is caulk, seal, and weatherstrip all seams, cracks, and openings to the outside. By sealing uncontrolled air leaks, you can save 10%–20% on your heating and cooling bills.

R Factors

 

FULL WEBSITE

Sources: Energy.gov & Keepwarm.illinois.gov

 

Air Leaks

  • Seal from the inside. Seal gaps and holes in walls, floors, and ceilings with caulk or foam sealant. Look for cracks around windows and where wires and pipes pass through.
  • Caulk along baseboards with a clear sealant.
  • Caulk around openings where water and drain lines through walls underneath bathroom and kitchen sinks.
  • Caulk electrical wire openings at the top of the interior walls in the attic.
  • Ensure windows and doors are properly weather-stripped and use door sweeps.
  • Ensure window A/C units are weather-stripped.
  • Caulk around storm windows and basement windows.

 

Air Ducts and Insulation

  • Have your duct work checked for leaks. Leaks at the return, air handler and supply can be a major source of high bills. For mobile homes, check for leaks at the grill, cross over duct and down flow air handler.
  • Ensure attic access door closes tightly and is insulated.
  • Make sure insulation in your attic does not block soffit vents.
  • Verify your ducts are tightly connected to your HVAC equipment. Well-sealed and insulated ducts can save up to 10%.
  • Insulate electric wall outlets and wall switches with foam pads.
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USAGE 

  • ALL space heaters are energy hogs. They will use roughly 1,500 watts of energy per hour! That’s $3.42/day or $102.60/month if used 24 hours a day.
     
  • Every space heater has its watt usage on the back: 1,000 watts = 1 kWh. kWh is Kilowatt/hour. Take the kWh calculation x the current rate (check latest bill to find it).
     
  • You will spend less money by adjusting your thermostat, or using the space heater as intended – to heat a small space for a short period of time.
     
  • An electric blanket is a nighttime heating alternative.
     
  • Investing in insulation for the attic and around duct work will save on energy use. Check the duct work for possible problems and your fireplace damper for heat loss.
     
  • Caulk and weatherstrip windows and doors to prevent heat loss, and use ceiling fans to help pull warm air from other parts of the house
     

SAFETY

  • Never leave a space heater unattended or use while asleep
     
  • Inspect power cord regularly, don’t use if damaged
     
  • Use on a level surface
     
  • Don’t use near foot traffic, children or pets, and keep it at least three feet away from furniture, curtains, decorations and walls
     
  • Newer models have the latest safety features
     
  • Buy a heater with the cool-to-the-touch cabinet feature
     
  • Make sure heater has Underwriters Laboratories label (UL)
     
  • Portable heaters should have a tip-over safety shut-off device

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Watt:

  • All devices require a specific amount of wattage to operate properly. (Example: perhaps a small space heater requires about 1,000 watts)

  • Kilowatt: Basic unit of electrical power. A kilowatt equals 1,000 watts. (Example: the small space heater requires 1.0 kilowatt)

  • Kilowatt-hour (kWh): One kilowatt of power used for one hour equals one kilowatt-hour. (Example: the small space heater, left on for one hour, uses 1 kilowatt-hour. At 10 cents per kWh, that heater costs $2.40 per day and $72 per month if on continuously.)

  • Most appliances list the power used in watts. Look for the serial plate on the bottom or back of the appliance to determine watts used. (120 watts might be written 120W)

Traditional lighting can amount up to 12% of your monthly energy use. Energy-saving light bulbs can slice lighting costs by 75%

Indoor

  • Replace any light bulb, especially ones that burn more than one hour per day, with a light-emitted diode (LED) bulb.
  • Use fixtures with electronic ballasts and T-8, 32-watt fluorescent lamps.
  • Turn off unnecessary lighting.

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Outdoor

  • Replace outdoor lighting with its equivalent outdoor-rated LED bulb. LEDs work well in cold weather.
  • Use outdoor security lights with a photocell and/or a motion sensor.
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