Jack Frost Nips Your Toes, but Help Is at Hand; <br>DOE, Alliance to Save Energy Offer Powerful $avings Home Energy Tips

U.S. consumers will soon be hit simultaneously with high home heating bills and holiday shopping bills. But help is at hand. The Powerful $avings campaign, a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Alliance to Save Energy, offers a variety of smart energy practices and energy-efficiency home improvements to fit every pocketbook, so consumers can reduce their home energy bills and the nation’s overall energy use this winter.

• Test your home for air leaks. You can save 10 percent or more on your energy bill by reducing the air leaks in your home. On a windy day, hold a lit candle next to windows, doors, electrical outlets, and light fixtures. If the smoke travels horizontally, you have found an air leak that may need caulking, sealing, or weather stripping. Also, tape clear plastic sheeting to the inside of your window frames if drafts, water condensation, or frost are present.
• Install a programmable thermostat. The energy savings will offset the cost of a basic unit in less than a year. Programming your thermostat from 72 degrees to 65 degrees for eight hours a day while no one is home, or while everyone is tucked in bed, will cut your heating bill up to 10 percent.
• Properly maintain your heating system. Heating can account for almost half of the average family’s winter energy bill. Make sure your furnace or heat pump receives professional maintenance each year. A heat pump can trim the amount of electricity you use for heating by as much as 30 to 40 percent.
• Open curtains on your south facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home, and close them at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.
• Check the insulation</strong> in your attic, ceilings, exterior and basement walls, floors, and crawlspaces to see if it meets the levels recommended for your geographical area. Remember, about one-third of air infiltrates your home through openings in your ceilings, walls, and floors. If your home is not adequately insulated, have additional insulation professionally installed. For more information, visit www.simplyinsulate.org.
• Close fireplace dampers when not in use. A chimney is designed specifically for smoke to escape, so until you close it, warm air escapes, too – 24 hours a day!
• Insulate heating ducts and keep them in good repair to prevent heat loss. Your system can lose up to 60 percent of its warmed air before it reaches the register, if ducts are not properly insulated in unheated areas such as attics and crawlspaces.
• Insulate your hot water heater and hot water pipes to save energy and money.
• Use kitchen, bath, and other ventilating fans wisely. In just one hour, these fans can pull out a houseful of warmed air. Turn fans off as soon as they have done the job.
• Cut your energy bills by up to 30 percent with Energy Star-labeled products. Look for the Energy Star label, the government’s symbol for energy efficiency, when replacing your heating and cooling systems – as well as appliances, lighting, windows, office equipment, and home electronics. Find retailers near you at www.energystar.gov.
• Turn off everything not in use – lights, TVs, VCRs, CD and DVD players, computers.
   

Electricity Tips

• Install timers on lights inside your home to avoid coming home to a dark house on winter evenings. Motion detectors on exterior floodlights improve your home security while reducing energy costs.
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in place of comparable incandescent bulbs to save about 50 percent on your lighting costs. CFLs use only one-fourth the energy and last up to 10 times longer.

Print, Web Resources

• Both DOE and the Alliance have popular, free consumer booklets and websites offering simple, practical ways to reduce home energy bills: DOE’s Energy Savers – Tips on Saving Energy & Money at Home is available in both English and Spanish versions at www.energysavers.gov or 1-877-337-3463. Additional DOE information: www.energysavers.gov
• The Alliance’s PowerSmart – Easy Tips to Save Money and the Planet can be ordered by calling 1-888-878-3256.