Energy Tips
By RWM
Are you and your family
using energy saving techniques effectively within your home? Chances are most of us are
drawing a blank when it comes to this question. The fact of the matter is that
understanding and utilizing energy saving techniques not only contributes to our
environment, it also saves money. Most of us are unaware that drafts, even those from air
vents and electrical outlets, can account for 25% of our total annual heating costs. Ouch!
The following are a variety of tips for creating an environmentally and economically
friendly home.
Heating System:
For every degree that you lower your thermostat, you can save anywhere
form 3% to 5% of your heating costs. By lowering the temperature to around 15° C at
night, you can increase your savings a further 5% to 10%. Programmable thermostats are
available which will automatically turn the temperature up or down to your specification.
Drawing all curtains and lowering the blinds also helps to keep the heat from escaping
during the evening.
Replacing or cleaning the air filter on your furnace once a month will
maximize its efficiency, as will cleaning your warm-air registers, baseboard heaters and
radiators several times a year. Closing vents in unused rooms will also contribute to
having your furnace work less to heat your main living areas.
Water System:
Turn the temperature down on your hot water tank to 50° C. Not only is
this safer for young children, you can save up to 13% on your hot water heating costs with
every 5 1/2 degree reduction. You can also save around 4% to 9% on your water bill by
adding a heater insulation blanket.
With natural gas heaters, remove the sediment by draining a pail of
water from the tank every three months. Sediment prevents heat transfer, lowering the
water heater’s efficiency.
Install low-flow shower heads and faucets and be prompt about fixing
leaks and drips. A leaky faucet can add up to 75 litres of water per faucet per month, and
increase your costs 7kWh per month.
Taking more showers than baths will also reduce your water consumption.
A 5-minute shower uses less than 10 gallons of hot water, compared to 15-25 gallons for a
bath.
Lighting:
Switch to fluorescent or lower wattage bulbs in rooms where low light
is sufficient. You can achieve close to the same level of brightness with a 17-watt energy
efficient fluorescent light bulb as you can with a standard 60-watt light bulb.
Fluorescent light bulbs use up to 72% less energy and last up to 10 times longer. Dimmer
switches are also an alternative. When you reduce the brightness in a room even by 10%,
you can save the equivalent on energy and double the life of the bulb.
Further, save electricity with ‘task lighting’. As opposed to
lighting the entire room, task lighting concentrates light in the specific area needed,
such as a reading lamp at a desk.
Install motion sensitive lighting outdoors. The sensors automatically
turn the lights on when motion is detected, and automatically turn them off within one to
five minutes. To further reduce energy consumption by up to 70%, replace the standard 150W
floodlight with a 45W halogen PAR flood.
Appliances:
Allowing your dishes to air dry after the final rinse cycle in your
dishwasher will increase your saving, as well as offer much needed moisture for your
plants, especially in the winter months. Pre-rinse? Don’t! And if you do, use cold
water.
Refrigerators steal a lot of energy. For efficiency, set thermostats to
4° C and freezers to 18° C. Clean the coils in the back and air intake grill that sits
below the doors every 3 months. Make sure that there is at least a 5 centimetre gap (or as
recommended by the manufacturer) from the surrounding walls and counters to allow heat to
escape from the compressor and condensing coil.
Another energy saving tip is to allow hot food to cool before storing
in your refrigerator. This way your refrigerator will not have to work as hard to maintain
a cool temperature. Also, make sure foods and liquids are sealed; moisture makes your
compressor work harder. Keep in mind, overfilling your refrigerator blocks the internal
air circulation, while a full freezer increases its performance.
In the oven, glass and ceramic pans use less energy than tin because
you can ultimately turn the temperature down twenty-five degrees and the food will cook
just as quickly while using less energy. RWM
Resources:
Natural Resources Canada, www.nspower.ca
www3.gov.ab.ca |
