ENERGY EFFICIENCY SAVES MONEY!!!!
TIPS FOR LIVING ENERGY EFFICIENT
If every American home replaced just one light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars.
What is a CFL?
CFLs are Compact Flourecent Lightbulbs. By changing to a Compact Fluorescent Bulb – you can:
- Save $30 or more in energy costs over each bulb’s lifetime and it should last 10 times longer or 5-8 years.
- Save about 3/4 of the energy used by a conventional bulb
- Cut air conditioning bills - each bulb generates 70% less heat, so they’re safer to operate.
If a CFL Breaks in Your Home...
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/products/lighting/cfls/downloads/CFL_Cleanup_and_Disposal.pdf
HOME COOLING AND HEATING
As much as half of the energy used in the home goes to cooling and heating. Making smart decisions about air conditioning, heating, and ventilation have a big impact on your utility bills and your comfort.
www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/publications/pubdocs/HeatingCoolingGuide%20FINAL_9-4-09.pdf
Change your filters regularly...Check your filter every month, especially during heavy use months (winter and summer). If the filter looks dirty after a month, change it. At a minimum, change the filter every 3 months. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm or cool — wasting energy. A clean filter will also prevent dust and dirt from building up in the system — leading to expensive maintenance and/or early system failure.
Install a programmable thermostat....A programmable thermostat is ideal for people who are away from home during set periods of time throughout the week. Through proper use of pre-programmed settings, a programmable thermostat can save you about $180 every year in energy costs. Westar Energy, electric energy utility provider for south central Kansas, offers a free programmable thermostat - a $30 value, for those residents that have central air conditioning. Find out more: www.westarenergy.com/corp_com/contentmgt.nsf/publishedpages/wattsaver%20landing or call the WattSaver toll- free hotline: 1-888-753-6523.
Tune up your heating and cooling system annually...Just as a tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. Contact a contractor to do this before summer and before winter. Remember: contractors get busy during hot summer or cold winter days.
Seal Your Ductwork....In houses with forced-air heating and cooling systems, ducts are used to distribute conditioned air throughout the house. In a typical house, however, about 20 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks, holes, and poorly connected ducts. The result is higher utility bills and difficulty keeping the house comfortable, no matter how the thermostat is set.
How do you know that your home has poorly performing ducts?
- you have high summer and winter utility bills;
- you have rooms that are difficult to heat and cool;
- you have stuffy rooms that never seem to feel comfortable;
- your ducts are located in an attic, crawlspace, or the garage;
- you find tangled or kinked flexible ducts in your system.