Tag: Environmental Protection Agency

How to Keep Your Energy Costs Down During the Fall and Winter Months

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The summer months mean high energy bills thanks to your running air conditioner, but the fall and winter months can become daunting just as quickly as temperatures plummet and your home becomes colder. While we can often ignore warmer temperatures, colder temperatures in the home can actually cause a lot of damage, especially to your pipes. Its important to keep your home at a constant temperature, no matter how cold it gets out side. Doing so may cost you quite a bit, but these tips will help you to minimize your increased cool weather energy costs.

Install a Programmable Thermostat

This is one of the most important things you can do. A shift of up to 10 degrees in your homes temperature, especially at night, can save you up to 20% off your bill each month. You can also set the temperature to be lower when youre at work or school, programming the thermostat to start warming the home not long before you come back. This is a lot more efficient than shutting the system off completely when you are gone because it allows your home to be at a cooler, constant temperature without allowing the temperatures to plummet.

Dress in Warm Clothing

Adding a sweat shirt and some warm winter socks to your wardrobe will keep you comfortable and will allow you to drop the temperature in your home another degree or two. Dropping the temperature by just a single degree – especially during the cooler hours of the day – will reduce your use of energy by a staggering 3%. That may not seem like much, but the dollar savings can add up quickly.

Take Advantage of Sunlight

Even though its cold outside, the suns natural rays can do quite a bit to warm up your home. The sun will enter your home from the south during the day, so those are the windows you should keep uncovered during the daytime. Close the curtains at night to block some of the draft and cool air.

Winterize Your Homes Duct System

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, your home heating systems effectiveness can be decreased by up to 30% if your ductwork is leaking. Make sure your homes ductwork is sealed an insulated properly so that your entire heating system works optimally.

Winterize Your Homes Windows

Check your homes windows and make sure theyre winterized. If you have rooms that are rarely used, you can insulate them temporarily by taping clear sheets of plastic over top. The clear plastic will allow sunlight to naturally heat the room but will prevent cool air from entering through older, draftier windows. In rooms that you do use, check to make sure your windows are properly caulked and sealed. You can also find heavy drapes that will help to insulate the room during the hours you arent allowing natural sunlight in.

Service Your Heating System before the Weather is Frigid

Have a heating and cooling specialist visit your home before the weather is absolutely unbearable. Finding problems before the weather is really cold will help you to avoid the waste that happens when you run an ineffective system. It will also save you the extra fees an emergency call will create in the middle of a cold snap.

Check Your Fireplace

Finally, make sure you are properly closing your fireplace damper when your fireplace is not in use. Have a professional come out before the cold season starts to check your flue, plugs, seals, and grates. Make sure your grates are allowing warm air to flow back into the room so that your fireplace is not just pretty, but functional, too. Using your fireplace should allow you to drop your thermostat down a few degrees as well at least during the hours its in use.

The winter months, for most, automatically mean higher gas and electric bills. Take some time now to make sure your home is prepared and youll be able to save quite a bit of money when the real cold weather hits.

Replacement Windows Improve Home Energy Efficiency And Value

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In these days of high energy costs many people recognize the importance of improving the energy efficiency of their homes, especially since heating and cooling can account for up to half of a homes total energy usage. While energy efficient replacement windows will save money on heating and cooling bills, they also have many other benefits such as adding beauty and value to your home, and making your living space more pleasant!

There are many obvious reasons to replace old windows that are rough and worn. Creating a new look for your home from the inside out is possible simply by replacing old windows with new ones. With the many styles of windows that you can choose from, and the variety of colors available, replacing your windows could be the home improvement step that dramatically changes the way your home looks and feels. Whether your new windows let in more light, blend into the background, stand out with a bold exterior contrast of color, or serve as a focal point within your rooms, a new window can defiantly bring excitement into your home.

Besides the pleasing esthetic benefits of replacing your windows, there are many more practical reasons to replace them as well. Over time wood windows may begin to rot and can also warp or become infested with termites. Casement windows may have cranks that stop working or counter weight cords that have broken. Paint or even vinyl on windows can peel with age. Correcting these types of problems is important for the upkeep of your home. With todays more advanced window technology window manufacturers have figured out new ways to make sure that your windows will not only be energy efficient but also incredibly durable. Recent improvements include coatings that may help reduce heat transfer in your home and protect interiors from potentially damaging sunlight that can fade pictures, furniture and carpets.

A not-to-be-overlooked factor that makes replacement windows both important and eminently sensible, is the amount of energy that can be saved when replacing old, drafty or single pane windows with new highly energy efficient multi-pane windows. High efficiency replacement windows will help make your home more energy efficient, and a highly efficient home uses less power for both heating and cooling, which in turn helps you save money. Simply switching single-pane windows to double-pane windows will help decrease high energy bills in the cold winter months by blocking out more of the cold winter air and keeping in more of the warm air heated by your furnace. Likewise the same is true of the cool air generated by your air conditioning unit during the hot summer months.

When determining what replacement windows to use it is wise to follow the recommendations of the Energy Star national energy performance rating system. Replacement windows with an Energy Star label meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and US Department of Energy.

ENERGY STAR is a government program under the management of the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy designed to help everyone save money and protect the environment by identifying and utilizing energy efficient products and practices. The use of Energy Star approved windows and other household products can save about a third on the average home energy bill without sacrificing style, features or comfort.