Properly preparing your home for cold weather can save energy, help keep your winter energy bills under control, and keep you and your family warm when temperatures drop. We are all looking for energy tips to get us through the winter.
Cutting back unnecessary energy use is an easy way to keep your hard earned money in your pocket. Here are some suggestions you can do at home, at absolutely no cost to you.
- Let the sunshine in. Open drapes and let the sun heat your home for free (close again at sundown so they help insulate your rooms).
- Rearrange your rooms. Move your furniture around so you are sitting near interior walls - exterior walls and older windows are likely to be drafty. Don’t sit in the draft you’ll feel warmer!
- Keep it shut. Traditional fireplaces are an energy loser - it’s best not to use them because they pull heated air out of the house and up the chimney. When not in use, make absolutely sure the damper is closed. Before closing the damper, make sure that you don’t have any smoldering embers. If you decide not to use a fireplace, then block off the chimney with a piece of rigid insulation from the hardware store that fits snugly into the space (dampers don’t shut fully without some leaking). Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning to prevent up to eight percent of your furnace-heated air from going up the chimney.
- Put your computer and monitor to sleep. Most computers come with the power management features turned off. On computers using Windows, open your power management soft ware by clicking on the control panel, then power options and set it so your computer goes to sleep if you’re away from your machine for 5 to 15 minutes. Those who use MAC computers look for the setting in your system preferences called “Energy Saver” and set it accordingly. When you’re done using your computer, turn it off (see next tip). Do not leave it in sleep mode overnight as it is still drawing a small amount of power.
- Plug up “leaking energy” in electronics. Many new TVs, DVD players, chargers, computer peripherals and other electronics use electricity even when they are switched “off .” Although these “standby losses” are only a few watts each, they add up to more than 50 watts that is consumed all the time in a typical home. If possible, unplug electronic devices and chargers that have a block-shaped transformer on the plug when they are not in use. For
computer scanners, printers and other devices that are plugged into a power strip, simply switch off the power strip after shutting down your computer.
Above all, be safe in your home and have an energy-aware winter!
Source: www.consumerenergycenter.org
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