Posted on: Monday, January 12, 2009
Easy ways to slash your energy bill
By Megan K. Scott
Associated Press
Here are some things you can do to slash your energy bill with little effort, and little to no upfront investment:
Lower the water heater temperature. You can change the temperature on both electric and gas water heaters, according to Bruce Harley's "Cut Your Energy Bills Now: 150 Smart Ways to Save Money & Make Your Home More Comfortable & Green." He suggests setting the temperature on the lowest setting comfortable — no lower than 120 degrees.
Upgrade your refrigerator. Energy Star models require about half as much energy as models manufactured before 1993. Consider a new fridge if you purchased yours before 1990, Harley says, an engineer and technical director of Conservation Services Group, a national, nonprofit energy services firm based in Westborough, Mass. He suggests looking for a model with a top freezer, which uses 10 percent to 15 percent less energy than one with side-by-side doors. Avoid energy-wasting features like through-door ice and water dispensers.
Replace old equipment. Check the manufacturing date of water heating and air-conditioning equipment. If it's older than 15 years, consider replacing it. Better to do it now than wait until it breaks down. Replace it with the most energy-efficient unit you can find.
Change the light bulbs. Get rid of standard incandescent bulbs and replace them with compact fluorescent light bulbs, said Lauri Ward, president of Use What You Have Interiors. Energy Star qualified CFLs use about 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer, according to Energy Star.
Get a home energy assessment. An assessment will identify things like missing insulation and leaky duct work. He recommends looking for someone with a RESNET (Residential Energy Services Network) or BPI (Building Performance Institute) certification. RESNET certifies home energy raters. BPI certifies building analysts. Consumers should also check with their local utility company to see if it offers technical support or help paying for the work.
Check your cooling system. If you have a central air conditioning unit, hire a qualified person to check the refrigerant charge and air flow through the system. You should only need to do this once.
Unplug appliances. The things that tend to use electricity when they are plugged in, even when they're turned off, include TVs, DVD players, video recorders, printers, fax machines, and computers. Use a power strip for things that don't need to be on when you're not at home. For the computer, don't use the screen saver; turn the monitor off or put the whole computer in stand by. Also unplug cell phone chargers when the phones aren't charging.
