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SAVE ENERGY
| 21 ways to save on your electric bill from the Dallas Morning News |
| LIGHTING |
1. Dim and dimmer: Install dimmer controls for incandescent and fluorescent fixtures. Did you know you could cut lighting costs by up to 40 percent by dimming your lights? You can also help those incandescent bulbs last up to 20 times longer. 2. Ch-ch-ch-change incandescent bulbs to fluorescent. Lighting accounts for 20 percent of a home's electricity costs. Fluorescent lights use only one-third the energy of traditional lights and last up to 10 times longer. (A standard light bulb is actually quite inefficient – converting only 10 percent of the electricity it uses into light; 90 percent is wasted heat.) Consumers can save up to $25 in utility costs over the lifetime of one bulb. Replacing the most frequently used lights at home will yield the most savings. 3. Let there be dark. Turn off lights in rooms that you aren't using. Clean light bulbs and light casings. (The cleaner the bulb, the brighter the light and the less tempted you will be to change to a higher wattage or turn on a second light.) |
| HOT WATER |
Hot water accounts for about 16 percent of a home energy bill. 4. Cold wash. Wash clothes in cold water. Annual savings: up to $65 a year. 5. Fast wash. Shower for five minutes or less. Annual savings: $30 to $50 6. Go with the low-flow. Install low-flow showerheads and sink aerators to reduce hot-water use. Save approximately $75 to $150 annually. 7. Wrap it up. Insulate water tanks with a wrap (cost is $11 to $20), to hold heat inside. Save about $60 annually. 8. Maintain. Drain your hot water tank regularly to remove sediment. Save $5-$10 annually. 9. Go tankless. Think about getting a tankless water heater. They are 35 to 45 percent more efficient, pay for themselves in 3 to 5 years and you never run out of hot water. |
| HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING |
10. Make $with a degree. Heating and air conditioning typically account for more than half of your total home energy use. Heating alone is the largest energy expense in most homes. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that you can save up to $40 for every degree (Fahrenheit) you lower your thermostat during the winter heating season. On the other hand, every degree that you increase the heating or cooling will add another 8 to 10 percent to your total energy consumption. 11. Make $$$$with many degrees. Lower the thermostat 8 degrees Fahrenheit for eight hours a day to save up to 10 percent on home heating costs. An easy way to take advantage of these savings is to lower the thermostat temperature while away from home or while sleeping. 12. Party on! Parties are a great time to turn down the thermostat. The average human being gives off about 150 to 500 watts of heat, depending on exertion, so dance the night away to warm up the place without the heater on. 13. Block that room! Close heating vents in unoccupied or minimally used rooms. 14. Maintain. Clean or replace your air-conditioning filters once a month or as needed. Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters and radiators as needed. Make sure they are not blocked by furniture, carpeting or drapes. 15. InspecSHUN! Have a professional inspection of your heating and air-conditioning unit. 16. Tech-alert! Programmable thermostats can save hundreds of dollars. TXU estimates that programmable thermostats can save $600 to $1,000 annually. 17. Ventilation regulation. Don't leave kitchen or bathroom ventilation fans running. In about one hour, these fans can pull out a houseful of warmed or cooled air. 18. The Shade Crusade: Keep draperies and shades on south-facing windows open during the heating season to allow sunlight in; close them at night to reduce the chill from cold windows. |
| YOU'VE GOT THE POWER! |
19. Don't snooze, choose! Visit www.powertochoose.com to learn about all the retail energy providers and your choices. Also, Dallasnews.com/ extra has answers to your questions about how to choose an energy provider. 20. Check your retail electric provider's Web site. You can find them here: ww.texasefficiency.com or call their customer service number for more on energy con- servation and saving on your electric bill. 21. Compare. Want to find out if your energy use is above average? If you have five minutes and your energy bills are nearby, this government Web site can tell you: www.energystar.go. Click on the "Home Energy Analysis" link. You will be asked to enter information about your home's age, square footage, number of occupants and energy bill totals for a consecutive, 12-month period. If you don't keep your bills, your utility company can send you a 12-month summary. |
| HERE'S WHAT THE EXPERT DOES: |
When Jim Burke, chairman and chief executive officer of TXU Energy, moved to Dallas a year ago from Houston, he quickly noticed his higher energy bills. So he told us about his own home energy costs and what he's doing about it: Q: What was your energy bill last month? A: On average I pay about $350 per month. Q: What have you done lately to try to save energy at your house? A: I did a few simple things: installing a programmable thermostat upstairs; turning down my hot-water heater setting; and programming a lower thermostat temperature at night to run the heater less. Q: Do you know how to use a programmable thermostat? A: I actually do know how to set my programmable thermostat. Installing and using a programmable thermostat is probably the highest cost-benefit item that a consumer can use to lower overall energy usage. Q: What's the single best thing you can do to save money on energy at home? A: One of the best ways to save energy dollars is to use less energy for air conditioning and heating your home. Each degree cooler (in the summer) or warmer (in the winter) can increase your energy use by 6 to 8 percent. |
| A MYTH THAT COSTS YOU |
"A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. This misconception has been dispelled by years of research and numerous studies. The fuel required to reheat a building to a comfortable temperature is roughly equal to the fuel saved as the building drops to the lower temperature. You save fuel between the time that the temperature stabilizes at the lower level and the next time heat is needed. So, the longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy you save." –from the U.S. Department of Energy Web site, www.eere.energy.gov Monday, November 14, 2005 By DAVID TARRANT / The Dallas Morning News |