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Normal time periods are one month to three months. Be sure you are choosing the best furnace filter to fit your needs.
Check your state and local codes before starting any project. Follow all safety precautions. Information in this document has been furnished by the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) and associated contributors. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and safety. Neither NRHA, any contributor nor the retailer can be held responsible for damages or injuries resulting from the use of the information in this document.
The Energy Information Administration projects heating bill hikes ranging from 31 percent in the Northeast to 71 percent in the Midwest. Electricity prices could rise as well, as almost one-fifth of electricity is generated using natural gas.
While it's no secret that you'll be spending more to heat your home this winter, if you take measures to conserve energy, you can significantly minimize the impact. Here are my top 10 energy savings tips:
This is my number one rule. By paying a service technician $75 to $100, depending on where you live, he or she will clean the unit and replace filters in the furnace and humidifier, thus insuring that the equipment is running at its most cost-efficient and optimum capacity. This should be done annually.
A recent study revealed that only 24 percent of Americans have installed this handy device - for shame! Well-insulated homes can save up to 30 percent on heating costs with one. You can program these thermostats to automatically lower temperatures when at work or while sleeping, thereby saving energy hours at a time. Prices for programmable thermostats range from $40 to $100, and will quickly pay for themselves.
Use of door thresholds, window caulking and plastic window film can go far in saving your money this winter. If you live in a drafty home, you could save up to 20 percent with an investment of as little as $25. One product to consider is a product called Windjammer (Ace no. 1200989), a clear, weatherproof gel that dispenses from a can and seals drafts. What's more, it can be easily removed at the end of the season.
Running the fans slowly and in reverse will keep warm air circulating throughout the house, thereby reducing running time for the furnace. Ceiling fans add a nice decorative touch as well.
Are you unknowingly blocking vents and radiators with a big sofa or armchair? If so, you're restricting the airflow in your home, resulting in higher output from your furnace or boiler. Rearranging the furniture can save your units from having to work overtime.
I always remind people that this amazing technology has been around for 70 years, yet U.S. homeowners have been slow to adopt it. These days, units are less expensive, and by creating hot water on demand as opposed to continuously heating stored water, homeowners can save hundreds of dollars over time.
Homeowners can save up to 3 percent on energy bills simply by turning down the thermostat just one degree. You won't even notice the change in temperature, but your heating bill will.
These multi-pane windows can have R-values of as high as 9.1. The higher the R-value, the more resistant the glass is to losing heat. Conversely, your typical single pane glass has an R-value of 1. The difference is an increase in energy efficiency of up to 70 percent.
Heat rises, and if there isn't enough insulation in the space above, your money literally is going out the roof. Most ceilings and attic spaces should have at least an R-30 rating, although some areas of the country recommend an R-40-50 rating.
It's free energy! During the day, open up drapes and blinds and let the sun heat your home. At night, draw the curtains to keep the heat inside.
Credit: Lou Manfredini's Tips From the Tool Box, Ace Hardware
Clean warm-air registers and air returns as well as baseboard heaters on a regular basis to eliminate dust so that heat and air flows freely. Make sure your heat registers and air returns are not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.Move your furniture around so you are not sitting near exterior walls and older windows which are more likely to be drafty. Open your curtains, drapes or blinds on south facing windows on sunny days to let let the sun warm your home for free. Just remember to close them at night. Flip your ceiling fan to rotate clockwise and run it at a slow speed to circulate that warm air trapped near the ceiling.When not in use, keep your fireplace door and damper closed because it will pull heated air out of the house and right up the chimney.Don't run kitchen or bath exhaust fans any longer than necessary as they pull air out of your home.Wear warm layered clothing indoors during cold weather. A light long-sleeved sweater is worth about 2 degrees in added warmth, while a heavy sweater adds about 4 degrees. So cozy up and start saving. Close heating vents and doors to rooms like the attic, garage, basement, spare bedrooms and storage areas that don't require much heat. Heat only those rooms that you use.
Check your state and local codes before starting any project. Follow all safety precautions. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and safety of this information. Neither Westlake nor any contributor can be held responsible for damages or injuries resulting from the use of the information in this document.
For just a few dollars, pick up a window insulation kit at your local Westlake Hardware and you could save up to $18 per window this heating season. Don't worry -- properly installed, window plastic is essentially invisible. Adding a buffer against drafts and extra still air space can give a nice boost to your home's ability to hold heat. To find out more, check out 3M's energy savings estimator and enter your city and window specs.
Installing a programmable thermostat can significantly reduce energy costs because they allow you to automatically adjust the temperature throughout the day, creating a specific energy-saving 'program' for weekdays and weekends. Some models even allow you to set preferences on the hour for each day of the week. Average Savings: $125 - $350 per year and up
During winter months, lowering the heat by one degree during any 24 hour period can decrease your heating bill by up to 3%. Set your thermostat to 65 – 68 degrees when you’re home and 60 – 65 degrees during the evening. Turn down the thermostat 10 degrees when you go to work, and again when you go to bed -- a total of 16 hours a day -- and you can save about 14% on your heating bill.
Make sure you routinely clean or change the air filters of your heating system. Dirty air filters restricts air flow so your furnace has to work harder to deliver the warm air that it created. Keeping the filter clean can lower your system's energy consumption by 5%–15% which could save you up to $100 a year.
Your water heater may be working harder than it needs to, costing you precious dollars. Reduce the temperature on the unit to about 120 degrees - the water doesn't need to be any hotter. If the unit is older than 12 years, you may want to look into replacing it with a new, more energy-efficient model. Average Savings: $20 - $50 per year
In just one hour, a hard-working bathroom or kitchen fan can expel a houseful of warm air, according to the Department of Energy. Turn them off as soon as they've done their job.
Most people think of ceiling fans only for cooling, but many ceiling units come with a handy switch that reverses the direction of the blades. Counterclockwise rotation produces cooling breezes while switching to clockwise makes it warmer: air pooled near the ceiling is circulated back into the living space - cutting your heating costs as much as 10%!
During bright sunny days open those south-facing window curtains or blinds to let the sun heat your home. Just remember to close them at night night to keep the heat in.
Simple leaks can sap home energy efficiency by 5% to 30% a year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. That means it pays to seal up gaps with caulking and weatherstripping.Take a close look at places where two different building materials meet, such as windows, corners, around chimneys, where pipes or wires exit and along the foundation. Use the incense test: carefully (avoiding drapes and other flammables) move a lit stick along walls; where the smoke wavers, you have air sneaking in. And your hard earned dollars are sneaking out. Buy door sweeps to close spaces under exterior doors, and caulk or tacky rope caulk to block those drafty spots around window frames. Apply weather-stripping to movable joints.
This is something often overlooked because people don’t realize that outlets and switches can be sources of air leaks. But outlets and light switches need to have insulation added to them, especially when they’re on an outside wall. Just make sure you get specialized outlet and switch plate seals, which can found inexpensively at Westlake Hardware store. The insulation is made specifically for outlets and switch plates, so you don’t have to worry about fire.
Chances are, when you open your monthly utility statements, you're witnessing energy costs doubling and even tripling at the height of the season. Many homes, particularly those built more than 10 years ago, do not feature the latest energy-saving techniques and products. By spending just a few dollars and doing some simple projects, you can save energy - and significant amounts of money. Here are five fast fixes to help you start saving:
Start with this easy task: Replace current light bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs. They screw in just like standard bulbs, but use a fourth of the energy and last up to 10 times longer. An 18-watt CFL bulb provides as much light as a 75-watt standard light bulb. Average savings: $10 - $50 per year
A constantly-running toilet can use up to 8,000 gallons of water each year. Fix the problem by installing a toilet repair kit that features a new valve, flapper and other devices that will conserve water. Average Savings: $25 - $100 per year
Aside from causing that annoying "drip," leaky faucets can also cause a spike in your water bill. Replacing the aerator and rubber washer will cost you pennies yet save you dollars in the long run. As for the showerhead, consider installing a flow-restricting model - a family of four can conserve 10,000 gallons of water per year going this route. Average Savings: $100 - $300 per year
Installing a programmable thermostat can significantly reduce energy costs, especially in the winter and summer months. Programmable models allow you to automatically adjust the temperature throughout the day, creating a specific energy-saving 'program' for weekdays and weekends. Some models even allow you to set preferences on the hour for each day of the week. Average Savings: $125 - $350 per year and up
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the air inside our homes may be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air. What's surprising is that this statistic does not exclude newer homes, which can actually test higher than older residences in terms of poor indoor air quality.
In a rush to conserve energy in the 1970s, builders, architects and designers began building tighter homes with energy efficient windows and doors and thicker insulation in an effort to seal out potential drafts. While we succeeded in lowering the cost of energy bills, we ended up adding to the problem of trapping volatile organic compounds (VOCs) - harmful fumes caused by leftover building products, furniture, animal dander, and indoor mildew and mold - inside our homes.
Today, Americans spend millions of dollars each year on indoor air filtration systems. We purchase everything from small, tabletop models to whole-house units for our homes. And yet, even with all the information available on the market, there is major debate on which ones truly work the best.
Below are five steps that you can take to improve your home's indoor air quality. By following these steps and coupling them with the right indoor air purifying unit, you'll breathe a lot easier in your own home.
Today, there are a number of in-home test kits available to assess everything from lead on walls and in your drinking water, to asbestos and radon gas. And utilizing these inexpensive kits can give you the peace of mind of knowing that you and your family are safe.
Homeowners often ask, "Is cleaning my air ducts worth it?" The answer is yes. Even if your home is new, you may have more internal construction debris and dust than a home that is 10 to 15 years old. When getting your air ducts cleaned, make sure the contractor is a member of the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (www.nadca.com), and uses not only high velocity air, but a whip that is fed through the ductwork to loosen any debris stuck to the walls of the sheet-metal. The average cost to clean ductwork in your home is about $300 to $500, but the results are well worth the expense.
In conjunction, for many of us, the furnace filter is a spun glass filter that costs less than a dollar. While this filter will protect the blower motor, it will do next to nothing when it comes to improving your indoor air quality. Upgrade to a pleated filter that captures smaller particles so small that even the naked eye cannot see. The key is to change them regularly - every couple of months should do - to prevent to the restriction of airflow through your heating system.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), an estimated 57 million Americans suffer from severe allergies and asthma and keeping your home as clean as possible can dramatically improve the air you breathe. Dusting window treatments, around window and door trim and those out-of-reach areas can make a huge impact. Use a bagless vacuum cleaner that utilizes a HEPA filter to maximize your cleaning power and avoid the plume of dust that occurs when you'd otherwise change the bag.
Because they can vary in performance, size and cost, it's important that you find the right purifier to fit your needs. There are a number of Web sites you can turn to for help. One of the industry standards is put forth by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers' (AHAM) Air Cleaner Council (www.aham.org). There, testing helps set certain parameters so that all purification units are measured against the same criteria. If you're thinking of a particular model and in search of its product rating guide, visit www.cadr.org for the unit's "clean air delivery rate." In turn, take advantage of the 30-day free trial offer many manufacturers offer. By the end of 30 days, you'll know if you are breathing easier and if the unit is worth the investment.
HEPA filtration (High Efficiency Particulate Air) is one of the most common approaches to cleaning the air. A good quality HEPA filtering system can be up to 99.97 percent efficient at filtering particulates that are 0.3 microns from the air. This filtering system has been widely used and accepted by organizations promoting indoor air quality standards to clean the indoor air of smoke, dust, pollen, mold spores and pet dander.
Portable units, when sized correctly, can do a good job of cleaning the air in a particular room. But the key is to make sure that unit is sized for the square footage of that room. In addition, the faster the fan runs, the more air is exchanged through the unit. While this does increase the noise, the units will work much better.
HEPA room purifiers can range in price from $30 to $300. These units use a modular filter system which makes finding and installing the filters much easier.
It used to be that smoke detectors were enough to protect your family. However, in recent years, homeowners across America have been taking safety a step further by installing carbon monoxide detectors in their homes.
When installing a carbon monoxide detector, remember that the placement of that detector is key. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends it be located near the sleeping area, where it can wake you if you are asleep; however, additional detectors on every level and in every bedroom of a home provides extra protection.
Going "green" in our everyday lives is all the rage these days. From CFL bulbs to organic cotton T-shirts, it seems everyone has some skin in the eco-game. Your family - and in particular your home - should be no different. Below are 15 easy do-it-yourself projects that will save you money, reduce your environmental footprint and have you playing your eco-part in no time.
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