Whether you use natural gas to heat your home or simply for a few appliances around the house, there are many ways to conserve and save on your utility bill. Below are a handful of simple tips to consider.
- Seal it up. Check for leaks around windows, doors, and other openings to the outside. Seal these leaks with caulk and keep the warmth in.
- Cover it up. Cover bare floors with carpet.
- Control the temp. Use programmable thermostats to help conserve energy.
- Insulate. Wrap old water heaters with proper insulating jackets, and set the temperature to 120 F (or lower). Insulate your plumbing.
- Wash cold. Whenever possible, use the cold water setting on your washing machine.
- Clean it up. Make sure your dryer filter is lint free (to help prevent fires). Regularly change your air filter in your HVAC system.
- Use mother nature. When it's cold outside but also sunny, open the blinds during the day to let the sun help heat your home.
- Regularly check and/or replace HVAC filters every month during peak cooling or heating season. New filters usually only cost a few dollars. Dirty filters cost more to use, overwork the equipment, and result in lower indoor air quality.
- Consider installing a programmable thermostat to automate your HVAC system. Programmable thermostats will optimize your HVAC operation “24/7″ based on your schedule and can be “overridden” as needed for unscheduled events. So consumers and staff always enter a comfortable facility, this “smart thermostat” can turn on the HVAC one hour before arrival instead of heating or cooling unoccupied space.
Make use of ceiling fans. Comfort is a function of temperature, humidity, and air movement. Moving air can make a somewhat higher temperature and/or humidity feel comfortable. Fans can help delay or reduce the need for air conditioning, and a temperature setting of only 3 to 5 degrees higher can feel as comfortable with fans. Each degree of higher temperature can save about 3% on cooling costs. When the temperature outside is more comfortable than inside, a “box fan” in the window, or large “whole facility” fan in the attic can push air out of the facility and pull in comfortable outside air. Fans can improve comfort and save energy year round.