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4 Energy-efficiency No-Brainers
You didn’t seriously think your car was the only thing contributing to the hole in the ozone and global warming… did ya? Houses do too, from the manufacture and transport of their materials, to the lighting you read by, to unnecessary heat loss during the cold months.
These and other variables differ from house to house and climate to climate. Thankfully, though, they are indeed variables. And like every other variable in our lives, the controlling factor, above and beyond everything else, is choice.
Choose to……
1) Actually KEEP the heat you pay for. All other things being equal, (i.e. windows, walls, heating system, etc.) 50% of your heat loss is through your roof. If you’ve got an attic, look to increase its insulation by adding more blown-in cellulose, (just be sure to avoid blocking your vents, so your attic can continue to exhaust moisture vapor and can breathe to stay cooler in the summer).
2) Investigate your crawl space, to make sure no insulation has fallen and needs to be re-installed. Also, have a look at your heating ducts, and make sure they’re 100% free of any gaps in their insulation. If you REALLY want to be picky, consider filling all holes and cutouts in the subfloor where pipes, wires, etc. penetrate. Expanding foam is great for this.
3) Keep your hot water hot all the way from the tank to your faucet. This means making sure all hot-water supply pipes are well insulated. Also, check your water temperature to make sure it’s between 120-125F. Any more is wasteful and potentially dangerous. Better yet, swap out the old tank-style heater with an on-demand water heater. They’re expensive up front, but create AWESOME savings during their lifetime.
4) Produce light with light bulbs, produce heat with a heating system. What I mean is this: incandescent bulbs – you know, the stereotypical “Thomas Edison” style light bulb – convert 90% of their consumed energy into heat and only 10% to light. This, quite simply, is insanity! Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) produce 75% less heat, last ten times longer, and save over $30 in energy costs per bulb in its lifetime. Just be sure to recycle your old CFLs appropriately, as they do contain a trace of mercury.
Any ONE of these upgrades shows your quest for efficiency. Do them all, and you’ll be a certified Energy Super-Hero!!!
