Visual Guide to Reducing Home Energy Costs

PURELY SHUTTERS A VISUAL GUIDE TO HOME ENERGY SAVINGS If you want to easily decrease your home's energy usage, what can you do? As much as half of your home's energy is spent on heating or cooling. While turning out the lights in unused rooms may seem logical, there are actually many other more effective ways to decrease your energy usage. Consider specific ways to 'go green' in each room of your home. ATTIC • Saving energy in your home starts with prevention. If you want to lower your heating and cooling costs, keeping the cold or hot air outside is the first step. • Install attic insulation rated R-30 and seal any attic leaks to reduce cooling costs. BEDROOM • Add carpeting or rugs for comfort and heat retention in the winter, especially if there is little or no floor insulation. • Don't block air vents with drapes and furniture BATHROOM • Install aerating, low-flow tap and showerheads - available at home improvement stores – to reduce your hot water use. • Shorten showers to cut hot water costs. LIVING ROOM • During the summer, block the sun from overheating your home by installing shutters or using draperies. • Insulate your walls with injected foam insulation to keep hot outside air from seeping through porous block walls - check with your local building supply company for details. • Seal any leaks to make sure air isn't escaping through openings such as fireplace dampers, doors and windows. Seal them up so they're airtight. • Heat your home with the sun's help. Leave window shades or blinds open during the daytime. FAMILY ROOM • Use ceiling fans in the summer to make the room feel cooler. Ceiling fans use no more electricity than a standard light bulb. • Replace standard bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLS). CFLS are more energy- efficient than regular bulbs, while giving off the same amount of light. • Replace your five most-used light fixtures and/or bulbs with ENERGY STAR® products. If every American did so, we would save about $8 billion per year in energy costs. • Look for ENERGY STAR-qualified TV's; they're up to 30 percent more efficient than non-certified models. OFFICE • Limit your use of portable heaters. They're great for "spot" heating, but running a 1,500-watt heater 24/7 can be expensive. • Plug electronics into a power strip, then turn the strip off when not in use to save in energy costs. >• Set your computer to sleep or hibernate mode instead of using a screen saver so it uses less electricity during periods of inactivity. • Unplug battery/phone chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use. Many chargers draw power continuously, even when the device is not plugged into the charger. KITCHEN • Use microwaves and toaster ovens to cook or warm leftovers. You'll use less energy than cooking with a conventional oven. • Repair refrigerator door seals if you feel cold air around the closed door or if moisture is collecting. • Keep your freezer full –- it uses less energy than an empty one. For maximum savings, consider filling your freezer with gallon containers of water. • Grill out more often during the summer. Using the oven in the heat of summer forces your AC to work harder, which raises your energy bill. LAUNDRY • Wash and dry several loads at once, so that your dryer isn't completely cooled down when it heats up for the load. • Avoid over-drying your clothes. It wastes energy, plus causes static and wrinkling. • Wash full loads of clothes when possible. When smaller loads are necessary, use less water. • Always wash with cold water. Laundry detergent works just as well, and you'll save 40 cents per load. UTILITY • Get an energy-efficient heat pump and you could cut your heating costs in half. • Set your thermostat to 60 degrees if going on vacation during the winter months, but don't turn it off. You don't want your pipes to freeze. • Get an insulation wrap, reduce your water heater temperature. • Reduce your water heater temperature setting from 140 degrees to 120 degrees. It will save you money while keeping water hot enough for showers and cleaning dishes. GARAGE • Seal and insulate the garage. If done by a knowledgeable homeowner or skilled contractor, it can save up to 20% on heating and cooling costs. OUTDOORS • Plant trees to provide shade on the sunny side of your home. • Use motion-detector lights for all your outdoor lighting; they're convenient and efficient. • Reduce the strain on your AC by applying a reflective coating to your roof. This will help you save by decreasing the amount of heat coming into your home. Reflective roofs not only reduce heat buildup, they also prevent the expansion and contraction that degrade roofs. • Installing solid shutters will decrease both heat loss and summer heat gain PURELY SHUTTERS Sources: https://www.progress-energy com/carolinas/home/save-energy-moneylenergy-saving-tips-calculators/100-tips, page http://www.energystar.govindex.cfm?c=products.pr_save_energy_at_home http://www.altenergymag.com/emagazine/2010/12/solar-shutters/1663 http://energy govlenergysaverlenergy-saver PURELY SHUTTERS A VISUAL GUIDE TO HOME ENERGY SAVINGS If you want to easily decrease your home's energy usage, what can you do? As much as half of your home's energy is spent on heating or cooling. While turning out the lights in unused rooms may seem logical, there are actually many other more effective ways to decrease your energy usage. Consider specific ways to 'go green' in each room of your home. ATTIC • Saving energy in your home starts with prevention. If you want to lower your heating and cooling costs, keeping the cold or hot air outside is the first step. • Install attic insulation rated R-30 and seal any attic leaks to reduce cooling costs. BEDROOM • Add carpeting or rugs for comfort and heat retention in the winter, especially if there is little or no floor insulation. • Don't block air vents with drapes and furniture BATHROOM • Install aerating, low-flow tap and showerheads - available at home improvement stores – to reduce your hot water use. • Shorten showers to cut hot water costs. LIVING ROOM • During the summer, block the sun from overheating your home by installing shutters or using draperies. • Insulate your walls with injected foam insulation to keep hot outside air from seeping through porous block walls - check with your local building supply company for details. • Seal any leaks to make sure air isn't escaping through openings such as fireplace dampers, doors and windows. Seal them up so they're airtight. • Heat your home with the sun's help. Leave window shades or blinds open during the daytime. FAMILY ROOM • Use ceiling fans in the summer to make the room feel cooler. Ceiling fans use no more electricity than a standard light bulb. • Replace standard bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLS). CFLS are more energy- efficient than regular bulbs, while giving off the same amount of light. • Replace your five most-used light fixtures and/or bulbs with ENERGY STAR® products. If every American did so, we would save about $8 billion per year in energy costs. • Look for ENERGY STAR-qualified TV's; they're up to 30 percent more efficient than non-certified models. OFFICE • Limit your use of portable heaters. They're great for "spot" heating, but running a 1,500-watt heater 24/7 can be expensive. • Plug electronics into a power strip, then turn the strip off when not in use to save in energy costs. >• Set your computer to sleep or hibernate mode instead of using a screen saver so it uses less electricity during periods of inactivity. • Unplug battery/phone chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use. Many chargers draw power continuously, even when the device is not plugged into the charger. KITCHEN • Use microwaves and toaster ovens to cook or warm leftovers. You'll use less energy than cooking with a conventional oven. • Repair refrigerator door seals if you feel cold air around the closed door or if moisture is collecting. • Keep your freezer full –- it uses less energy than an empty one. For maximum savings, consider filling your freezer with gallon containers of water. • Grill out more often during the summer. Using the oven in the heat of summer forces your AC to work harder, which raises your energy bill. LAUNDRY • Wash and dry several loads at once, so that your dryer isn't completely cooled down when it heats up for the load. • Avoid over-drying your clothes. It wastes energy, plus causes static and wrinkling. • Wash full loads of clothes when possible. When smaller loads are necessary, use less water. • Always wash with cold water. Laundry detergent works just as well, and you'll save 40 cents per load. UTILITY • Get an energy-efficient heat pump and you could cut your heating costs in half. • Set your thermostat to 60 degrees if going on vacation during the winter months, but don't turn it off. You don't want your pipes to freeze. • Get an insulation wrap, reduce your water heater temperature. • Reduce your water heater temperature setting from 140 degrees to 120 degrees. It will save you money while keeping water hot enough for showers and cleaning dishes. GARAGE • Seal and insulate the garage. If done by a knowledgeable homeowner or skilled contractor, it can save up to 20% on heating and cooling costs. OUTDOORS • Plant trees to provide shade on the sunny side of your home. • Use motion-detector lights for all your outdoor lighting; they're convenient and efficient. • Reduce the strain on your AC by applying a reflective coating to your roof. This will help you save by decreasing the amount of heat coming into your home. Reflective roofs not only reduce heat buildup, they also prevent the expansion and contraction that degrade roofs. • Installing solid shutters will decrease both heat loss and summer heat gain PURELY SHUTTERS Sources: https://www.progress-energy com/carolinas/home/save-energy-moneylenergy-saving-tips-calculators/100-tips, page http://www.energystar.govindex.cfm?c=products.pr_save_energy_at_home http://www.altenergymag.com/emagazine/2010/12/solar-shutters/1663 http://energy govlenergysaverlenergy-saver