Energy Savings (US)

Help keep heating costs down with our energy-saving equipment installations and equipment protection plans.

Meanwhile, here are some tips — both big and small — to help get you started on the road to energy savings!

"Big" Jobs that Can Save You Big

Get a heating system tune-up to ensure maximum performance from every drop of heating oil burned. It's best to have your furnace serviced before the heating season begins to ensure optimal efficiency.

Replace old, inefficient furnaces or water heaters. Home heating accounts for 60% of at-home energy use!� Making sure your equipment is efficient equates to savings.

Change the windows. Consider new low-emissivity glass, which will decrease radiant heat loss without lowering visibility. Or, if your budget's tight, seal off warped or single-glazed windows and patio doors with single-use, heat-shrink plastic sheeting kits for windows. Magnetic-acrylic interior storms are a more expensive, but reusable alternative. Install insulating window blinds on persistently drafty or cold windows.

Clean or replace furnace filters regularly during the heating season. Have furry pets? You'll probably need to change your filters more often.

Turn down the thermostat at night. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, homeowners can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling bills by simply turning the thermostat back by 10 - 15 °. To make it even easier, use a programmable thermostat to turn the heat up and down using a preset schedule.

Let the sun shine in! Your home's south-facing windows get the most sunlight. Eastern windows get morning sun. West facing windows receive sunlight in the afternoon. Open shades and drapes during the daytime to let the sun�s warmth enter your home, and close when the sun sets.

Seal off drafts in your home. Apply thick beads of heavy-duty caulk around gaps in the attic and between the basement wall and the house. Use insulating foam to seal gaps larger than 1/2 inch. Paintable caulking works well around windowframes, sills and other highly-visibile areas. Clear silicone caulk is almost invisible in places that will not be painted, such as a floor-baseboard junction. If you only need to seal off the draft temporarily, consider peel-off caulk.

Insulate attic floors with at least 10 inches of fiberglass insulation (or equivalent). And don't forget the exhaust fan ducts in the attic; insulating these will help control accumulating ice and backdripping.

Install weatherstripping on drafty doors and windows. Storm doors and windows should have weatherstripping on all moveable joints.

Use low-cost, high-density foam gaskets to seal light switches and electrical sockets.

Fill large gaps in your walls with expanding foam insulation before the cold season starts. Duct mastic is a good heat-loss stopper for heating ducts and flues.

Remove window air conditioners. Where this is not possible, encase units with a thick layer of fibreglass insulation and then seal them with polyethylene sheeting and duct tape to keep out moisture.

Don't forget the fireplace. While a nice warm fire keeps us toasty warm, when not in use fireplace dampers should be tight-fitting and kept closed. Glass doors offer increased protection against drafts.

Set the temperature setting on your hot water tank at 120�F if you wash dishes by hand or 140�F if you have a dishwasher without a hot water booster heater.

Wrap your hot water tank in a thermal blanket to reduce heat loss. Insulate the hot water pipes as much as possible to minimize radiation heat loss.

Use low-flow showerheads and tap aerators to save 50% more water. Without these water-saving measures, a household of four people taking daily 5-minute showers consumes a lifetime supply of drinking water for one person every 6 months.

| | |