SAVE YOUR MONEY AND STOP WASTING ENERGY
Did you know that a plasma TV uses up to 400 watts of electricity a day? A traditional incandescent light bulb and a refrigerator combined also use about 31% of the average homes monthly energy. I don’t know about you but that sound pretty scary to me. During 2016 the average electric bill in the state of Maryland was $313 per month. Compare that to Washington, D.C. whose average cost was half of cost at $219. If there are two things that you can expect to happen this summer is that 1. temperatures to rise, and 2.Your utility bills will double. That’s because most of us rely on our air conditioning to keep our homes cool during the long summer months. So what can we do about? Here are 10 simple suggestions for saving yourself both money and energy this summer.
Insulation & Air Sealing
1. Adding more insulation – Insulate the walls, ceiling, and attic areas of your home. This helps you save between 20 to 30 percent off of your homes cooling cost this summer. Add insulation to your attic if it has less than 6 inches of cellulose or 7 inches of fiberglass insulation.
2. Air Sealing – Look for drafts around windows and doors with a piece of tissue paper attached to a string. If the paper moves, air is leaking in or out. Adding the proper amount of weatherstripping and caulking can increase energy savings by up to 10%
Heating and Cooling
3. Installing A Programmable Thermostat – We recommend keeping your thermostat set at 78 degrees during the summer months and 68 degrees during the winter months. A programmable thermostat regulates your home’s temperature and automatically sets reduced energy usage while you are out of the house or sleeping. Installing a programmable thermostat generally, surpasses the cost of installation in less than a month.
4. Ceiling Fans– Never overlook the power of a fan. Ceiling fans use a fraction of the energy that a traditional air conditioning unit does. In addition, it circulates enough air to keep a room cool and comfortable.
5. Blinds and Curtains – Keep blinds and curtains closed during the day and open them at night. This keeps the suns heat out and keeps the cool air trapped inside your home.
6. Change your air conditioner filter monthly – A clean air filter improves system efficiency, which should lead to energy savings.
7. Turn off the air conditioning when you’re not home. You are wasting energy just to maintain a cooler home environment.
Water Heater Costs
8. Water heater reduction. Water accounts for 18% of your homes energy use. If you’re not using your hot water heater why not turn it off or reduce the temperature to at least 120 degrees. If you have a tank style heater, hybrid, or heat pump system a portion of that heat does leaves the tank while it’s waiting for you to use it.
Appliances
9. Running the Clothes Washer and Dryer Units– We suggest using cold water during the hot summer months so that you don’t have to rely on using your hot water heater as much. If you really need to do a load of laundry we suggest that you do it early in the morning or at night. This helps to minimize interior heat during the hottest part of the day.
10. Refrigerators– Are you aware that refrigerators use about 20% of your home’s energy? That’s about 1/5 of your home’s energy cost. Replace old appliances with new energy efficient Energy Star appliances. If your dishwasher has a booster heater setting, adjust your water heater thermostat setting to 120 degrees.
For more home energy savings tips contact us today to by calling us at (443) 290-5182 today to schedule your home energy assessment and learn how you can start saving money and energy today.
