Home Energy Conservation Checklist
8 Low Cost Energy and Money Saving Tips

1 [ ] Judiciously replace standard incandescent bulbs with compact florescent (CFL) bulbs. Many people don’t care for the color of light cast by these bulbs, but you may want to at least use them in them in rooms where you don’t spend much time in (e.g., the utility room). Note that they are more expensive than standard bulbs and they contain a small amount of mercury so must be disposed of properly. However, they are reported to last much longer, maybe 10 times longer, than incandescent bulbs.

2 [ ] Do a visual inspection of utility room and unfinished basement space. Seal any opening around ducts wires and pipes that penetrate walls, ceilings or floors. Use caulk, expanding foam or other weather stripping as appropriate. Even if the openings are all interior-to-interior, closing these gaps can reduce unwanted drafts and increase your home’s energy efficiently.

3 [ ] Electric wall outlet and switch boxes on outside walls are often the source for cold air to enter your home. Install foam gaskets that can be purchased from home improvement centers. This remedy was been suggested for many years. If you find existing gaskets, check to seek if they have become brittle. Replace if necessary.

4 [ ] Install one or more CO detectors in your home. While technically this step doesn’t save any energy, it can save your life. Locate a CO detector in or near bedrooms -- this is a good location if you have multiple source points of combustion- say a furnace in one area and a gas fireplace in another. If all of your combustible appliances are in one area, then add the CO alarm near them.

5 [ ] When it time to replace a stand-alone lamp, consider purchasing three-way model as they allow selection of the right lighting level to the need.

6 [ ] You may want to replace any incandescent night-lights with 4-watt minifluorescent or electro-luminescent night-lights. Both lights are much more efficient than their incandescent counterparts and have the added benefit of being cool to the touch.

7 [ ] Check your furnace filter once a month. Replace the filter if it at all soiled or collected noticeable dust. Your heating system will consume less energy and last longer with clean filters.

8 [ ] Install indoor or outdoor see-through window kit insulation; Add to your most draft-prone windows and patio doors first. North facing windows are often the one’s buffeted by the strongest winds of the winter.

Home Energy Conservation Checklist
33 Practical and Cost-Free and Very Low Cost Tips to $ave Big Money on Household Energy

1 [ ] One-Time Step: Check your water heater temperature. Set to the lowest setting possible which should result in water between 110 and 120 degrees. Not only can this lower your energy use, but you might also prevent scalding which can occur when water is above 120 degrees. The exception on this tip is if your dishwasher requires a higher setting, so check the owner's manual.

2 [ ] Annual Step: Unplug all appliances and electronics not in every-day use. Did you know that many electronic devices consume electricity even when “off?” It is true. Televisions, VCRs and DVD players are especially guilty of this, but even microwave ovens consume some power when not in use [just to run the clock].

3 [ ] One-Time Step: Your refrigerator is likely your biggest energy-consuming appliance. Check the temperature setting. Use the recommended cold setting on newer models, or between 36 to 38 degrees on the dial on older models to keep bacterial growth in check. The freezer section should be also set to the recommended setting or between 0 and 5 degrees. Do you have a second refrigerator? Unplug that spare refrigerator if you don't really need it – it can add 10 or more percent to your electric bill.

4 [ ] One-Time Step: Adjust your home’s thermostat setting to just barely comfortable levels -- set the nighttime temperate about eight degrees below the daytime temperature. A good goal might be 59 degrees at night, 67 degrees during the day. For every degree you lower your heat in the 60-degree to 70-degree range, you will save near 5 percent on heating costs over the entire heating season. Use a space heater to heat the room you spend the most time in and crank down the thermostat. Throw an extra quilt or two on the bed, especially on the coldest of nights.

5 [ ] Seasonal: Clothing -- dress in layers, wear insulated underwear, and cover your feet with some nice thick socks [hiking socks].

6 [ ] Seasonal: Close off unused rooms – close the heating vent and shut the door to unused bedrooms and walk-in closets. Cozy-up in your true living space by deciding to use fewer rooms this winter.

7 [ ] Seasonal: Walk around both the interior and exterior of your home and check that your windows are shut tight. Close [or install] the storm windows tight. Check each latch and see that both the storm and main window is fully engaged. Ensure that each patio door is complete shut against the jamb.

8 [ ] Habit: If you own a fireplace, be sure to close the damper when it’s not in use. If the damper is left open, it’s like leaving a window open for letting heat escape your home. Of course you will need to open the damper if you use your fireplace!

9 [ ] One-Time Step: Make sure all heating vents in rooms being used are fully opened and not blocked by furniture or other items. No sense in heating air that never makes to where you need it.

10 [ ] Habit: Shut off lights when you leave a room. Make it a habit.

11 [ ] Habit: Simply use fewer lights. Why light up a room with multiple lights a few will do? Use task lighting instead of brightly lighting an entire room.

12 [ ] Habit: After charging your cell phone or other battery-power device is complete, remove the charger from the AC outlet. Otherwise the adapter continues to draw power even if not connected to the cell phone.

13 [ ] Habit: Shut down your computer and monitor at night. A common belief is that equipment lasts longer if never turned off. Scant evidence supports this with today’s electronics. Restarting your computer each day has the added benefit of clearing out memory issues that can occur when multiple applications are opened and never closed down.

14 [ ] Habit: Plug your computer peripherals (printer, scanner) into a switched power-strip. One flip of the switch and they all power down when not in use.

15 [ ] Habit: Turn down the thermostat when gone for more than a couple hours. Setting the furnace down while your gone, even for just some errands, can reduce your energy consumption. The heat needed to bring your home back up to temperature is less than if you can leave the thermostat up.

16 [ ] Habit: Run your ceiling fan. Yes, run it. By circulating the heat off the ceiling, you put the heat where you feel it. The cost of electricity of running the fan is offset by the reduced number of times the furnace kicks-in. Many fans have do have a “reverse” switch – allowing the fan to draw air in the winter and push air down in the summer. Even if you don’t change the fan’s direction, simply moving the air around will save you energy.

17 [ ] Habit: Let the sunshine in. Open your drapes or blinds and let the sun heat your home, especially south and west facing windows. But be sure to close them again at night to help get extra insulating value from them. Keep windows on the south side of your house clean to let in the winter sun.

18 [ ] Habit: Turn off kitchen and bath-ventilating fans after they've done their job - these fans can remove a house-full of heated air if inadvertently left on too long. But don’t skip running them for at least a half hour to help reduce mold growth in the bath and shower areas.

19 [ ] Habit: Take shorter showers. Reducing that lingering time by a few minutes can save hundreds of gallons of hot water each month. Showers typically account for two thirds of water heating costs in a home. Consider getting yourself wet, shutting off the water. Soaping up, and then turning the water back on.

20 [ ] Habit: Full loads in the dishwasher and clothes washer are more efficient that multiple small loads. Use the cold water setting on your clothes washer when you can. Using cold water reduces your washer's energy use by 75 percent.

21 [ ] Habit: Clean your clothes dryer's lint trap after each use. Also, many homes have grates on the dryer vent the outside of the home. While they are useful in keeping rodents from entering the home via the vent, they too become clogged with lint. They need to be checked and cleaned every two or three months.

22 [ ] Habit: Wash your dishes by hand; or if you do use a dishwasher, avoid using your dishwasher’s drying cycle – let them air dry.

23 [ ] Monthly Step: Drain a quart of water from your hot water tank every three months to remove the sediment. The debris that collect at the bottom can reduce heat transfer and lowers the efficiency of your heater. Follow the manufacture’s advice on how to drain properly.

24 [ ] Annual Step: Move your refrigerator away from the wall and vacuum the condenser coils once a year. Your refrigerator will run for shorter periods with clean coils.

25 [ ] Annual Step: If you have more a one-quarter inch or more of frost in your freezer you should defrost it. Frost buildup increases the amount of energy needed to keep it cold. Don’t allow frost to build up more than one-quarter of an inch.

26 [ ] Seasonal: Does your home have a gas fireplace? Most have a pilot light that needlessly consumes gas all summer long. Follow the manufacture's directions to shut off the pilot in the spring and properly restart it in fall.

27 [ ] Annual Step: Many homes today have an air-to-air exchanger that helps reduce energy loss that otherwise would occur by heating outside air. These units also contain air filters that need to be cleaned every year to maintain peak effectiveness and lowest energy use. Most filters are permanent but can be removed for cleaning. Follow the manufacture's instructions, which typically state to wash by hand or with the spray of a hose and then allow to completely air dry before re-installing.

28 [ ] Habit: Plan what you will need out the refrigerator before you open it. Don’t open the door and then think about what you want to make. It does not take long for an open refrigerator to loose all of its cooled air. Opening the door many times also allows much of the cooled air to escape. Consider everything that you will need, open it and get your items, and then get out!

29 [ ] Habit: Reduce water usage by cutting down on the number of times the toilet is flushed. Following the rhyme “if its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down,” can reduce water consumption by more than 20 percent. If you have multiple toilets and using this strategy, best results may be achieved by directing all bathroom use to a single toilet.

30 [ ] Seasonal: Check to see if your refrigerator has a condensation prevention switch. This feature is more common in newer refrigerators. The switch controls a small heater (yes, a heater on a refrigerator) that helps eliminate summertime sweating and subsequent mildew growth that may occur between the freezer box and the refrigerator box. It should be in the “on” position in the summer and high humidity, but in the “off” position during spring, fall, and winter months when the humidity is low. The switch that might be a labeled as "Prevents Condensation/Saves Energy -- On/Off."

31 [ ] Habit: Keep your refrigerator well stocked. It takes more energy to cool an empty fridge. If you don't need as much food as your refrigerator will hold, fill milk jugs with water to help retain the cold.

32 [ ] Habit: Use a microwave or toaster oven for cooking and heating small portions.

33 [ ] Annually: Clean your windows in the fall; if your unable to clean all of your windows, at least try to get the south and west facing ones. Not only will you enjoy looking through freshly cleaned glass, but clear windows also allows more free energy into your home on the bright sunny days. Closing your blinds or drapes and night helps contain the energy too.