Home Energy Adventure

Take the Home Energy Adventure Tour to learn about how you can save energy and money at home.


How to Save Money on Your Energy Bill 

There are many ways to conserve energy usage and save money. Some methods are dependent on the time of year and outside temperature, but there are plenty of techniques that work year round. 

When it's COLD outside:

Winter months often bring some of the highest energy bills of the year. As the temperature drops, the cost to heat your home increases. By being proactive about saving energy, you can increase the comfort of your home and reduce monthly bills. Here are a few cost-effective ways to reduce your energy usage during cold weather.

  • Mind the thermostat. This is one of the easiest ways to manage your home energy use. We recommend setting your thermostat to 68 degrees (or lower) when you’re home. When you’re sleeping or away for an extended period of time, try setting it between 58 and 62 degrees; there’s no need to heat your home when you’re away or sleeping and less active. Remember: Turning off your central heat system and using space heaters does not save money!
     
  • Keep your heating system healthy. Have your furnace or heat pump serviced by a professional each year. Clean or replace filters in your furnace, air conditioner, and heat pump monthly. Be sure your HVAC air vents (inflow and out) are clean and not blocked by furniture objects.
     
  • Button up your home. The Department of Energy estimates that air leaks account for 24% to 40% of the energy used for heating and cooling a home. Caulking and weather stripping around windows and doors is another simple, cost-effective way to increase comfort and save energy. If you can feel drafts while standing near a window or door, it likely needs to be sealed! Insulate your attic and any unheated crawl spaces beneath your house.
     
  • Use window coverings A man sealing a window to save on energy costs.wisely. Open blinds, drapes or other window coverings during the day to allow natural sunlight in to warm your home. Close them at night to keep the cold, drafty air out. If you feel cold air around windows, consider hanging curtains or drapes in a thicker material; heavier window coverings can make a significant difference in blocking cold outdoor air. 
     
  • Monitor your appliance use. When combined, appliances and electronics account for a significant chunk of our home energy use, so assess how efficiently you’re using them. For example, if you’re running the dishwasher or clothes washer, only wash full loads. Look for electronic devices that consume energy even when they’re not in use, like phone chargers or game consoles. Every little bit helps, so unplug them to save energy.
     
  • Keep your toes toasty. Feet play a critical role in regulating body temperature, so when your feet are warm, your body automatically feels warmer. Try a pair of comfortable wool socks or house slippers to stay toasty. Area rugs can also provide extra insulation and a warm surface for your feet on cold winter days. Use large area rugs in rooms where you spend the most time. You’ll enjoy the new colors and textures of the rug, and the additional warmth will help keep your home comfortable. 
     
  • Watch your water heater. Set water heater temperature no higher than 120°F. Check if your water heater has an insulating blanket. An insulating blanket will pay for itself in one year or less!

     

When the weather outside is HOT:

As the temperature increases, the cost to cool your home increases. Here are a few cost-effective ways to reduce your energy usage during hot weather.

  • Mind the thermostat. Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer. The less difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be (75° F suggested)
     
  • Let your windows help. During the months of the year when it cools off at night, turn off your cooling system and open your windows. In the morning, shut the windows to capture the cool air. Close window treatments against the heat of the sun.
     
  • Shade your home. Where practical, plant trees and shrubs that provide shade in warm months and sunlight in winter. In addition to the aesthetic value, well placed trees can take heat gain from the sun and provide needed shade by creating a canopy for the house. 
     
  • Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms. Using a ceiling fan in conjunction with your air conditioning can allow you to increase the thermostat setting to approximately four degrees with no reduction in comfort levels. Remember to turn the ceiling fan off when you leave a room. 
  • Shine a light on savings. Install efficient lighting that runs cooler. Only about 10-15% of the electricity consumed by incandescents results in light - the rest becomes heat. Learn about efficient lighting here.
     
  • Minimize activities that generate a lot of heat. Activities such as running a computer, burning open flames, running a dishwasher, and using hot devices such as curling irons or hair dryers. Even stereos and televisions will add some heat to your home. On hot days, avoid using the oven; cook on the stovetop, in a microwave, or on an grill outside.

Appliance Tips:

  • Wash only full loads of dishes and avoid the dishwasher’s drying cycle.
  • Wash full loads of clothes in cold water whenever possible.
  • Air dry your clothes. If you use a dryer, check the vent for any blockages.Adjusting the laundry settings to save on energy costs.
  • Check refrigerator, freezer, and oven doors seals for leaks.
  • Full refrigerators and freezers don't have to work as hard to stay cool. If not full of food, use jugs of water to keep your fridge full and cool.
  • Your refrigerator can be set between 36 and 38 degrees (F), while your freezer can be set anywere between 0 and five degrees (F).
  • Pull your fridge away from the wall and clean the coils. When clean, the refrigerator cycles on and off less, saving you money.
  • Consider getting rid of that extra old refrigerator in the garage. If you aren't really using it, it can cost you a few dollars every
    month to cool a few cans of soda!
  • One bathroom exhaust fans can drain all of the heated air from your home in about an hour!

Electrical Outlet Use:

  • Power down your computer and monitor.
  • Use power strips for your home electronics and turn the power strips off when the equipment
    is not in use. Many home electronics use energy even when in standby mode.
     

Common Causes of Bill Variations

There are a lot circumstances that can affect energy usage. Take these conditions into considaration for what you can protect against or even prevent.

Conditions Beyond Your Control

  • Weather extremes
  • Daylight savings time
  • Number of days between meter readings
  • Guests and entertaining
  • Repairs and renovations
  • Average age and size of family
  • Vacations
  • Loss of shade-casting trees

Conditions You Can Control

  • New and larger appliances installed (Always choose ENERGY STAR qualified!)
  • Excessive house heating or cooling
  • Use of older or defective appliances
  • Lack of maintenance, such as clogged air filters in furnace
  • Leaking of hot water faucets
  • Frost on refrigerator unit or shortage of refrigerant
  • Excessive use of hot water
  • Lack of weather stripping or insulation
  • Moved to a larger home or apartment
  • Insufficient insulation window treatments

Other helpful links:

Energy Star offers many tips for doing a Home Energy Audit, as well as offering a locator service for a professional Home Energy Auditor.

Touchstone Energy offers a Home Efficiency Analysis Tool. You can sign in as a guest or with your Co-op Connections account.  If you don't already have an online account attached to your Co-op Connections Card, you can sign up here).

Performing a Breaker Check to see where your kilowatts are being used. This tool can help to identify malfunctions with appliances that can lead to unexpectedly high energy usage, such water leaks that cause well pumps to run longer or a burned out element in your hot water heater. View instructions on how to perform a breaker check here.


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Touchstone – 101 Ways to Save Energy and Money

Go to Touchstone's 101 Ways to Save Energy and Money page.

Touchstone - Home Energy Savings Guide

Download the Touchstone - Home Energy Savings Guide PDF file.

Touchstone -Commercial Energy Savings Guide

For the business members on the Co-op's grid. Download the PDF.

Energy Star site of the EPA

Go to the Energy Star site of the EPA site.

"Together We Save"

Provided by Touchstone Energy.