30% TAX CREDIT FOR 2010 PURCHASE AND INSTALL OF A SOLAR ATTIC FAN! Energy Tips
Air Conditioning and Heating
• Make sure your attic is properly insulated and that if your home is a good fit for it, you have radiant barrier properly installed.
• Raise the thermostat to 78°F in the summer and lower to 68°F in the winter.
• Install proper attic ventilation to reduce heat gain in the summer and moisture in the winter. Attic heat can contribute greatly to your home not remaining cool!
• Install Attic Tents on each pull down attic stair access in conditioned areas of your home such as hallways and closets. This prevents outside, unconditioned dirty air from entering your living space.
• During the spring, summer and fall months, use fans and open windows instead of running the air conditioner. Dress in light and loose fitting clothing. Try to keep humidity out of the house.
• Install solar screens or retractable solar roller shades on windows to prevent heat from entering the house.
• Dress in warm clothing during winter months.
Lights
• Turn lights off when not in use.
• Where appropriate, install light switch timers in each room that automatically turn off after 5, 10, 15, or 20 minutes. - Available from Go Green Solar Screens!
• Use energy-efficient, low-wattage light bulbs
• Use lights only where and when needed.
• Use new adaptable fluorescent light bulbs in old incandescent fixtures.
• When possible, use natural daylight instead of electric lighting.
• Avoid using small appliances whenever possible. (Use a spoon, not a mixer.)
• Use small appliances instead of larger ones whenever possible. (Toast bread in toaster, not in the oven.)
• Use appliances that have low wattage.
• Reduce hot water consumption by washing clothes and running the garbage disposal using cold water.
• Take showers instead of baths.
• Use the short cycle on the dishwasher.
• Set the thermostat on the water heater at 120°F.
• Cover the water heater in your home with an approved insulation wrap - available from Go Green Solar Screens!
• Turn the water heater off when you leave home for more than two days.
• Repair water leaks and drips.
• Install a hot water trap (p-trap) to prevent hot water from flowing back into the pipes.
Windows can be one of your home's most attractive features. They provide views, daylight, ventilation and solar heating in the winter. But they can also allow energy used to heat or cool your home to escape. Energy loss associated with windows accounts for 10% to 25% of your heating bill. During summer months, heat gained from windows requires your air conditioner to work two to three times harder.
Since we live in the Sun Belt, you should consider new solar control for your windows. This can reduce the cooling load
by more than half.
In the summer, the sun shining through your windows heats your home. Windows with solar screens or roller shades reflect some of the sunlight, keeping your rooms cooler.
• Close curtains on south-and west-facing windows during the day.
• Install solar screens on the south-and west-facing windows.
Double-pane windows with low-e coating on the glass reflect heat back into the room during the winter months.
• Install exterior or interior storm windows; storm windows can reduce your heat loss through the windows by 25% to 50%.
• Repair and weatherize your current storm windows, if necessary.
• Solar Screens installed correctly will act partially as storm windows in the winter, keeping the cold breeze off your windows!
• Close your curtains and shades at night; open them during the day.
• Keep windows on the south side of your house clean to maximize solar gain.
Landscaping is a natural and beautiful way to keep your home more comfortable and reduce your energy bills. In addition to adding aesthetic value and environmental quality to your home, a well-placed tree, shrub or vine can deliver effective shade, act as a windbreak and reduce overall energy bills.
Carefully
positioned trees can save up to 25% of a typical household's energy for
heating and cooling. Three trees, properly placed around the house, can
save an average household between $100 and $250 in heating and cooling
energy costs annually.
• Trees that lose their leaves in the fall (i.e., deciduous) are the most effective at reducing heating and cooling energy costs. When selectively placed around a house, they provide excellent protection from the summer sun but permit winter sunlight to reach and warm your house. The height, growth rate, branch spread and shape are all factors to consider in choosing a tree.
• Vines provide shading and cooling. Grown on trellises, vines can shade windows or the whole side of a house.
• Deflect winter winds by planting evergreen trees and shrubs on the north and west sides of your house; deflect summer winds by planting on the south and west sides of your house.
These are just a few things I can recommend to help all of us stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, and keep us comfortable year-round. Do you have any suggestions? Comment now!
