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Brrracing For Winter: Is Your
Home Energy Efficient?
by Jim Larranaga
With cold weather approaching, it's time to winterize your home. Here
are 10 ways that the Department of Energy recommends lowering your
energy costs and making your home more comfortable.
1. Utility room: Typically, 44 percent of your utility bill goes for
heating and cooling. Clean the furnace filter monthly. For maximum
efficiency, move furniture and drapes away from air ducts or radiators.
Water heaters account for about 14 percent of your utility bill. Wrap
insulation around your heater and lower the temperature to 115 F. Drain
a quart of water from the tank every three months to remove sediment
that lowers the unit's efficiency.
2. Living areas: Lower your thermostat to 72 F during the day. At night
and when you're away from home, lower it to 65 F. Better yet, install a
programmable thermostat to adjust the temperature automatically.
Lowering the temperature for eight hours can save roughly 1 percent of
your home's heating bill for each degree set back.
3. Bathroom: Repair leaky faucets and take more showers than baths.
Bathing uses at least 50 percent more hot water than a five-minute
shower. Install a low-flow shower head for additional savings.
4. Attic: Insulation over the heated part of the house should be at
least 6 inches thick. Exposed ducts in attics and crawl spaces typically
account for 15 percent of the air loss in a home. They should be sealed
and insulated by a qualified professional.
5. Windows and doors: Drafts around windows and doors can account for 10
percent to 25 percent of your heating bill. Replace damaged or missing
weather-stripping. If you have storm windows, install them in the fall.
6. Exterior: Look for missing or loose siding. If your home has a stucco
exterior, caulk any cracks. Check your roofing and flashing for missing
shingles and signs of deterioration. Clean your gutters and down spouts.
Trapped rainwater can freeze and back up, damaging the roof and causing
leaks that ruin insulation and lead to dry rot.
7. Plumbing: Openings for plumbing account for 13 percent of the air
leaks in a home and should be sealed. In colder climates, drain and shut
off sprinkler systems to prevent frozen and broken pipes.
8. Lighting: Replace incandescent light bulbs with fluorescents, which
last longer and use less energy. Plug unused electrical outlets to keep
cold air from coming in through sockets.
9. Appliances: Appliances account for about 20 percent of your home's
energy use. Refrigerators and clothes dryers are at the top of the list.
To lower your costs, clean your refrigerator's condenser coils in the
fall. Wash and dry full laundry loads and use your dishwasher's air dry
cycle.
10. Fireplaces: Fireplaces account for 14 percent of the heat loss in a
home. Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is going.
By handling a few of these chores now you could save yourself some cold
cash this winter.
About the author
Jim Larranaga is executive vice president of Priority Publications, a
Minneapolis-based publisher of financial newsletters.
If you would like to run "Talking About Money" as a regular weekly
column sponsored by a local financial institution, contact Jim Larranaga
at
(800) 727-6397.
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