Today is National Weatherization Day which offers an opportunity to highlight the positive potential of residential weatherization.
The Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program assists income-eligible families and individuals by reducing their heating/cooling costs and improving the safety of their homes through energy efficiency measures. Across the country, federal recovery funds are helping people weatherize their homes for winter, creating jobs and reducing energy waste.
Gov. Brad Henry signed a proclamation proclaiming October as “Weatherization Month” and to celebrate the positive effects of making homes more energy efficient, Big Five Community Services, Inc.’s Weatherization Program offers the following energy saving tips for homeowners:
Water Heating
• Lower the thermostat on your water heater. 120 degrees F provides comfortable hot water for most uses.
• Insulate your hot water heater per manufacturer’s recommendations.
• Drain 1-2 gallons from bottom of water heater each year to reduce sediment build up.
• Insulate exposed hot water lines.
• Limit shower length to 5-7 minutes; don’t let water run while shaving or brushing your teeth.
Kitchen
• Clean refrigerator coils annually.
• Set the refrigerator temperature to 34–37 degrees F and freezer to 0–5 degrees F.
• Let hot food cool before storing it in the refrigerator.
Lighting
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
• Use outdoor security lights with a photocell and/or a motion sensor.
• Turn off unnecessary lighting.
Heating and air conditioning
• Install a programmable thermostat. You can save as much as 10 percent a year by simply turning your thermostat back 10 percent to 15 percent for 8 hours.
• Minimize use of electric space heaters.
• Verify all outdoor doors close and seal tightly. Keep garage door down.
• Open drapes during the day to catch free solar heat in the winter. Close drapes at night to keep heat in during the winter.
• Seal air leaks. One of the quickest dollar-saving tasks you can do is caulk, seal and weather-strip all seams, cracks and openings to the outside.
For more energy saving tips visit www.eere.energy.gov.
