It might seem counter-intuitive, but reducing energy waste can often improve comfort in your home and lower your bill at the same time. Here are 10 ways to improve your home comfort and make small energy-saving changes that can add up:
Adjust your hot water temperature. If it’s higher than 120 degrees, turn it down to that level. For electric water heaters, each degree you decrease the water temperature will cut utility costs and reduce the chance of family members scalding themselves.
Install a smart thermostat. New smart thermostats learn your family’s lifestyle in a few days, making it a no-brainer to lower the temperature when no one is at home. Clark Public Utilities offers a $50 rebate on five models — the Nest Generation 3, NestE, Carrier Cor, Ecobee-3, and Ecobee-4, making it more affordable to upgrade.
Plant a tree. A shade tree is a longer-term solution, but in time it can help keep your home cooler in the summer. Plant one so it blocks the morning or afternoon sun in the summer and drops its leaves in the fall to let the sun warm your home. Native deciduous trees, like big leaf maple, vine maple, or red alder work well — just be careful not to plant trees under power lines or near electrical equipment.
Weatherize your home. Weather-stripping around exterior doors and placing foam gaskets in outlets on exterior walls helps up the comfort and cuts down on wasted energy. Filling cracks, gaps around doors, water pipes and windows and caulking around splits in siding and spaces between siding and outside window frames is an inexpensive way to save energy and reduce the hot air leaking out during the winter.
Replace furnace filters. Checking your furnace filters and replacing them as scheduled helps maintain the life of the unit and protects it from wasting energy by working too hard. It also keeps dust and particles out of the air that can be irritants for anyone with asthma or other respiratory problems.
Insulate under floors and in the attic. Although more expensive, this is the next place to make your home cozier and save a few dollars. Much heat escapes through home floors and through the attic. If uninsulated, adding insulation will bring decent savings of both energy and money. If partially insulated, the savings will be less and may or may not bring enough savings compared with the cost. Check with the utility about the rebates and loans available for attic and floor insulation.
Add thermal window coverings. In the winter, you want to keep as much heat in your home as possible. Thermal lined drapes and window shades can help. Heavier drapes with heat-blocking fabric guard against heat escaping through the windows as well as help keep heat out in the summer.
Seal your ductwork. About 15 percent of your heat can escape through leaks in metal ductwork. Having an HVAC contractor seal them to performance tested comfort systems standards can save much of that. The utility offers a $200 rebate on PTCS sealing.
Consider big ticket items last. More costly routes to homey comfort and energy savings include upgrading your heating system or replacing windows. The utility offers rebates on heat pumps, and window replacements, and loans up to $15,000 for electrically-heated homes. These home improvements can lower energy costs and make the home more comfortable, but there are lots of changes with a lower price tag that can also help.
Ask for advice. The utility’s trained energy counselors are available Monday-Friday during business hours at 360-992-3355 to answer questions about energy-savings and help you prioritize your home projects. An energy counselor can take a look at your historical use, the age and type of your home and make recommendations to bring down energy use while keeping your home safe and comfortable.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
