Optimized Home

Overview

You may not be able to cool your home by leaving the refrigerator door open, but it wouldn’t consume as much energy. In a typical home, the air conditioning unit will consume more electricity than anything else. To give you an idea of what an energy hog the typical AC unit is, take a look at the comparison chart below.

Here are some tips to help you tame this energy beast during warmer months.

Difficulty: Easy  (1 hour)

Tools needed:
- Programmable thermostat ($50-100 at SmartHome.com)

Action Steps

1. Install a programmable thermostat
   The ability to schedule thermostat settings throughout the day  can cut your heating and cooling costs by up to one-third. Installation is easy because they connect to the existing wiring. They can adjust temperatures up to six times per day with different profiles for weekends and weekdays.
   
   
2. Set thermostats higher in summer and lower in winter
   In hot weather, each degree that you raise the thermostat setting for air conditioning saves about 2 percent on your cooling bill. Try to acclimate yourself to a setting of 78° F or higher.  In cooler weather, set the thermostat at 68° F or lower for a comparable reduction in your heating expenses. This simple change can have a huge impact on your utility bills.
3. Don’t pay to heat or cool an empty room
   Are you paying to heat or cool that guest room that’s never used? By shutting the registers you can save as much as 10%. You shouldn’t close off rooms if you have electric baseboard heating. Also, if you use a heat pump, it may cause it to run inefficiently, so check your owner manual.
4. Don’t pay to heat or cool an empty house
   There’s no point in heating or cooling an empty home while your away for the weekend or on vacation. In warm weather, set your thermostat to 85° F or turn it off completely while you are away. Likewise,  set the thermostat to 65° F or lower in cool weather. Depending on the programmable thermostat model you have, you may be able to schedule your home to be the perfect temperature just as you pull in.
5. Use a fan (spinning in the right direction)
   Overhead fans with variable speeds and reversible rotation optimize heating and cooling, especially in rooms with high ceilings. In summer months, use the fan to lift the cool air to the ceiling from the floor.  Reversing the fan in winter months helps circulate the warm air trapped at the ceiling.
6. Open inside doors to maximize air circulation
   Unless you have more than one thermostat, leave doors between rooms open to assist air circulation. If you have multiple thermostats,  you’ll need to close the door that joins the two areas.
7. At least once per month, check the filter
   A dirty filter can increase energy consumption by 5-15%.
8. Check for blocked registers
   For maximum heating and cooling efficiency, don’t trap costly heated or cooled air behind a couch, drapes or other obstructions. Rearrange furniture as needed to promote air circulation.
9. Clean dusty registers
   Dust on the registers can cut system efficiency by as much as 10%. The same goes for dusto on baseboard heaters and radiators. Vacuum these parts of your system regularly using a brush nozzle.
10. Have your ducts inspected
    Damaged ducts and loose joints can account for up to 40% of a homes energy loss. You can do this yourself with the furnace blower running. Just feel for leaks and fix with repair tape available at any home improvement store.
11. Keep sources of heat away from your thermostat
    Any heat source near the thermostat can waste energy by fooling it into thinking the home is hotter than it really is and running the AC unnecessarily.
    
    
12. Shield your room from the sun
    During summer months, be sure to keep your blinds or drapes closed to reduce the workload of the air conditioning system.
13. Shield your air conditioner from the sun
    An AC unit protected by shade uses as much as 10% less energy than it would unprotected in the sun.
14. Use CFL bulbs
    As mentioned on Day 2, incandescent bulbs waste 90% of the energy they consume producing heat. Get rid of these little heat lamps and replace them with CFL bulbs. It will reduce your energy consumption and the load on your AC unit.

Previous articles in this series:

Introduction - 30 Days to a more organized and efficient home
Day 1 - Know Your Home
Day 2 - Replace Your Lights with CFL Bulbs
Day 3 - Improve the Energy Efficiency of Your Computer

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