Ramsey County

Making $ense of Dollars and Cents

January 5, 2009

No-cost, Low-cost Home Energy-saving Tips 

          With energy prices are on the rise, heating your house and operating your appliances are likely costing more than ever.  Carl Pederson with the NDSU Extension Service has compiled a very handy checklist of relatively easy ways to save energy.

         Use thermostat setbacks. Turning down the thermostat when your home is not occupied or at night can save about 1 percent for each degree the thermostat is lowered for an eight-hour period. For example, lowering the thermostat from 72 to 65 at night is expected to save you $70 if heating your home costs $1,000 per year.

          Turn off appliances when they’re not being used. Appliances still draw energy even when they are off or in standby mode if they have a clock or light to tell you they are powered up. Appliances actually have two costs: purchase cost and the cost to operate the appliance for its lifetime. When purchasing new appliances, you need to consider both costs. Energy-efficient models cost less to operate when on and in standby mode. This saves you money in the long term.

          Turn off lights when you leave the room. Yes, Dad was right – turn that light off!  Five 100-watt incandescent light bulbs left on for five hours a day cost $91.25 to run for a year at 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. Lights also have an additional cost in the summer. They produce heat. If left on, they cause your air conditioner to operate more to cool the house.

          Let the sun heat your house for free. In winter, open drapes for shades in the morning on south-facing windows and then close them at night. In the summer, make sure the drapes or shades are closed during the day to reduce cooling costs.

          Heat only the rooms or zones in your house that are being used. Close off heat in rooms that are not occupied. Energy experts do not recommend thermostat setbacks and zone heating for homes using heat pumps.

         Keep the cooling coils on the refrigerator clean. Make sure air can flow around the refrigerator and freezer freely. Keep the refrigerator and freezer fully stocked; they use less energy when full.

          Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs).  CFLs use 75 percent less energy to produce the same amount of light and last 10 times longer. By replacing a 100-watt incandescent bulb with a CFL, you could save $60 during the life of the CFL bulb. The more bulbs you replace, the more money you will save. by lowering waiting times for hot water at the tap.

          Reduce air leaks into and out of the house. One of the largest heat losses in a home is air leaks. Install a fresh bead of caulk or weather-stripping around the windows and doors. Install insulating gaskets behind outlet covers and switch plates.

           Ensure your furnace is running as efficiently as possible.  Have a certified technician service the furnace periodically. Check the filter at least once a month and clean or replace it as needed.

         When replacing appliances, look for the Energy Star label. The initial cost of these appliances will be higher, but those costs will be recovered due to lower operating costs. Front-loading washing machines save energy costs both for washing and drying. They use smaller amounts of water and, since they have high-speed spin cycles, they also reduce energy spent on drying.

         And finally, next summer plant trees. A great longer-term project is to plant deciduous trees on the south side of your house. As any prairie dweller can tell you, trees provide shade in the summer, lowering cooling costs and when they lose their leaves in winter, they allow the sun to heat your house naturally but they are often overlooked until the winter heating bills arrive.  

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Go to Ramsey County Extension Service Home Page

524 4th Ave NE #5, 2nd Floor Ramsey County Courthouse
Devils Lake  ND  58301
701-662-7027
email - NDSU.Ramsey.Extension@ndsu.edu