Check out our Energy Tips across a vast amount of things for your home!
Glass is one of the few materials that can be recycled infinitely without losing strength, purity or quality. Take a few minutes and recycle glass, cardboard, paper, aluminum, etc.
Try setting your thermostat between 72°F and 78°F. Each degree setting below 78°F will increase your energy consumption by approximately 8%. As you can see, that can add up to a lot of money over a year.
Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed. Registers or baseboard heaters blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes can hinder the efficiency of your heating system.
When buying new appliances, choose ENERGY STAR-certified models. A new ENERGY STAR refrigerator uses about 20 percent less energy than a standard new refrigerator; and 46 percent less than one made in 1980. A new Energy Star® clothes washer uses nearly 50 percent less energy than a standard washer.
Caulk and weather strip to reduce air leakage around doors and windows, baseboards and wherever pipes, wire, or vents enter you house.
Fall is the time to clean and repair your fireplace. Make sure that the damper is tightly sealed when the fireplace is not in use. A small space would let the cold air rush in and send the warm air out.
Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed. Registers or baseboard heaters blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes can hinder the efficiency of your heating system.
Regularly defrost manual-defrost refrigerators and freezers; frost buildup decreases the energy efficiency of the unit. Don't allow frost to build up more than one quarter of an inch.
Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure they’re not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.
During the heating season, keep the draperies and shades on your south-facing windows open during the day to allow the sunlight to enter your home and closed at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.
Turn off kitchen, bath, and other exhaust fans within 20 minutes after you are done cooking or bathing. When replacing exhaust fans, consider installing high-efficiency, low-noise models.
Be sure to place the faucet lever on the kitchen sink in the cold position when using small amounts of water; placing the lever in the hot position uses energy to heat the water even though it may never reach the faucet.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with ENERGY STAR compact fluorescent light bulbs, especially in high-use light fixtures. Compact fluorescent lights use 75 percent less energy than incandescent lights.
To stay warm this winter and save money at the same time, insulate the attic, basement and crawl space. About 20 percent of energy cost is due to heat loss from these areas.
Increase your attic insulation. Adding more insulation is one of the best investments you can make. It will provide a return on investment in a matter of a few months to a few years and will put cash in your pocket in the coming years!
Avoid placing lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
Fix leaky faucets. One drip of water can waste 250 gallons of water a month. That's 3,000 gallons a year!
Save Water! A leaky toilet can go unnoticed, along with the extra cash from your water bill. To check for leaks, add enough food coloring to your toilet’s tank to brighten the water. After about 30 minutes, see if any of the coloring has made its way into the bowl.
Heating can account for almost half of the average families winter bill. Make sure that your furnace or heat pump receives professional maintenance annually to keep it running efficiently. Call Nortek Environmental, Inc. at (630) 548-1500 for all of your Heating, Cooling and Indoor Air Quality needs.
Did you know that you can save 10% a year on your heating bills by simply turning your thermostat back 10 degrees –15 degrees for eight hours? You can do this automatically by installing a programmable thermostat!
A lot of us have Pets and they certainly do shed during the spring. When dust and pet hair build up on your refrigerator condenser coils,
the motor works harder and uses more electricity. As part of your spring-cleaning routine, make sure the coils are cleaned so that air can circulate freely.
If you have an older central air conditioner, consider replacing the outdoor unit with a modern, high-efficiency unit. Make sure that it is properly matched to the indoor unit. Call Nortek Environmental, Inc. at (630) 548-1500 for all of your HEATING, COOLING AND INDOOR AIR QUALITY NEEDS.
Sealing Air Leaks. Warm air leaking into your home during the summer and out of your home during the winter can waste a lot of your energy dollars. One of the quickest dollar-saving tasks you can do is caulk, seal, and weatherstrip all seams, cracks, and openings to the outside. You can save on your heating and cooling bill by reducing the air leaks in your home. Call Nortek Environmental, Inc. at (630) 548-1500 for all of your Heating, Cooling and Indoor Air Quality needs.
If you have a sliding glass door make sure to keep its track clean. A dirty track can ruin the door\’s seal and create gaps where heat or cold air can escape.
Install Solar-Powered Outdoor Lighting around your home and garden. It adds beauty to your yard, it's quick and easy, plus you have no wires or electricity costs.
Install a programmable thermostat and during the heating season, set it to lower the temperature at night and whenever the house is unoccupied. Lowering your thermostat by 10 degrees at night or when the house in unoccupied can reduce your heating bill by 10 to 20 percent. Honeywell has a model that will fit your needs. Call Nortek Environmental, Inc. at (630) 548-1500 for more details.
Avoid placing lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
Keeping your car tires properly inflated and aligned can improve your gasoline mileage by around 3%.
As the daylight hours are getting shorter, we are turning our lights on earlier and more often. Remember to turn off the lights when you leave a room and don’t intend on returning. A good rule of thumb, always turn off incandescent lights and fluorescent bulbs when you plan on being away for 15 minutes or more.
Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to save money on your energy bill. This is also a safety measure, especially if you have children in the house.
When replacing windows, specify double-paned glass with a low U-value (lower than .35) to maximize insulating qualities.
Avoid setting your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster, it just makes your A/C run longer.
If you have an older furnace, consider replacing it with a high-efficiency unit. Make sure that it is properly sized for your home.
Seal and Insulate Ductwork. Poorly sealed ductwork can drastically reduce the efficiency of your heating and air conditioning systems as can ductwork that runs through uninsulated spaces like attics, garages and crawl spaces.
Planting trees near the southern side of your home will shade your house, reducing the heat beating down on it. Trees also take in carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen, another great reason to plant a tree!
Increase your Energy Savings by Installing a Honeywell VisionPRO 8000 Programmable Thermostat. Not only can you set the temperature for various times of the day based on your busy schedule, the VisionPRO 8000 has a 7 Day Programming option. This allows you to control your home's comfort levels throughout the week with a few simple steps