Stay Toasty for Less, Start Winterizing Your Home

As our Chicago winter creeps up on us now is a good time to think about ways to keep your home energy efficient even during those colder months.  The Daily Green and Productivity 501 created some nice long lists of tips from which we’ve picked the ones that seem most relevant to us apartment-dwellers and divided into two categories, apartment tips and house tips, for easier reading.  People’s Gas, you will be kept at bay!

FOR APARTMENT RENTERS (for Home-Owners: the overlapping tips are repeated in your list below)

1. Invest in that Window Insulation Kit
2. Caulk or weather strip your frames
3. Uncover all south-facing windows to let all possible sunlight in your home.
4. Keep all vents and baseboard heaters clean.
5. Consider replacing all of your lightbulbs with energy-saving CFL bulbs.
6. Consider hanging thermal curtains to help prevent drafts.
7. Use the oven for baking during colder hours of the day to help heat your home.
8. Replace the caulking around any bathtubs or showers.
9. Try to use the clothes dryer for consecutive loads of laundry. This conserves the energy that would be needed to heat up the dryer several times.
10. Remove any window-unit air conditioners.
11. Keep all closet doors closed when possible. There’s no need to heat space that isn’t in use as long as it doesn’t contain water pipes.
12. Dress warmly when you are inside so that you won’t be tempted to raise the temperature on the thermostat.
13. Wear socks and slippers.  If your feet are warm, you will feel warmer and can keep the thermostat set low. Our favorite are the Wicked Good Slippers from L.L. Bean; they last forever (longer than ANY pair of UGG slippers!) and are reasonably priced.
14. Close off rooms that aren’t used and shut the vents.
15. Lower heat when no one is home as well as at night! Yes, that feather blanket and feather bed are legitimate investments, and don’t be afraid to toss on grandma’s quilt too.  If you’re forgetful, go ahead and put up a bright reminder sticky note on the back of your front door and your bathroom mirror.
16. Make sure that there aren’t any drafts coming in under doors. If there are, consider using a rubber strip to seal them off or make a draft snake!
17. Try not to use space heaters to heat large areas of your house.
18. If you spend most of your time in one room in a large house, consider setting your thermostat low and using a small heater to heat where you are going to be.
19. Reverse the direction of ceiling fans to push hot air downward and delay it from escaping the house.

FOR HOME OWNERS

1. Replace any old or inefficient windows. Windows are one of the major ways heat leaks out of your house. Or install storm doors and windows to help keep out drafts. Doing so can increase energy efficiency by 45%, by sealing drafts and reducing air flow. Storm doors also offer greater flexibility for letting light and ventilation enter your home. Look for Energy Star-certified models. Efficient doors, windows and skylights qualify for a federal tax credit covering 30% of the cost, up to $1,500.
2. Seal off drafty windows and patio doors with clear plastic.
3. If you have a lot of outside doors that leak air, you can seal a few off using plastic or caulk putty.
4. If your furnace is more than 10 years old, there’s a good chance that it wastes a lot of fuel. Consider upgrading to a newer one.  Also, keep it clean, lubricated, and properly adjusted will reduce energy use, saving up to 5% of heating costs.
5. Insulate the hot water lines around your hot water heater and turn down the temperature of the water heater to the “warm” setting (120 degrees F).
6. Consider “blanketing” your water heater with faced fiberglass insulation. (Do not do this if you have a gas-powered water heater)
7. Wrap any hot water pipes that run through unheated areas of the house. Also, you can insulate cold water pipes to help prevent them from freezing during the winter.
8. Replace your furnace filter about every 3 months.
9. Make sure your cold air returns aren’t blocked.  Your furnace needs these to operate efficiently.
10. Try replacing the weather stripping around the doors in your home.
11. Use a programmable thermostat to reduce heating costs when no one is at home.
12. Uncover all south-facing windows to let all possible sunlight in your home.
13. Keep all vents and baseboard heaters clean.
14. If you have a fireplace, close the damper when the fireplace is not in use.
15. If the damper is old or doesn’t close well, try putting some insulation in it to seal it off. Just remember to take it out before using it!
16. If you like using a fireplace, consider getting an insert that will direct the heat into your house instead of just sending it up the chimney.
17. Consider replacing all of your lightbulbs with energy-saving CFL bulbs.
18. Install a timer on your water heater so it isn’t heating a whole tank of water when you don’t need it.
19. Install foam insulators behind the faceplates of light switches and electrical outlets.
20. Check the insulation in the walls of your home. It might need some work in order to keep heat in efficiently.  The federal government will reimburse you for 30% of the cost, up to $1,500 for highly efficient insulation. Additionally, low-income households can qualify for an average of $6,500 worth of weatherization improvements to their homes through government programs administered by each state. Find out about your state’s program by contacting local energy agencies.
21. Plant evergreen trees close to your home to block the winter wind.
22. Consider hanging thermal curtains to help prevent drafts.
23. Install a dryer vent seal to prevent cold air from traveling back into your home.
24. There are attachments to vent your dryer inside your home so you don’t waste the heat and humidity. (Don’t try this if you have a gas-powered dryer).
25. Check windows for leaks. Windows with wooden frames often warp and become inefficient.
26. Caulk both sides of the trim around your windows.  This is an area where a lot of air can get in.
27. Try not to use space heaters to heat large areas of your house.
28. If you spend most of your time in one room in a large house, consider setting your thermostat low and using a small heater to heat where you are going to be.
29. Remove any window-unit air conditioners.
30. Keep all closet doors closed when possible. There’s no need to heat space that isn’t in use as long as it doesn’t contain water pipes.
31. Make sure that your garage isn’t too drafty.
32. Try to use the clothes dryer for consecutive loads of laundry. This conserves the energy that would be needed to heat up the dryer several times.
33. Replace the caulking around any bathtubs or showers.
34. If your home has folding attic stairs, consider insulating the door with a cover of some sort.
35. If your home has a sliding glass door, check the seal on the bottom to make sure it isn’t letting in cold air.
36. If your water heater needs to be upgraded, consider installing a tankless water heater.
37. Use the oven for baking during colder hours of the day to help heat your home.
38. Use an energy monitor to tell you what appliances are using the most energy. This might help pinpoint areas where you can cut back on energy usage.
39. Make sure that your duct system is working properly.
40. Look into installing a geothermal heating system. While it is a bit expensive, initially, the energy savings provide a long-term cost benefit.
41. Dress warmly when you are inside so that you won’t be tempted to raise the temperature on the thermostat.
42. Make sure that there aren’t any drafts coming in under doors. If there are, consider using a rubber strip to seal them off.  Or make your own door snake! http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/door-draft-stoppers-draft-snakes-460109
43. If you own a brick home, check the mortar. It may need repair.
44. Replace worn or missing shingles.
45. Seal any cracks in the foundation of your house.
46. Wear socks and slippers.  If your feet are warm, you will feel warmer and can keep the thermostat set low. Our favorite are the Wicked Good Slippers from L.L. Bean; they last forever (longer than ANY pair of UGG slippers!) and are reasonably priced.
47. Install a programmable Energy Star thermostat that will lower the temperature at night and when no one is at home.
48. Close off rooms that aren’t used and shut the vents.
49. Run your ceiling fans in reverse- Counterclockwise rotation produces cooling breezes while switching to clockwise makes it warmer: air pooled near the ceiling is circulated back into the living space – cutting your heating costs as much as 10%!
50. Winterize You’re A/C and Water Lines; Simply drain any hoses and air conditioner pipes, and make sure you don’t have excess water pooled in equipment. If your a/c has a water shutoff valve, go ahead and turn that off.  Similarly, make sure any hoses are drained and stowed away neatly. Turn off exterior water spigots. It’s also a good idea to seal any water leaks around the place — and don’t forget to remove any window A/C units and store them so you don’t invite cold drafts all winter.  If you’re in the market for a new air conditioner, the federal government will reimburse 30% of the cost for an efficient central air system, up to $1,500.
51. Lower your water heater temperature. While many conventional water heaters are set to 140 degrees F by installers, most households don’t need that much steam, and end up paying for it — in dollars and the occasional scalding burn. Lowering the temperature to 120 degrees F (or lower) would reduce your water heating costs by 6% to 10%. If you start to wonder why you need a tank at all, then you may be ready for a tankless water heater, or to go solar. If you are in the market for a new water heater, take advantage of the federal tax credit, which pays 30% of the cost for solar water heaters, or up to $1,500 for conventional systems.
52. Various local, state and federal incentives exist to encourage the use of alternative energy technologies, like solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling, biomass stoves, small wind turbines and even fuel cells — all of which require a front-end investment that typically pays itself off in energy savings over a number of years.  Whereas most incentives for energy efficiency improvements are capped at $1,500 — incentives for most household alternative energies cover fully 30% of the cost of, with no cap. (Learn more about geothermal heating and cooling from Climate Master, one of The Daily Green’s sponsors.)  Or, you can get creative. Tired of paying to chill food when it’s cold outside? Take advantage of natural cool air by rigging up an ambient air refrigerator (pictured here) on the side of your dwelling. The process is more simple than you might think. You just need some wood, insulation and a couple of computer fans. Get all the details for your own super fridge here.

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4. Home Additions
5. Replacement Windows