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Reduce Your Heating Bill 
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Time to complete:
| 10-30 minutes to buy and install parts |
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Money you'll spend:
| $500 to $1000 if you buy a new furnace
$1 per month for filters
$2 to $7 for a low-flow shower head
$10 for a water heater blanket |
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What you'll get:
| Hundreds of dollars per year off your heat bills. |
List of Heat-Saving Tips:
- Replace the furnace filter every two months, especially in
the wintertime. A new filter costs only a dollar or so, but a dirty
filter can add up to ten dollars per month to your heating bill. Filters
can be ordered from the furnace manufacturer, or bought at
home-improvement superstores.
- Turn down the thermostat on your hot-water heater to 120
degrees. If the thermostat was set at 145 degrees, you'll
save about $30 per year with a gas heater, or $65 with an electric heater.
First, cut off the electricity to the heater at the circuit breaker in
your home's electrical panel. There should be an access panel to the
thermostat on your water heater. Open that, turn it down to 120 degrees
(or halfway between low and medium.) After a few hours, you may want
to check the temperature at the bathroom faucet.
- Install high-efficiency shower heads and faucets. The Rocky
Mountain Institute estimates that this will save a typical household
up to $86 per year in heating bills, and $33 more in water bills. You
can buy an adjustable-flow shower head for $4 to $10, so you can get your shower
exactly the way you want it.
I recommend the Chicago Specialty 124CWS shower head, which will
fit onto virtually any standard shower. It sells for $4.47, last time I
checked. It's an attractive and sturdy chrome shower head. The instructions on it will
say that you need teflon tape, but you probably don't if you screw it on
really tight. You'll probably need pliers to make the change.
The FS-191 Faucet Aerator at Amazon.com will help you
clean better with less water, because of its reduced-flow aerating action.
It sells for $5.69, last time I
checked. The only disadvantage is that it will take about twice as long to fill up
a container with water. Put it in sinks where you hand-clean a lot
of things, not in sinks where you fill up containers.
It will fit both inside-threaded and outside-threaded faucets, in both
bathroom sinks and kitchen sinks. It has a metal loop which you can push
up or down to control the flow of water. If you don't want to keep this
loop in view, twist it to hide it under the faucet pipe (or simply remove the
loop.)
The FS-191 includes easy installation instructions. You don't need
a wrench, just strong fingers. But there's one note
that should be added to where it says
"For outside-threaded faucets, first remove top
washer". A better idea is to replace that little rubber washer with a
thinner washer (this will help prevent dripping.) Your current
faucet head probably has a thin washer, so you can just pry that loose and
put it in the FS-191 faucet-head.
- Use cold water for washing clothes and dishes. Most modern detergents
work well in cold water.
- In seldom-used rooms, keep the door closed (if the room has a thermostat, turn
it down to 55 degrees.)
- When your air conditioning is on, try to reduce the amount of heat that
enters your home. Use white colors to reflect light away.
Your cooling unit
works especially hard to reduce humidity, so minimize the steam from cooking and
showers.
- Insulate your water heater tank with a water heater blanket,
especially if it's located in an
unheated space such as garage or basement. A blanket (or "jacket") will
save you 4% to 9% on water heating, which can amount to $20 per
year for an average home.
Check your water heater
manual to determine whether it's insulated to at least R-24 (most water heaters
aren't.) If you don't have the manual, touch your water heater
carefully; if it feels at all warm, it probably needs more
insulation.
Safety Note: Gas water
heaters should only be insulated on the sides, not the top or
bottom. For more information, read these Energy-saving insulation tips.
- Ask for an energy audit from your heating company, to help
you find more ways to save on electricity. Some utilities will give
you a do-it-yourself audit kit. Others
will help pay to make your home more energy-efficient, perhaps 50% of your
costs.
This is common in areas where electrical capacity is in short supply, such
as the east coast and California.
- Consider adding insulation to your house, and using weatherstripping and caulking to
seal the cracks. Your heating bills may fall as much as 25%.
- Consider replacing inefficient heating and air-conditioning systems.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy estimated in 1996
that if your old furnace is operating at
65% efficiency, and you replace it with a 90%-efficient new furnace,
the projected savings is $27 for every $100 you spend on
heating fuel. The local utility company might help pay for the new
unit, or give you a low-cost loan.
Ask a heating contractor to run a heat-loss calculation to size your new
furnace. You can save on furnace costs by getting a smaller, more
efficient furnace. Buy a sealed combustion furnace, which is more
efficient and doesn't risk spilling dangerous combustion gases into your home.
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Sponsored Links
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Further Reading:
 Home Energy
Saver, a government site that helps consumers find the best ways to
save energy in their homes.
- 66 Ways to save money: Utilities, an article showing how to save money on electricity,
heat and phone bills.
 Smart Homeowner Magazine, a 90-day risk-free trial of this magazine
about home improvement.
 Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, 7th Edition,
a top-rated book about energy savings at Amazon.com.
- Energy Efficiency Manual: for everyone who uses energy, pays
for utilities, designs and builds, is interested in energy conservation and
the environment, a top-rated (but expensive) book about energy conservation
at Amazon.com.
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