IN YOUR HOME

Here are 10 of the best ways to help you save energy:

• Install air sealing materials to stop cold drafts and save energy.
• Properly insulate your home. Check insulation levels and update as needed.
• Install weather stripping on windows and doors to eliminate cold drafts.
• Seal heating and cooling ducts with mastic and add R6 insulation to stop wasting heat.
• Service heating and cooling equipment to make sure that they're fuel efficient.
• Install ENERGY STAR programmable thermostats. Turn down heat when you're not at home.
• Install ENERGY STAR fixtures and Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs). ENERGY STAR CF's use 66% less energy than incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
• Install an ENERGY STAR bath fan to insure that humid air is removed from your home, helping to improve indoor air quality and comfort levels.
• Turn off lights and appliances when not in use.
• Plug fireplace flues with foam or Styrofoam block to stop warm air from escaping up the chimney. Remove when fireplace is in use.

Other energy saving tips:

Heating | Hot Water Heaters | Lighting | Cooling |
Refrigerator | Laundry | Cooking | General

HEATING

• Install Energy Star Programmable Thermostats to automatically adjust the temperature of your home at night or when you are away.
• Have your heating system serviced on a regular schedule. Save energy by replacing furnace air filters, tune up oil burners and clean gas and propane boilers.
• Check heating and cooling ducts to make sure that they're sealed and insulated. Leaky ducts can waste energy by leaking warm air into unheated areas of your home. Unsealed duct work can waste as much as 20% of your total heating bill. Seal ducts with latex based mastic and install R6 duct insulation.
• Inspect your home for air leaks and drafts. Look for air leaks in your attic, basement, under sinks, wire and plumbing penetrations and around chimney areas. Seal leaks with silicone caulk, expanding foam or high temperature silicone for sealing around the chimney area. Visit Energy Star for a do it yourself air sealing guide from Energy Star.
• Insulate your home. After sealing air leaks, consider increasing insulation levels to save energy and improve home comfort levels. The following areas of your home should be insulated to the appropriate levels;

	Insulation level	Area
	R25	Basement ceiling or area under 1st floor
	R11 to R19	Top of basement walls (sill plate and rim joists)
	R38 to R49	Attic
	R15	Attic hatch (min 2" of foam board)
	R11 to R22	Walls and knee wall areas

• Apply weather-stripping to windows and doors to stop cold drafts. Install low expanding foam around window frames. Many windows frames are insulated with fiberglass which isn't effective at stopping drafts. Seal outside window trim with silicone caulk.
• Instead of turning up the thermostat, consider using a space heater to warm specific areas of your home that you occupy most often. Make sure that your space heater is UL listed, equipped with safety shutoff and approved for indoor use.
• Block fireplace and chimney flues with insulation plugs. Stop your fireplace from leaking warm air up the chimney by installing a plug made of foam board or Styrofoam.
• Visit the Home Energy Suite at www.Unitil.com to conduct an energy audit of your home. This handy tool will help to identify opportunities for energy savings and provide information on how energy is used in your home.
• Insulate heating system plumbing with closed cell foam wrap to prevent heat loss.

HOT WATER HEATING

• Wrap hot water heaters with a DHW insulation blanket. Make sure that thermostat, vent and controls are not covered with insulation.
• Insulate first 6 feet of plumbing lines with closed cell foam wrap to prevent hot water heat loss.
• Install low flow shower head and aerators to reduce water consumption.
• Repair faucet and plumbing leaks.
• Set temperature on Hot Water heater to 135 degrees to save energy on excessive water heating.
• Purchase an ENERGY STAR clothes washer. ENERGY STAR clothes washers use less water and remove more water from clothes in the spin cycle, which insures that less energy is needed to dry clothes.
• Select cold setting on clothes washer. Save energy by washing clothes in cold water.
• Use a shower timer to help remind that long showers use lots of energy.

LIGHTING

• Install ENERGY STAR CFL's that use 66% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and last up to 10 times longer. Replacing a 100-watt incandescent with a 32-watt CFL can save you at least $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb.
• Select the correct bulb for your lighting application. ENERGY STAR CFL's come in different models that provide different light output and lighting color. New ENERGY STAR CFL's provide a whiter light quality and lighting output that can exceed incandescent bulbs.
• Turn off lights when not in use and use task lighting designed to provide optimal lighting for specific areas of your home.
• Update lighting fixtures with ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures.

COOLING

• Install ENERGY STAR air conditioner products. Central A/C systems efficiency levels are identified by the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ration (SEER) Select ENERGY STAR qualified A/C systems with SEER 13 or higher.
• Have Central A/C systems maintained or cleaned on a regular schedule. Save energy with clean condensers & filters and properly charged central A/C refrigerant systems. Clean room A/C condensers and drain pans to improve efficiency and heath & safety.
• Seal and insulate cooling duct work. If flex ducts are used, make sure that these ducts are not restricted or do not have excessively long runs.
• Make sure that cooling systems are properly sized. Oversized cooling systems use more energy and are less efficient.
• Use fans or ceiling fans instead of A/C systems to save energy. Fans provide cooling by removing heat from people, so turn off fans when you're not around.
• Ventilate attics to insure that hot, humid air is able to escape your home. Consider whole house fans to help circulate air in the home. Whole house fans are automatically operated by a thermostat switch and only run when needed.
• Install ENERGY STAR programmable thermostats on central A/C systems and automatic timers or temperature timers on room A/C's to insure that systems cool to the correct room temperature.

REFRIGERATORS AND FREEZERS

• Refrigerators and freezers operate most efficiently when full but not overcrowded. Arrange contents in a way that allows air to circulate.
• Keep the freezer full by filling plastic milk bottles with water.
• Make sure refrigerator and freezer doors fit tightly. If they don't, adjust or replace gaskets.
• Don't open the doors unnecessarily.
• Don't put uncovered liquids in the refrigerator. They force the unit to work harder to remove the moisture.
• Don't put foil on refrigerator shelves. It blocks cold air flow and makes the unit work harder.
• Don't locate the refrigerator or freezer near the stove, dishwasher or other heat-producing appliances.
• Set your refrigerator thermostat at 40 degrees and your freezer at 0 degrees.
• If your refrigerator has an "efficiency" setting, make sure it is on. This will reduce the number of hours the unit needs to run.
• Defrost frozen foods in the refrigerator.
• Clean dust from refrigerator coils frequently.
• Don't store paper bags or anything else behind the refrigerator. They can cut air flow, making the refrigerator work harder.
• Don't try to cool the house with the refrigerator. It will not work.

DOING LAUNDRY

• Most of the energy used in washing laundry is used to heat the water. Use warm or cold water when possible and always rinse with cold water.
• Don't use more detergent than you need. Too many suds may require extra rinsing.
• Don't over wash. A 10-minute cycle is usually enough for even very soiled clothes.
• Set the washing machine water level for the size of the load. If the machine doesn't have variable levels, wait until you have a full load.
• Put full loads in the dryer, but don't overload. Overloading makes the machine less efficient and more costly to operate.
• Use warm or cold settings to dry, especially for permanent press clothes.
• Always keep the lint filter clean.
• Don't over dry clothes.
• Do two or more loads in a row.
• When possible, use an outdoor clothesline rather than a dryer.

COOKING

• Use pots and pans with flat bottoms the same size as burners. This prevents heat from escaping.
• Make sure reflector pans beneath the stove's heating elements are bright and clean. They reflect heat onto the bottom of the cookware.
• Covered pots or pans will boil or steam faster, allowing lower temperature settings.
• Cook outdoors, use a microwave oven or prepare cold meals to avoid heating up the kitchen and adding moisture to the air. Microwaves use less than half the power of a conventional oven and cook food in about one-fourth the time.
• For cooking, use small appliances like a toaster oven or electric skillet. On average, they use half the energy of a full-size oven.
• On a surface unit, start with high heat and lower the setting when the food starts to bubble or boil.
• With stews, soups and other foods that need long cooking times, cook in large quantities and freeze in meal-size portions.
• Use a pressure cooker. It cuts cooking time to one-third that of conventional methods.
• It takes energy to heat water so use as little as possible. Most frozen or fresh vegetables can be cooked in a quarter cup of water. Even eggs will cook in this reduced amount if the pan has a tight-fitting lid.
• Turn off the surface element or oven a few minutes before cooking time is up. Electric stoves stay hot for a few minutes after they're turned off.
• Don't line oven racks with foil. It blocks heat flow and makes the oven work harder to cook food.
• Do your heavy summer cooking in the cooler early-morning or evening hours. Try to use the range top more, the oven less.
• In the oven, cook as many dishes as possible at one time. Foods with cooking temperatures within 25 degrees can be cooked simultaneously at the same temperature.
• Preheat the oven only when necessary. Many foods don't require it.
• Don't peek into the oven. Each time the door is opened, the temperature drops 25 to 50 degrees.

GENERAL

• Use the control on your dehumidifier so it will cycle on and off only as needed.
• Turn off appliances when not needed.
• Attics should be properly vented to reduce heat build-up from the sun.
• Make energy efficiency a "family affair" by getting everyone involved in energy-saving activities.
• Pull the plug on instant-on appliances (such as televisions) when you don't plan to use them for a few days or more.They draw current even when they're switched off.