[HCCN] FW: 44 ways to save energy

Mon Sep 7 19:30:09 UTC 2009

A handy list from Pam Person to promote thinking about energy use. Please
pass along to others in your group or area. Thanks.

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From: Phppwp at aol.com
Subject: Re: [HCCN] 44 ways to save energy

I have attached the list I did for the League of Women Voters of the United
States - it's on their website.

League of Women Voters of the United States

Climate Change Task Force

 September 9, 2008 

Author: Pamela W. Person, LWVME

THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR FREE (OR ALMOST FREE) TO CUT YOUR USE OF GASOLINE,
DIESEL FUEL, HEATING OIL, PROPANE AND ELECTRICITY

Some money-saving, NO cost or very low cost ways to cut your use of gasoline
and diesel fuel: 
Combine your trips.  Make a list of your errands and appointments in the
same direction and do them all in the same trip.  If you do multiple errands
in one trip you not only save fuel but the time it takes to get there and
back! 
When going to an event, see if you can carpool with a neighbor or friend.
Find out the proper number of pounds for your tires and make sure they are
inflated to that pressure  check once every month. Under-inflated tires
(very common in cold weather) can cause you to lose 1-2 miles per gallon, as
it¹s like driving with your parking brake on  incorrect inflation can also
cause you to have to replace your tires sooner. (Underinflated tires can
lower gas mileage by 0.4% for every 1 pound per square inch drop in pressure
of all four tires.  www.fueleconomy.gov )
Don¹t be an aggressive driver.  The faster you drive (over 60 mile per hour)
or the more jackrabbit starts, the more gasoline you waste  anywhere from
5% around town to 33% at highway speeds. (www.fueleconomy.gov).
Observe the speed limit - each mile driven over 60 miles per hour is like
paying 20 cents more per gallon. (www.fueleconomy.gov)
Avoid unnecessary idling. Particularly when the weather is cold, let the car
idle while warming up for 30 seconds and then drive it slowly (35 mph) until
engine is totally warmed up. Newer engines do not need longer ³warm-ups.²
Turn your car off even when you¹re ³just running into the store or post
office,² as many times you run into a friend and chat for ten minutes 
idling guzzles gas and produces unnecessary pollution! It does not take more
gas to restart the engine than it would save from turning off the engine.
(www.fueleconomy.gov)
Have your air filter inspected every time you change your oil. If it is
dirty, replace it, as a dirty air filter can cause you to lose 10% of your
gas mileage (www.fueleconomy.gov)
Have your gas cap inspected.  If it is damaged, loose or missing, replace it
and avoid having your gas vaporize. Gas vapors cause ozone (smog) formation.
Gas caps need to be airtight to avoid loss of fuel.
Have your spark plugs inspected and replace if dirty. If spark plugs are
misfiring, that costs mileage.
Keep your engine tuned. Fixing a vehicle that is noticeably out of tune can
improve gas mileage by 4%. Fixing a serious problem such as a faulty oxygen
sensor can improve gas mileage by as much as 40% (www.fueleconomy.gov)
Reduce excess weight in vehicles. For every extra 100 pounds you can remove
from your vehicle you can increase gas mileage by 20% (even more if it¹s a
small car.) 

SOME money-saving, NO cost or very low cost ways to save on your heating
bill: 
During heating season, turn down the heat to 58- 60 degrees if you are going
to either be away for more than 7 hours or over night. Only have thermostat
at 68 degrees when you are at home.  Wear an extra layer.  If you are
elderly or have babies or young children, then you need to keep your home
warmer when it is occupied.
On cold, windy, gray days and nights keep your curtains, shades or blinds
closed, as windows are a heat loss area.
In the colder regions of the country, in the autumn, put your leaves or pine
needles in bags and place them next to your foundation for ³banking²
(reduces heat loss through the foundation).
In the colder regions of the country, in the spring, plant evergreen shrubs
that retain their needles in the winter near your house foundation to
provide a windbreak.  Maybe you can find the shrubs in your own woods.
Change your furnace and heat pump filters every other month during the
heating season. (www.aceee.org Home Energy Checklist for Action)
Have your furnace inspected and cleaned yearly if heated by oil and every
other year if heated by gas or propane (www.aceee.org)  This will postpone
replacing your furnace and will save an estimated 10% to 15% of your fuel
costs. 
Check your doors to see if there are drafts coming in the sides.  If so, put
some weather stripping on the sides until you cannot see light or feel a
draft. 
If you do not have modern double-paned windows, add a layer of plastic for
the winter as a way to reduce heat loss and rope caulk very leaky windows.
Add storm doors to outside doors to lower the ³leaking heat.² See if your
outside doors are insulated.
Make sure you have door sweeps on the bottom of your doors to reduce
³leaking heat.² 
Make sure your woodstove or fireplace draft controls are closed when your
woodstove or fireplace is not operating.
If you use your woodstove often, please clean your woodstove chimney at
least once a year to prevent creosote buildup. This is a safety issue.
Use ceiling fans to bring the heat (which rises) back down to the floor
level. 
Fill the ³box ends² with insulation to reduce ³leaking heat.²  The ³box
ends² are the open spaces between the wooden floor joists just above the
basement wall and under the first floor.
Seal as many ³air leaks² in your home as possible. In addition to windows,
doors and box ends the worst culprits are usually utility cut-throughs for
pipes, gaps around chimneys, recessed lights in insulated ceilings and
unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. (www.aceee.org)  Light a
long incense sticks and see where the smoke trails off toward a leak.

SOME money- saving, NO cost or low cost ways to reduce your electric bill.
Turn off your lights when you leave a room.
If there are ³instant on² electronics in your home (TVs, VCRs, DVD,
computers, radios) in your home, plug them into a power strip so you can
turn them off completely when you are not using them  ³instant on² costs
consumers 7% annually.
Turn off your computer when you will not be using it for more than four
hours or overnight.
Dry your clothes on a line in warm weather and indoors when it is cold or
inclement. 
Turn your hot water heater down to 120 degrees (no lower). If you water
heater was made before 2000, wrap it in water heater wrap to conserve heat.
Any newer water heater has enough insulation  you will void the warranty if
you wrap it. 
When a light bulb burns out, replace it with a compact fluorescent (CFL) one
 the new CFLs are brighter, smaller, fit more fixtures and contain less
mercury.  Replacing five of your most used incandescent light bulbs with
CFL¹s will save you nearly $50 annually. They use 75% less energy and last
up to ten times longer.  (http://www.lipower.org/efficiency/tips/html)
Turn down the heat at night and when not at home, so the furnace¹s electric
motor will not run as much.
If you have an air conditioner, try to have it run as little as possible so
your bill will be  lower.
During hot spells, try using fans instead of, or in addition to, an air
conditioner. Wear cool clothes and drink plenty of water.
When using your air conditioner, set it to over 82 degrees if you are going
to be away for more than 7 hours. When you are at home, have the air
conditioner set to cool no lower than necessary.  Wear cool clothes. If you
are elderly or have babies or young children, then you need to keep your
home cooler when it is occupied during very hot spells.
11.   Most nights in most areas, turn off the air conditioner and open the
windows for cool, fresh air.

12.   Change your air conditioner¹s filter yearly.

13.   On hot & humid days keep your curtains, shades or blinds closed, as
windows are a heat gain area.

14.   Wash your clothes only when you have a full load. 90% of the energy
used for washing clothes is for heating the water - so wash in warm or cold
water and use the energy savings features
((http://www.lipower.org/efficiency/tips/html)

15.   Wash your dishes in the dishwasher only when you have a full load as
60% 80% of the power used by the dishwasher is for heating the water.
(http://www.lipower.org/efficiency/tips/html  If you have a small family
rinse dirty dishes in cold water before putting in dishwasher so they can
accumulate over several meals. Use the ³air dry² feature.
Make more than one meal at a time  such as soup, stew, casseroles,
spaghetti sauce. Freeze the other portions in separate containers for future
meals.  This saves time and effort as well as adds variety to your menus.
17.   Dry your hair in the air rather than with a dryer.

These 44 things not only save you money, but also reduce smog, greenhouse
gas emissions and air toxicsŠand some even save you time.

This paper was originally written as an op-ed in the Bangor Daily News (ME)
as a way to help rural Maine citizens reduce their energy costs.  It was
then reprinted in the League of Women Voters of Maine newsletter.  It is
also being used by the Bucksport Bay Healthy Communities Environment and
Energy Committee (ME) as a public education piece and is on the American
Lung Association of Maine website.  The Climate Change Task Force hopes that
local Leagues can use this paper for public education.

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