Energy Savers

10 Resources to Help You Save Energy Now

A lot of the feedback that I see about the Energy Savers.gov site says, "This is great, but way too detailed. I just want to know what's easy and what I can do now!" And that makes sense; EnergySavers.gov has a lot of information about a lot of topics—you can learn about buying efficient appliances, choosing new heating and cooling systems, selecting windows, and even how to use renewable energy.

But not everyone wants to make a big purchase right now; many of you want to know how you can save with what you have or with just a small investment in time and money. These 10 resources detail easy ways that you can start saving now:

Resolve to Save Energy in the New Year

What are your New Year's Resolutions? It's that time again to make your list and decide how January 1st will be the day you start your new and improved life! [end the infomercial voiceover] In all seriousness, it seems that most New Year's Resolutions are abandoned sometime around mid-February, in spite of our best intentions. But it doesn't have to be that way. I know and you know that your resolutions are important, as shown by USA.gov's list of popular New Year's resolutions.

My guess is that one of the most popular resolutions this year will be to save money. If saving money is one of your resolutions, have you considered working energy into your savings plans? If not, you should! A few simple strategies can help you stay on track to save energy all year long. One great way to set goals that stick is to make them SMART:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timely

Here's how you might set SMART goals to save energy:

Program Your Thermostat for Automatic Savings

Did you know that you can save around 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills by simply turning your thermostat back 10°–15°F for eight hours? Sounds great, but I know when I'm rushing out the door, the last thing on my mind is turning down the thermostat.

Luckily, programmable thermostats make it easy to save without much effort. In fact, once you get the thermostat installed and programmed to your schedule, you can stop thinking about it; your home is programmed to save.

Question of the Week: At What Temperature Do You Set Your Thermostat in the Winter?

Did you know that you can save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to 68°F while you're awake and setting it lower while you're asleep or away from home? By turning your thermostat back 10°–15° for 8 hours, you can save about 5%–15% a year on your heating bill—a savings of as much as 1% for each degree if the setback period is eight hours long.

At what temperature do you set your thermostat when you are home and awake in the winter? How about when you're asleep or away?

Each Thursday, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

Energy Tax Credits: Stay Warm and Save MORE Money!

With all of the news this month about the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, you may have heard about the energy tax incentives that were included for both consumers and for business, utilities, and governments.

If you are already preparing for winter and working to make your home more efficient, this is good news. The federal tax credits can help you save energy, stay warm, and save money this winter and beyond. Combined with other sources of financial help that we've already discussed on this blog, you may be able to save significantly on your improvements.

Winter Warmth Tips for Senior Citizens

O, wind, if winter comes,
can spring be far behind?
- Percy Bysshe Shelley, Poet

A cooling draft of air across your cheek can be a pleasant experience on a warm day in August, but that same cooling draft is less enjoyable when experienced inside your home during winter months. Our rural home was built 40 years ago, and like many old homes has its share of old inefficient windows. Old Man Winter sneaks through those windows on windy days, so when Mom comes to visit in the winter, she invariably heads straight for the warmth of the comfy recliner next to our propane fireplace. Nor is she alone.

Seniors can be especially susceptible to even moderately colder temperatures even while indoors. To help reduce the potential for hypothermia (PDF 919 KB, Download Adobe Reader), the National Institutes of Health recommends that seniors set their thermostats for at least 68 to 70 degrees in the winter. For seniors on fixed incomes, however, the energy costs associated with maintaining a home at this temperature may be unrealistic. Low-income seniors may benefit from the Weatherization Assistance Program or the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Too, many of the weatherization tips discussed this month as part of the Energy Savers Blog would be worth considering for seniors.

Additionally there are a wide range of no-cost or low-cost strategies that can increase a senior's comfort in the home and supplement other heating measures:

EERE's Energy Calculators

Do you have a few minutes? Feel like seeing how energy efficient your home is? Go grab a bunch of your old utility bills and sit down with EERE's Energy Calculators & Software for Homes. There's a lot to search through, but some of these calculators are pretty fun to play around with.

This page has calculators for just about everything a homeowner would be interested in. There are tools here for home-wide energy efficiency, insulation, appliances, and water usage. There are also whole sections on renewable energy systems, space heating and cooling, and water heating. If you want to know how much you're spending on something and how much you should be spending, you can pull out a lot of useful information from these.

There are also a few calculators for vehicles that let you see how much money you'd save with a more fuel-efficient vehicle. I particularly like the one that compares your car's performance with a hybrid vehicle. Which is fun, if not a bit tragic, because there is something horrifying about seeing how my poor little one-year-old car will use $3,000 more in gasoline during its lifetime than its hybrid equivalent. Oh! And it'll also spew 400 more pounds of "Carbon Monoxide (Poisonous Gas)" into the air. Isn't that charming!

In any case, the EERE Calculators are a fun project for a rainy (or, considering the season, snowy) day. Some of the calculators are more technical than others, so don't be afraid to hunt around. And unless you're an energy professional or a home builder, you can probably steer clear of the software.

Elizabeth Spencer is a communicator at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which assists EERE in providing technical content for many of its Web sites.

Purchasing a New Energy-Efficient Central Heating System

Energy prices are skyrocketing. According to the Energy Information Administration's October 7, 2008 forecast, heating fuel expenditures for the average household using oil as its primary heating fuel are expected to increase by $449 over last winter. Households using natural gas to heat their homes can expect to pay $155 more this winter, on average, than last year, and those using propane can expect to pay $188 more. Households heating primarily with electricity can expect to pay an average of $89 more. That’s a lot of money resulting solely from rising heating expenses.

You may long for the "good old days," but when it comes to heating systems, think again. Most heating systems produced today are far more efficient than those of a couple of decades ago. If your furnace, boiler, or heat pump is 20 years or older, even if it works properly, it may make economic sense to replace it with a modern high efficiency one. The higher efficiency models available today could save you a lot. The nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy offers advice on replacing your existing heating system.

Most U.S. homes with central heating use either a furnace, a boiler, or a heat pump. This blog will focus on these systems.

Energy-Efficient Cooking for Winter

When I was growing up, the most poignant harbinger of winter wasn't the smell of fallen leaves or the slowly shortening days; it was the first time I came home from school to find a pot of my mother's homemade chicken soup simmering gently on the stove. That pot would be the first of many. As long as the thermometer outside the kitchen window hovered around freezing, my mother's weekly pot of soup remained a household staple.

I've noticed much the same seasonal shift in my own kitchen. When summer's heat starts to make cooking oppressive, I turn off the oven and embrace the outdoor barbecue. But winter's chill sends me back indoors to become reacquainted with all those kitchen appliances I've been neglecting for months. Before long, I've got my mother's soup recipe out and my own stock pot on the burner.

I'm not alone in my love of hot and hearty fare on cold winter evenings. As the weather cools, the average American kitchen churns out a veritable bounty of food, and most of it – from soups, to casseroles, to holiday feasts – is of the slow-cooking variety. While all these hearty favorites are a comforting part of colder weather, the energy required to cook them represents a small but significant part of our monthly energy bill. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that cooking alone accounts for 4.5% of total home energy use, and this figure doesn't include the energy costs associated with refrigeration, hot water heating, and dishwashing. Added together, these costs mean that as much as 15% of the energy in the average American home is used in the kitchen.

Six Places to Find Help with Your Energy Costs

As many of you pointed out when answering our first question of the week, energy and heating costs are a big concern this winter. While we can't stop those bills from coming, we can point you to some places to look for help in lowering your costs. Here are six resources where you can find financial assistance, incentives, and programs to help you save energy and money.