Conserving Energy Around the Home

The trend lately of being eco-friendly, with the emphasis of saving energy, leads us to think of what we can do within our own homes to conserve energy. Even if you're already conscious about how to help the environment through using recycling programs and turning off lights when you leave a room, there are probably other things that you can do to conserve energy around your home. Here are some things you might consider doing around your home to help conserve energy:

• Replace or clean your furnace filters at least every other month, and more often during peak usage seasons.
• Seal obvious air leaks around doors and windows, but don't forget to check around pipes coming into the home. Seal those gaps with caulk or weather stripping.
• Check to make sure that your air returns and heat vents are free of obstacles such as drapes, furniture, carpeting, and clothing.
• Lower your water heater thermostat to 140 degrees.
• Install low-flow showerheads and toilets.
• When you're not using your fireplace, make sure that the damper is always closed. If you never use your fireplace, consider caulking the damper shut.
• When using your clothes washer, clothes dryer, and dishwasher, make sure that they are completely full. Don't run half loads.
• Make sure that your computers, printers, copiers, and fax machines are set to go into an energy-saving mode when not in use.
• Inspect all pipes and faucets and repair leaks and cracks.
• Instead of turning up the heat, consider wearing sweaters during the day when you're home, and set your thermostat between 65 degrees and 68 degrees. At night, during sleeping hours, set the thermostat five degrees lower and use extra blankets.

You can also have your gas appliances and furnace checked annually to ensure they are efficient, install a programmable thermostat, adjust vents and use ceiling fans to better direct warm and cool air into the room, and use drapes at windows to insulate the air in the room.