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Be Green - Cooler weather is on the way!

post #1 of 9
10/1/09 at 2:49am
Thread Starter 
Maybe it is time to prepare the home for cooler weather! At the same time you can potentially reduce your utility bills for the winter season.

1. Weather stripping/sealing around doors & windows - air leaks are a real energy waste

2. Clean the roof gutters

3. Roof repairs if necessary to prevent leaks

4. Heat pump/furnace service if required

5. Have the chimney cleaned (possibly helps prevent a nasty chimney fire)

6. Insure the fireplace damper closes and seals reasonably well

Add points to be included in the list please! 
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post #2 of 9
10/3/09 at 7:32am
Thread Starter 
The simplest way to reduce emissions from power generation is to save electricity.

The cheapest way for many people to save electricity is to make minor changes at home.

You read about the so called 'vampire power' but the real savings are in other areas, 

1. Sealing and insulation in the home help greatly while reducing one's power bill. A house with air leaks is more costly to heat or cool. Often the air leaks are very easy to stop - materials are not costly at all and application is no big deal.

2. Turn down the thermostat during the heating season. 

3. Turn off lights and equipment when not in use.
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post #3 of 9
10/6/09 at 10:36am
Thread Starter 
How many out there still have incandescent bulbs in their home or workplace?

How many have fully changed over to energy saving types?

 
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post #4 of 9
10/6/09 at 6:57pm
We have just a few. Some bathroom light bars have 4 to 6 bulbs, big round ones. So far we haven't been able to find CF bulbs with a low enough power output to replace them, In the mean time we just loosened every other one.
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post #5 of 9
10/7/09 at 7:23am
Thread Starter 
For some functions incandescents are difficult to replace like you point out.

I am still using them for the stairwell where the lamps are on motion detector switches and typically on for about 10 seconds at a time. Not good for CFL types.

The outdoor flood lights that are only on when the alarm system goes off  are not energy saving either but again - they are on a very short time and rarely. 
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post #6 of 9
10/7/09 at 7:36am
Interestingly, My garage door opener will not work with a CFL, Not sure why.
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post #7 of 9
10/12/09 at 1:32pm
I can't use CFLs in all my light fixtures unfortunately
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post #8 of 9
10/14/09 at 11:41am
 We had a heck of a storm here yesterday, and I think my roof, gutter, trees, shrubs do not need cleaning; however- my neighbour might be a little angry saying "where did this darn tree come from?"
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post #9 of 9
10/17/09 at 10:35am
It's been freezing here in Oregon lately so this has totally been on my mind. Some other ideas...

  1. Replace older windows with energy efficient windows OR at the very least caulk leaky windows.
  2. If you’ve got a waterbed, make sure you make the bed daily. Covering a waterbed up can save you one-third of the energy it typically uses.
  3. Insulate any hot water pipes and ducts that run through unheated areas.
  4. You should routinely look at your energy and utility bills to see which areas you could be doing better in.
  5. Your heating and cooling systems need to be tuned up twice a year to keep them running at maximum performance.
  6. All those little cracks in your house can add up to the energy lost. Go through the house and check for all those tiny cracks. Seal up the largest air leaks in your home first (i.e. you can hear them leaking on windy days). The largest cracks are usually found near utility cut-throughs for pipes (”plumbing penetrations”), gaps around chimneys, recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and in unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets.

For long term energy savings you can plant evergreen windbreaks - the downside is that of course you need to wait for them to grow.

Also I can't remember if I saw this above, but LED lighting can be used successfully in small areas, like a reading desk lamp, or smaller nook of your home. It's just not great for large areas.
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