What to do about heating bills and energy costs going up, up, up?
Well, said Dean Talbot of Duluth Energy Efficiency Program (DEEP), “There are many things you can do at low cost to no cost to save on your house heating bills.”
Talbot was speaking to a group of about 30 Cook County residents who attended a free energy efficiency workshop at North House Folk School on Tuesday, April 12. DEEP, Cook County/Grand Marais EDA, Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA), and the Cook County Local Energy Project (CCLEP) sponsored the workshop.
“Many people believe that they can gain their biggest energy savings by replacing windows, but that hasn’t been proven to be true,” said Talbot.
Instead, Talbot urged homeowners to look at starting with simple things. “Just turning down your thermostat from 70 to 65 during the day and turning it down to 55 or 60 degrees at night can cut a homeowner’s heating bill about 25 percent,” he said.
Other tips include closing off rooms that are not in use, which can save up to $50 per year; open shades during the day to let the sun in and close them at night to keep the cold out; lock your windows to stop heat leaks; turn down the temperature setting on your hot water heater; water pipes—hot and cold—should be insulated with foam wrap and ducts should be insulated with Fiberglas batts; replace shower heads with a water-saving shower head, which can save you $40 per year and by fixing dripping hot water faucets you can save $35 per year.
And, he said, “turn off lights in rooms you are not using. My rule is if I’m not in a room for two minutes, I turn off the lights.”
All oil and gas furnaces should be cleaned yearly. A typical furnace will last 16-20 years. A boiler should last 30 years. If your furnace is more than 10 years old and will cost more than $500 to repair, Talbot said it might be time to look at replacing it rather than fixing it. The new furnaces heat so much more efficiently that the replacement cost can usually be reclaimed within a few years, he added.
Talbot went over advantages and disadvantages of solar, wind, and geothermal heat. Some of the savings that could be gained in the form of governmental grants to upgrade to “green” energy sources are now gone or almost gone due to the new make-up of Congress, he said. But, he added, due to ever-rising cost of oil and electricity, future paybacks for many of these upgrades would be inevitable.
Two energy gobbling items homeowners need to pay close attention to are inefficient hot water heaters and older refrigerators. “ If you need to replace your refrigerator, look for models with the Energy Star logo,” said Talbot. Hot water heaters are a thing of the past in Europe. Small, on demand water heaters are now used more and more in the U.S. and are far cheaper to run, he added.
Should you need a new furnace, a big-ticket item, one can gain big savings in heating costs by buying a model with an Energy Star logo.
Other cost savings include replacing current light bulbs with compact fluorescent or LED light bulbs. This, said Talbot, “can save a homeowner $40 to $50 over the lifetime of one bulb.”
Talbot also discussed combustion and makeup air, indoor ventilation, home insulation, caulking and weather stripping, moisture, and a variety of other things homeowners can do to save money.
Homeowners can also have their homes tested by certified inspectors who will perform energy audits.
DEEP has information pertaining to home energy loans, rebates and grants for homeowners interested in making their homes more energy efficient. DEEP also offers a Home Energy Rating Intake Form that can be filled out and will be graded for free by their staff. The form will help them identify the best fixes for your house. Their web page is info@duluthenergy.org.
AEOA also offers income weatherization programs for those eligible. Their website is www.aeoa.org.
CCLEP also has a website with information for homeowners: www.cookcountylep.org. Their e-mail is cclep@boreal.org.
Leave a Reply