CEPTXJ

Energy Saving Tips

Natural gas can help you save money and the environment when you follow these easy, simple tips.

• Control your thermostat. Keep it at 68 F during the heating season when you’re at home, but lower it five to 10 degrees when you go to work, leave the house for more than four hours and before you go to bed. Each degree you set the thermostat higher than 68 F uses approximately three percent more energy. A programmable thermostat can do the thinking for you and help save you up to 20 percent on your bill.
• Get to know your gas meter. Read your meter weekly and monitor your gas usage to stay within your budget. If you’re using too much, experiment with lowering your thermostat settings.
• Sometimes the easiest things are the easiest to forget, clean or replace your air filters once a month.
• Water heating accounts for an average of 14 percent of utility bills. Set your water heater to 120 F or to the “warm” setting, no higher. Also, set your water heater temperature control to the pilot position when you leave your house for two days or more.
• Caulk those windows and weather-strip your doors.
• Love your furnace. Have it cleaned and serviced every year by an HVAC licensed professional for higher efficiency.
• Don’t open the oven door until dinner is done. You lose 20 percent of your heat every time you do.
• Close off heat registers in unused rooms. But don’t shut down more than one-third of the total heat registers – that forces the furnace to cycle more frequently.
• Fix leaky taps immediately. A hot water drip wastes a full tank of water every week.
• Protect your pipes and ducts from heat loss. An average older home loses 25 percent of its heat into the attic and crawl spaces. Place nonflammable insulation or nonflammable pliable material in gaps around pipes and ducts in your attic and basement to increase the energy efficiency of your house.