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 Heating Your Home
Our homes account for over 20% of ALL carbon dioxide emissions in Whatcom County. This means that the decisions you make inside your home can have a big impact on climate change. Whether you rent or own, there are tons of ways to save energy. From turning down the thermostat to having a local business come in and do a full home audit, you might be surprised how much of a difference you can make. So tune in to how your house is operating and remember: conserving energy not only means you'll pollute less, but paying your energy bill won't be such a drag.
Heating systems emit more carbon dioxide into the air than anything else in your home. If you weatherize your windows and doors, your heating system won’t have to work as hard and you’ll save up to 564 pounds of carbon dioxide and $70 a year.
How do I do this?
If you have an older home and can afford it, get a home energy audit for a comprehensive and accurate measurement of air leakage in your house, including a blower door test. There are also assistance programs available for low-income households from Puget Sound Energy and the Opportunity Council. These programs help owners and renters reduce their energy use through weatherization.
You can do a lot on your own too. Start by detecting air leaks around doors and windows. Even windows that don’t open can leak air through cracks around the framing. Inspect around doors to the outside, especially around the bottom. Mail slots can also be notorious “vents”. Cracks can be sealed using caulk and gaps around doors and windows can be eliminated using weather stripping. Putting up heavy drapes can help keep air from escaping through windows and simply putting a towel at the base of doors leading outside or to the basement that have especially large gaps can go a long way.
Take it to the next level and replace your windows, doors, insulation or heating system to realize an even bigger reduction!
Why should I do this?
Air leakage, or infiltration, occurs when outside air enters a house uncontrollably through cracks and openings. Properly sealing such cracks and openings in your home can significantly reduce the energy required to heat and cool your home as well as improve building durability, and create a healthier indoor environment. It is unwise to rely on air leakage for ventilation because it can't be controlled. During cold or windy weather, too much air may enter the house. When it's warmer and less windy, not enough air may enter. Air infiltration also can contribute to problems with moisture control. Moldy and dusty air can enter a leaky house through such areas as attics or foundations. This air in the house could cause health problems.
Up to 60 percent of your home or apartment's heating in winter and cooling in summer is lost through gaps in the windows and doors. From blocking the gaps under the door to conducting a full energy audit you might be surprised at the difference air sealing will make on your energy bill as well as on your comfort level, all the while reducing your impact on the earth.
If just 100 Bellinghamsters take the time to weatherize their doors and windows this winter we can save 10 tons of carbon dioxide!
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Be aware of your home thermostat setting and help keep the planet’s temperature in check. Set your thermostat back 10-15 degrees when you are out of the house or sleeping and you’ll save 663 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
How do I do this?
When you leave the house in the morning, turn the thermostat down 10-15 degrees, and do the same when you’re asleep. It doesn’t take long for the house to heat back up. Studies have shown that it is much more efficient to turn down the thermostat and reheat the house rather than leave the heat on all day (more info). Also try putting on a sweater or curling up in a blanket when you are home and leaving the thermostat down a few degrees. Putting on socks or slippers can make a big difference too. Installing a programmable thermostat (which generally costs less than $100) can be even more efficient and more comfortable.
Why should I do this?
Setting your thermostat back 10-15 degrees for 8 hours (while you are at work) can save you up to 15% on your heating bill. If you set the heat back for the 8 hours you’re asleep, you could double that number. On average, setting your thermostat back 10-15 degrees for 16 hours would prevent 663 pounds of carbon dioxide from being pumped into the Northwest’s atmosphere every year - that’s also a savings of almost $100 a year!
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The future has arrived. Install one of these and you can wake up to a warm house and save energy. They generally pay for themselves within a year and save 660 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
How do I do this?
Programmable thermostats allow you to program your schedule into the thermostat so that the heat turns off when you leave the house and turns back on just before you get home. Many allow you to input multiple settings for the day so you could also have it turn off at night and back on in the morning. You can also manually override the settings without changing the programming, so if you wake up early or take the day off work you can easily turn the heat on.
Rules of Thumb for Proper Use:
Simply installing a programmable thermostat does not mean you are saving energy. Use the following guidelines for programming your thermostat to be more energy efficient.
- Keep the temperature set at its energy savings set-points (base setting) for long periods of time (at least eight hours), for example, during the day, when no one is at home, and through the night, after bedtime.
- All thermostats let you temporarily make an area warmer or cooler, without erasing the pre-set programming. This override is cancelled automatically at the next program period. You use more energy (and end up paying more on energy bills) if you consistently “hold” or over-ride the pre-programmed settings.
- Units typically have 2 types of hold features: (a) hold/permanent/vacation; (b) temporary. Avoid using the hold/permanent/vacation feature to manage day to day temperature settings. “Hold” or “vacation” features are best when you're planning be away for an extended period. Set this feature at a constant, efficient temperature (i.e. several degrees warmer temperature in summer, several degrees cooler during winter), when going away for the weekend or on vacation. You'll waste energy and money if you leave the “hold” feature at the comfort setting while you're away.
- Cranking your unit up to 90 degrees or down to 40 degrees, for example, will not heat or cool your house any faster. Most thermostats, including ENERGY STAR qualified units, begin to heat or cool at a programmed time, to reach set-point temperatures sometime thereafter. Units with adaptive, “smart,” or “intelligent” recovery features are an exception to this rule — they reach desired temperatures by the set time, since they use formulas that are based on your historical use.
- Install your unit on an interior wall, away from heating or cooling vents and other sources of heat or drafts (doorways, windows, skylights, direct sunlight or bright lamps).
- Many homes use just one thermostat to control the whole house. If your home has multiple heating or cooling zones, you'll need a programmed setback thermostat for each zone to maximize comfort, convenience and energy savings throughout the house.
Don't forget to change the batteries each year. Some units indicate when batteries must be changed.
Installation:
We are not installation experts and we recommend consulting one before attempting to install a thermostat. But here are some general guidelines so you know what might be involved in an installation:
Programmable thermostats are a low voltage wiring installation (however, you should shut down your electricity during the replacement), and involve anywhere from 2-10 wires, depending on your type of heating and cooling system. The previous attachment points should reconnect your new unit. Read all instructions and proceed carefully.
A note on disposal:
If you're replacing a conventional thermostat that has a mercury switch, be careful not to break the tube that holds this toxic substance. Contact the Disposal of Toxics Facility at 360-380-4640 for information about proper disposal.
You can also contact a local professional to ensure proper installation.
Why should I do this?
Programmable thermostats generally pay for themselves in the first year. After that you are saving about $100 a year and preventing 660 pounds of carbon dioxide from being generated. Programmable thermostats are a more comfortable and reliable way to keep your heat turned off when you don’t need it. Keeping your house at the same temperature while you’re away or sleeping, unnecessarily pollutes the atmosphere. Be sure to check out the Rules of Thumb for Proper Use. Simply installing a programmable thermostat doesn’t mean you’re saving energy, it’s how you program it that makes a difference.
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Clean, or replace your furnace filter monthly during the winter to ensure that it is operating efficiently. A more efficient furnace will help you save on your energy bill- benefiting both the environment and your wallet!
How do I do this?
[NOTE: While we are not furnace experts, here are some general things to keep in mind when maintaining your furnace. We recommend consulting your user’s manual or a local professional for maintenance instructions specific to your system.]
It is important that you clean or replace your furnace filter periodically. Check the filter monthly during the winter. Brush and vacuum the heat exchanger surfaces every year, if recommended by your owner's manual. Before the heating season, clean the blower blades and seal any air leaks in ducts with several wraps of duct tape. Consult the user’s manual for your furnace for instructions on how to change the filter. If you use disposable filters, buy reusable ones if they are available for your furnace.
General steps to take to change or clean a furnace filter:
1) Turn off the power to the unit.
2) Look for the door or panel that conceals the blower; sometimes this is marked "Filter." Lift this door or panel off of its holding hooks or unscrew its retaining screws to remove it.
3) Standard filters are mounted next to or under the blower motor. Slide the filter out along its tracks. Check to see whether it is a disposable filter or intended to be cleaned and replaced--this should be marked on the filter's edge, along with directions for cleaning if applicable. If it's a disposable filter, its size will probably be printed on the frame's edge also. Make a note of its size. When you go to buy a replacement, check to see if any reusable filters are available for you furnace.
4) Slide the new or clean filter back into place, noting that arrows stamped on the side indicate the proper direction of airflow; be sure you face these in the proper direction.
Also consider performing the following maintenance to keep your heating system running efficiently:
Clear outdoor exhaust vents
During the winter, be sure to clear snow and ice away from the intake and exhaust vents outdoors. If the vents become blocked, dangerous carbon monoxide fumes can back up into the house, and the furnace could shut down.
Schedule an annual tune-up
An annual checkup by a local licensed mechanical contractor is also a good idea - especially if you have a natural gas system. The technician should check the flues and temperature settings, examine the heat exchanger for cracks, and check the safety mechanisms. A $50-$100 annual tune-up can reduce your heating costs by five percent - and it’s the best prevention against deadly carbon monoxide poisoning. Be sure to ask what is included in the tune-up.
More do-it-yourself maintenance
Other easy ways to keep your furnace running efficient include:
- Check the owner's manual to see if the blower motor should be lubricated. If you have an older heating unit, you might need to add a drop or two to each oil port.
- Replace frayed belts.
- Check flues or vents for cracks or blockages.
- Check the condensate drain to make sure it is properly attached and flowing freely.
Remember to read your owner's manual carefully before doing any maintenance work, and always shut off power at the service panel first.
Why should I do this?
When typical filters become clogged with debris, they cut down on a furnace's efficiency and, over time, can cause parts to wear out faster. This results in your furnace requiring more energy to heat the same amount of space. Heating technicians say more than half their service calls are caused by simple dust and dirt clogging up vital motor parts. Most dealers recommend changing disposable filters once a month or cleaning reusable filters every other month.
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Buy or make some tight fitting insulating shades or drapes. Adding insulating window treatments can block up to 62 percent of heat transfer through your windows.
How do I do this?
It is important to make sure that the window shades, blinds or drapes you install are tight fitting within your window frame and are made from insulating material. Look for a higher R-Value to indicate that a window treatment is insulating. Check out this article from The US Department of Energy for efficient types of window coverings and other materials to look out for. Also remember: keep shades on south facing windows open during winter days and keep all your shades closed at night for maximum efficiency. Close your windows and shades during summer days and open them up at night.
Examples of energy efficient shades:
Slide track system
Cellular Shades
Warm Window® system
More Cellular Shades
Why should I do this?
Not only could new window shades add to your feng shui, they will help keep warm air in and make life easier for your furnace. Adding insulating window treatments can block up to 62 percent of heat transfer through your windows.
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Basements, attics, entryways, garages or anywhere else that you don’t heat should stay “sealed off” from the rest of the house during the winter months. The less square footage you heat in your home, the less often your heating system has to kick on and the more energy you save.
How do I do this?
Rooms and areas in your home that don’t have heating vents should be sealed off from the heated areas in your home whenever possible. Rooms that do have heating vents but are seldom used could also be sealed off by keeping doors closed and closing the heating vents to save even more energy. You could also consider improving the insulation or doors and windows between heated and non-heated areas.
Why should I do this?
The less square footage you heat in your home, the less often your heating system has to kick on. You could easily be using twice as much energy as you would normally need to heat your home if you are unnecessarily heating your basement or attic.
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Perform a do-it-yourself energy audit or have a local professional inspect your home and come up with a comprehensive plan to improve your home’s energy efficiency.
How do I do this?
For a comprehensive look at what can be done to improve your home’s energy efficiency, have a professional perform an energy audit on your home. Both Pinnacle Inspections and the Building Performance Center provide home energy audit services in and around Bellingham. Using a variety of technical instruments they can determine where your time and money can best be spent to achieve the largest efficiency improvements. A professional home energy audit can also help you avoid creating new problems or inefficiencies during a remodel. At the very least you can perform a do-it-yourself energy audit to find where you are wasting energy in your home.
The following links provide more information about home energy audits:
Do-it-yourself energy audit
Professional energy audit
Why should I do this?
A home energy audit allows you to pinpoint problem areas directly, rather than doing an overall wash of your home. It can be used as a guide for contractors to evaluate and focus their efforts. You can spend a lot of money without really helping your homes energy problems or even cause new problems altogether if you don’t do some research before beginning home improvements. Depending on when and how your home was built, some suggested improvements might lead to significant energy and money savings.
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If you are replacing or installing windows in your home, use the most energy efficient ones on the market. You could prevent around 780 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
How do I do this?
Windows are a great invention when it comes to light, passive heating and ventilation but in the winter
they can be an efficiency nightmare. Technology has produced windows that provide nearly the same
insulation as an exterior wall! New windows have ratings based on a variety of factors that make them more or less energy efficient. As a rule of thumb High SC (0.7) windows yield greater energy savings in our climate. (Check out this article or contact a professional for more information on SC ratings.) Click here for more information on how to choose the best windows for your application or look for the Energy Star® symbol when shopping for certified energy efficient windows. Upgrading your windows may qualify you for federal tax rebates as well.
Why should I do this?
Using energy efficient windows in your home could prevent around 780 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and save you hundreds of dollars annually. They are beneficial year round and can make your home more comfortable as well more eco-friendly. Plus federal tax rebates are often available to help offset the costs.
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This is the most significant action you can take to reduce your home’s energy consumption aside from replacing your heating system altogether. You’ll save a half-ton of carbon dioxide pollution and hundreds of dollars every year.
How do I do this?
You first need to find out what kind of insulation you have in your home and where it is located,
especially if you live in an older home. You might be able to get this information from the builder if you live in a newer home. Otherwise you should get a home energy audit or inspect your home’s insulation yourself. If you do decide to do your own inspection you need to find out where your house is or isn’t insulated, what type of insulation you have and the R-Value and thickness of the insulation. The EERE has detailed instructions on what to look for as well as recommended R-Values and a cost payback calculator.
Keep in mind that you can add or upgrade the insulation in accessible places such as attics, basements and garages to achieve significant energy savings with minimal cost. If you heat your home with natural gas, you may be eligible for rebates of up to $1600 through Puget Sound Energy. Also look for federal tax rebates for upgrading to or installing efficient insulation.
If you are building a new house, install the most energy efficient insulation available. It will be much cheaper and easier to do this now and it will pay for itself in the long run.
Why should I do this?
Upgrading the insulation will reduce the energy needed to heat your home by an average of 15% and could prevent the release of over 1100 lbs of CO2 into our atmosphere every year! Modern insulation has become very efficient at reducing heat transfer between the inside and outside of your home. This means your house stays warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer keeping you comfortable and saving energy. A lower energy bill combined with Puget Sound Energy’s rebates of up to $1600 and federal tax rebates means this action can be surprisingly affordable.
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Get the most energy efficient model possible if you’re considering replacing or upgrading your heating system. This action alone could cut your carbon dioxide emissions by 2,379 pounds - that’s over a ton!
How do I do this?
First it is important to evaluate your current system and discover its limitations, inefficiencies and
general impact on the environment. We have relatively clean and cheap electricity when compared to the
rest of the country in the Northwest. Electric systems, especially when combined with a heat pump, can be quite efficient. Using a heat pump can provide up to 4 times the energy they consume because they move heat rather than generate it (learn more). Another benefit of using an electric system is that you can then purchase your electricity from renewable sources through Puget Sound Energy’s Green Power Program.
Burning natural gas, oil, propane, wood, or pellets in your home with a high-efficiency furnace or boiler can also be a very efficient way to deliver heat to your home. Of all these choices, natural gas burns cleanest.
Upgrades such as heat pumps and solar energy systems can also offer significant reductions without completely replacing your system. You can run your heating system directly from solar energy by installing a solar electricity and heating system and/or making better use of passive solar energy. This can qualify you for large rebates and be very cost effective if you generate even more electricity than you use.
Energy efficient heat pumps and natural gas systems may qualify for a $350 rebate from Puget Sound Energy or other federal tax rebates.
Why should I do this?
Depending on how often you drive, heating your home generally produces more carbon dioxide than any other single activity you do. Older systems that were designed when energy was cheap and environmental consciousness was low are extremely inefficient. Market demands, new technology and increased consumer awareness have also produced very efficient heating and cooling systems. If you currently have a natural gas or propane system, you could reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by over a ton by upgrading it. And installing a heat pump with your electric system can reduce the amount of electricity you consume by 40%.
Replacing your heating system may not be as expensive as you think with Puget Sound Energy offering a $350 rebate and federal tax rebates often being available.
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