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Green Technology

Green Tips

Seal the Leaks
Get a tube of exterior silicone caulk or insulation strips and apply to windows, plumbing and wiring holes, doors, and fireplace dampers. For the bottom of doors, install a door sweep.

Cover Your Glass
Use storm windows or install a clear plastic barrier over your windows. These barriers look like the clear plastic wrap you put over food to preserve freshness. You can stretch them over your window opening and apply heat with a hair dryer. The plastic stretches even more and becomes taught creating a dead-air space that will keep the cold out in winter and the heat out in summer.

Ventilate
As you draft-proof and insulate your home, you should also consider opening a couple of windows for a few minutes every day. This will improve air quality and reduce pollutants.

Get a Fan
A fan can circulate warm air spreading it over an entire room. A ceiling fan can help keep that warm air from drifting up to the ceiling.

Heat Economically
If you can handle it, reduce your thermostat a degree or two. Each degree reduction has the potential to save about 10 percent of your energy use. That not only conserves energy, it saves you money. Be sure to keep doors closed and use fans to circulate the warm air. At night,you can lower the temperature a little more since you will be under the covers.

Draw the Drapes
Not everyone has them, but, if you do, consider pulling them closed at night. This will reduce heat loss.

Use the Fireplace Wisely
While fireplaces are great for cozy winter evenings, they are very inefficient. On average, fireplaces are only about 8-10 percent efficient. But there are some things you can do to improve this and still enjoy your fireplace. You can lower your thermostat to about 55 degrees to prevent your furnace from trying to replace the heat loss from the fireplace. You can also install glass doors on the fireplace which will keep the warm air from going up the flu. By the way — remember to close the flu when you're done using the fireplace. This will help keep the warm air in your house.

Getting Cheaper Hot Water
No one wants to shower with cold water. Nevertheless, there are some things you can do to conserve energy use for this function. You can reduce the thermostat on your water heater one or two degrees. In most cases, you won't notice a difference in water temperature. You can also purchase aerators for your faucets. They enhance the spray of water while minimizing water usage. A third tip is to insulate your water heater. To do this safely, check with a plumber or HVAC expert before doing it. Another alternative is to purchase a new more efficient water heater.

Install an Energy Star Thermostat
These thermostats can save you about $115 a year by calling for heat and cooling more efficiently than conventional thermostats.

Install Energy Star Heat Pump
When replacing your furnace, ask your HVAC contractor about installing an Energy Star heat pump. You can save as much as 20 percent of your energy cost per year.

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