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Our Helpful
Conservation
Tips!
Conservation |
Plumbing |
Safety |
Information
To be a water saver, install a low-flow showerhead and keep
showers under five minutes. Turn off the water to soap up.
| Flush only when necessary |
Avoid using the toilet for a wastebasket. Every flush you can
eliminate can save between two and seven gallons of water.
Leaks waste water. Add several drops food coloring to the
toilet tank. If it's leaking, the coloring will appear in the
toilet without flushing.
If you don't have a low flow toilet, use plastic bottles
filled with water and pebbles to displace water in the tank.
Don't obstruct float and don't use bricks.
Don't let the water run while you brush your teeth or shave.
Turn the faucet on briefly to rinse. An electric razor saves
the most.
Filling the tub uses about 50 gallons of water. Try bathing
just 10 gallons. Plug the tub when you shower; how full
does the tub get?
Match washer's load selector to your load size. Try to wash
only full loads. Minimize detergent use. Save energy by using
cold water to wash.
Buying a new washing machine? Choose wisely. Find the
one that conserves water and energy and has a suds saver
attachment.
Limit the loss of expensive heated air to the outside.
Use fans sparingly. In just one hour, these fans can
blow away a house full of warm air.
Keep fireplace dampers tightly closed until you prepare to
light a fire. An open damper in a 48-inch square fireplace can
let as much as 8% of our heat escape out the chimney.
Caulking and weather stripping are reasonably easy, so you may
be able to save money by doing the job yourself. Reducing air
leaks to a minimum may also allow you to lower the thermostat
on your system without any discomfort.
Lower your thermostat to about 65 degrees F during the day and
60 degrees F at night. For each degree you turn down
your thermostat, you'll save 3% on heating bills.
| Fireplace can cause heat
loss |
When using the fireplace, open dampers in the bottom of
the firebox if provided, or open the closest window about 1
inch and close the doors leading into the room. This
allows more air for the fire without reducing heat loss.
Make a draft detector by clipping a piece of tissue paper to a
coat hanger. Hold the coat hanger in front of a suspect crack;
any movement indicates a leak in need of caulking or weather
stripping.
Avoid heating unused areas by closing off unoccupied rooms
and shutting off heat vents. (Does not apply if you have a
heat pump)
Keep the heating system well tuned with periodic maintenance
by a professional service. Once a year is a good bet.
Learn about R values before you buy your insulation
materials. These numbers indicate resistance of an
insulation material to winter heat loss or summer heat gain.
| Old windows can cost you a
bundle |
Consider installing storm windows and doors. Storm windows can
be both energy efficient and convenient. Good windows can
result in cost savings of as much as 15% a year.
| Upgrade your old
thermostat |
Consider the advantages of a clock thermostat for your heating
system. The clock thermostat will turn the heat down
automatically at regular hours before you retire and turn it
up again before you wake.
To stay cool, use ceiling fans to cool individual rooms.
To stay cool, consider installing a whole house fan in the
attic.
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