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Protect your home from the cold!
Did you know . . .
- 46 percent of our residential energy is used to heat and cool our homes
- 15 percent is used for heating water
- 15 percent is used for refrigerators and freezers
- 24 percent goes into lighting, cooking and running other appliances
Heating energy savers
- Keep your heating equipment well-tuned with regular maintenance by a professional. Yankee's qualified service technicians can inspect your heat or hot water system; call 800-989-0900 to schedule an appointment.
- Install a programmable thermostat. It automatically sets your thermostat back when you're asleep or not at home.
- If you own older appliances, purchase new, energy-efficient models.
- Close unoccupied rooms
- Use kitchen, bath and other ventilating fans wisely. In just one hour, these fans can blow away a house full of warmed air. Turn them off as soon as their job is done.
- Keep your fireplace damper closed unless you have a fire going. An open damper in a 48-inch square fireplace can let up to 8 percent of your heat out the chimney.
Draft-proof windows, doors and other air leaks:
- Test your windows and doors for airtightness. A cold, windy day is a good day to check for leaks. You will be able to find many leaks by feeling with your hand around windows and doors.
- Caulk and weather-strip doors and windows that leak air. It's easy to do yourself. Caulking and weather-stripping materials cost between $40 and $50 for the average house (12 windows, 2 doors). Savings in annual costs could be up to 10 percent.
- Look for other air leaks through openings where plumbing or electrical wiring goes through walls, floors and ceilings. Check for drafts from electrical outlets, around ceiling fixtures and at openings to the attic. Seal cracks or holes, close fireplace dampers.
- Consider installing storm windows to stop air leaks and drafts due to cold windows, reduce water condensation and frost formation, and save energy.
Insulate:
No matter how much you heat or cool your home, you can reduce the load on the heating and cooling equipment by as much as 20 to 30 percent by investing a few hundred dollars in insulation. The benefits (lower utility costs) continue for years.
- Find out if your home needs insulation. Your needs will depend on the climate in which you live and the amount of insulation, if any, you already have. For guidance, consult with a reputable insulation dealer in your community or with your local building inspector or county agent.
- Insulate your attic floor or top ceiling. If you have three inches or less or old insulation, chances are you need more to bring the insulation level up to the recommended level.
- Don't insulate over eave vents or on top of recessed lighting fixtures or other heat-producing equipment on the attic floor. Also, keep insulation at least 3 inches away from the sides of these types of fixtures.
- Insulate floors over unheated spaces such as crawl spaces and garages. Make sure that any ducts in unheated spaces are insulated and that leaks are properly taped.
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