Thermostat Tips

• For every degree you lower your heat in the 60-degree to 70-degree range, you'll save up to 5% on heating costs. PG&E recommends turning your thermostat down to 68 degrees during the day, 55 degrees or off at night or when leaving home for an extended time.
• Install clock thermostats or set-back thermostats to automatically change thermostat settings at certain times of the day.
• Turn your heater(s) down when you're using your fireplace, and don't forget to close the damper when you're not using the fireplace. Savings: 2-8 percent of space heating costs.
• Many electric homes are built with baseboard heaters with individual room thermostats. Unless marked with an "off" setting, these units will only go to a low setting of about 50 degrees and will run whenever the room temperature drops below that temperature.

Pipes, Ducts, Fans and Vents

• Plug gaps around pipes, ducts, fans and vents that go through walls, ceilings and floors from heated to unheated spaces. Savings: 1-3 percent of space heating costs.
• If your home has zoned or individual room controls, close off heating to rooms and areas that don't need it. Central forced air heating with one or two centrally located returns requires that doors be opened to work properly. Savings: Up to 10 percent of space heating costs.
• Get your ducts tested for air leakage. Leaking ducts can reduce the efficiency of your heating system by up to 30 percent. Seal leaks with mastic or non-cloth backed tape labeled UL181 B-FX.

Furnace

• Keep your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted. And remember to clean or replace the filter regularly. Savings: Up to 5 percent of space heating costs.
• Check your furnace periodically. First, turn off the power source. Then visually inspect the furnace and vacuum away lint, dirt or other obstructions.
• Be sure the filters are cleaned or replaced as necessary. Dirty filters reduce airflow and make your furnace work harder.
• Turn off your furnace pilot light during the non-heating season. Savings: 3-9 percent of cooling costs.

Shutters and Drapes

• Use insulating shutters or drapes and keep them closed during winter nights and summer days. Savings: 8-15 percent of space heating costs.
• Use passive solar heating on sunny days. Open the drapes on windows facing south and let the sun shine in. Then at night, close the drapes to retain indoor heat. If you have a large expanse of glass that doesn't receive direct sun, keep the drapes closed. Up to 16% of your heat can escape through unprotected windows.

Pool

• Shorten the operating time for your swimming pool filter and automatic cleaning sweep during the winter to two hours a day. This can reduce your filter’s energy use by 40-50 percent, yet keep your pool clean.

Summer Energy Saving Tips

Air Conditioner

• Provide shading for your air conditioning condenser. Savings: 2-3 percent of cooling costs.
• In the cooling season, set your thermostat at 78 degrees or higher when you're at home. Savings: 10-20 percent of cooling costs.
• When you're away from home during the cooling season, set your air conditioner at 85 degrees. Savings: 5-12 percent of cooling costs.

Pool

• Pool covers save energy and money. 70 percent of pool heat loss is by evaporation.
• Switch pool filter and sweeper operations to off-peak hours. Peak hours are between noon and 6 p.m. Consider replacing pool pumps and motors with updated, more efficient equipment. Savings depend on your use.
• Shorten the operating time for your swimming pool filter and automatic cleaning sweep (if your pool has one).
• Keep pool cleaning and heating equipment clean and lubricated.
• Reduce pool water temperature and the number of months you heat your pool.

Shading

• Use exterior shading devices or deciduous plants to shade your home and windows from the sun. Savings: Up to 8 percent of cooling costs.

General Energy-Saving Tips

Heating/Cooling System

• Seal any leaks in your heating or cooling system ducts. Also fix leaks in water/steam heat pipes. Savings: 5-25 percent of heating/cooling costs.
• Wrap your water heater with a water heater blanket, especially if it's in an unheated area of your home. The blanket could save you up to 10 percent on water heating costs.
• Set your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees, or 140 degrees if you have a dishwasher. Savings: 7-11 percent of water heating costs.
• Install energy-saving showerheads in your home. You'll reduce hot water use and cut water costs by 10 to 16 percent without affecting comfort.
• Prevent heat loss and reduce your waterbed's electric use up to 20% by covering it with bedspreads or quilts as soon as you get up. A layer of cardboard between the bed and the frame or an insulation kit designed for waterbeds will also insulate your waterbed against further heat loss.

Appliances

• Select the most energy-efficient model when buying a new ENERGY STAR® refrigerator, washer, or other appliance. Savings: 5-25 percent of operating costs.
• Unplug and recycle your extra refrigerator if it's used mainly for occasional cold drinks or ice cubes. You could reduce your annual energy bill by as much as $160 by doing so.
• Washer: Use cold water when possible. Wash full loads.
• Dryer: Line-dry clothes (especially towels) whenever you can. When you use your dryer, dry full loads.
• Refrigerator/Freezer: Open doors only when necessary and keep the coils (on the back or the bottom of the appliance) clean.
• Dishwasher: Always wash full loads and air-dry dishes on the "energy saver" setting. And if the manufacturer's instructions permit, open the door of the dishwasher at the end of the last rinse cycle, rather than using the drying cycle.
• Don't preheat your oven, and use the smaller of the two ovens if you have a dual unit. Cook complete meals of several dishes simultaneously in the oven.
• Cook on rangetop burners when practical instead of in the oven.
  If you have a microwave oven, use it for reheating and cooking small quantities of food.

Lighting

• Compact fluorescent lamps can give the same amount and quality of light as incandescent bulbs, yet use one-fourth the energy and last 10 times longer.
• Convert incandescent bulbs to fluorescent lamps with screw-in bases. Fluorescent lamps can give the same amount and quality of light as incandescent bulbs, yet use one-third the amount of energy and last 10 times longer.
• Replace incandescent bulbs with fluorescent lamps. Savings: 30-38 percent of lighting costs.
• Use dimmer switches or timers on lights. Savings: 7-10 percent of lighting costs.
• Turn off lights whenever they are not needed, even for one second. This applies to fluorescent lighting also.

Ceiling, Walls, Attics

• Insulate attic access and basement trap doors with R-19 insulation. Savings: 1-3 percent of heating/cooling costs.
• You can cut your heating costs up to 25 percent simply by installing proper ceiling insulation to at least R-30 standards. Insulate walls, floors and heating ducts, too. This insulation will not only keep heat from escaping, but will also make your home more comfortable.
• Repair any holes in your roof, walls, doors, ceilings, windows and floors. Savings: Up to 10 percent of heating/cooling costs.

Windows

• By caulking and weather-stripping, you can cut your heating bills up to 10 percent. Weather-strip doors and windows, and caulk air leaks around windows, door frames, pipes and ducts.
• Use clear plastic sheets to insulate windows during the heating season.
• Savings: 2-7 percent of heating/cooling costs.
• Install storm or thermal (replacement) windows. These tightly fitting windows give the benefit of double-pane glass. Air trapped between the two panes acts as a thermal insulator, keeping your heated air inside where it belongs. Be sure to get windows that have the new super-efficient low-emissivity glazing.

*All information received from PG&E 5-3-01

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