6 Winter Energy Saving Tips You Should Know

According to the EPA, nearly half of a family's yearly energy costs are spent on heating and cooling their home. Many parts of the country are currently reaching for the thermostat and cranking up the heat. The costs associated with chilly weather can skyrocket if you aren't careful. This winter you can be simultaneously kind to your bank account, AC and heating system and the environment by practicing a few of our favorite free or inexpensive wintertime energy-saving techniques.

Invest in a programmable thermostat.

When it comes to energy efficiency, upgrading from your old mercury thermostat to a programmable one can save you the big bucks. When properly used, a newer programmable thermostat is capable of easily saving you anywhere from 10-30% on your energy bill. If you already have one or plan on installing one, have it set your home's temperature 10-15 degrees cooler when you're not at home than when you are for serious savings.

Seal any leaks.

If you're already aware of any cracks or gaps, caulk or seal them to prevent cold air from seeping in and warm air escaping out. Common places to find air leaks within your home are along doors, windows, in attics and where plumbing, electrical wiring and anything else come through the wall. For obvious reasons, caulk isn't the best choice to seal certain parts of doors and windows. To keep warm air in without trapping yourself inside, apply weather stripping to the parts of your home that need to open and close.

Close off empty or unused rooms.

If nobody's staying in your guest room this winter then don't waste money on keeping it comfortable. Close the vents to unused rooms so that warm air from your heater doesn't go to waste. Keep the windows and doors of the rooms closed as well.

Let the sunshine in!

During the day let the sunlight help in warming your home. Draw back the curtains and blinds when the sun is shining and close them at night to help insulate the room.

Keep your windows and doors closed as much as possible.

Warm air will quickly escape through an open door or window. Don't leave your door ajar when bringing groceries in from the car or hanging Christmas lights. If you can minimize your trips out into the cold, that'll definitely help. If you can't, just don't leave anything open longer than necessary.

Keep your fireplace damper closed.

In fact, unless you want more from your fireplace than the aesthetically pleasing glow and crackle, it's best that you don't use it at all. Fireplaces, by design, draw whatever warm air is in the room up and out of the chimney to stay alight. If you're running your heater and the fireplace at the same time your AC unit will have to work overtime and you'll probably still have trouble maintaining a toasty temperature.

If you're like us and don't want to see your money carried away with the winter winds, be sure to take these energy-saving precautions. For little to no cost you can reduce your energy consumption and save the environment, your wallet and your heating system any undue stress.

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What Does Energy Efficiency Mean?

For most people energy efficiency means putting the lights out when leaving a room, using the car less, or enabling energy saving modes on devices. Generally energy efficiency means to do more with less energy instead of wasting it as useless heat. On a broader scale it is not only a question of how to use electricity but also of how to generate and distribute it. Efficient generation of electricity is crucial to reduce greenhouse gases and fight the negative consequences of climate change especially as the world's energy needs are constantly growing.

Nowadays fossil fuels are still important to maintain a stable energy network. In the US 85 percent of the energy comes from fossil fuels. Therefore energy efficiency in fossil power generation should be fostered. Only about 35 percent of the energy generated by coal power stations results in electric power. Producing electricity at the highest possible efficiencies would reduce CO2 emissions dramatically. Gas turbines and combined cycle power plants contribute to use fossil energy in a more sustainable manner. Short startup times, low startup emissions and little use of water are important. Combined heat and power plants are among the most efficient methods to generate energy.

It is even more important to replace further fossil energy sources by renewable sources: by wind, solar and hydro power. Increased efforts are made to develop efficient wind turbines, photovoltaic and solar plants. Energy efficiency combined with renewable resources could really provide clean energy. Nowadays (2011) about 14.3 percent of the energy produced in the US comes from renewable resources.

Reliable and low-loss transmission of electricity is another aspect. High-voltage direct current (HVDC) is an environment-friendly transmission system. Another one is the so called smart grid.In connection with this intelligent electricity grid, electric cars play a major role. They have not only low emissions but can also be part of the energy system as they are able to store energy and return it to the grid.

Lowering the CO2 emissions of houses is another crucial point. 40 percent of the electricity is consumed by buildings. Buildings can nowadays become prosumers, which means that they produce and consume energy at the same time. It is even more important to reduce emissions and to improve energy efficiency in the industry. Electric drives and motors are responsible for 70 per cent of industrial energy consumption, so there are efforts to make them more energy efficient.

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