In the summer, close drapes and blinds during the hottest parts of the day to keep the sun from heating your rooms. Standard window blinds can be quite effective at keeping your house cool in summer, reducing heat gain by up to 45%.
In the winter, open drapes and blinds during the day to allow the sun to warm your home, and close drapes and blinds during the evening to keep the heat inside. Conventional drapes or curtains reduce heat loss from a room by only 10%. Convection carries hot air between the curtain and the window, where the air loses heat, falls below the bottom of the curtain (and out the sides) and draws in more hot air above. Drapes or blinds that are close to the window and snug on all sides can reduce heat loss by as much as 25%.
Have you ever noticed a cold draft when you remove an outlet cover? Electrical boxes behind wall sockets penetrate into the wall cavity and its insulation making them potential sources of air leakage, especially along outside walls. Polyethylene foam gaskets installed behind electric outlet plate covers reduce drafts. For double or triple outlet or light switch boxes, multiple gaskets can be overlapped and trimmed to fit. Foam gaskets are simple to install and are available at local hardware stores or online vendors. Watch this video to learn how to install gasket insulators.
This is the simplest behavioral change that you and your family can make to your daily energy-saving regimen! Making a difference starts with small changes. Learn more about when to turn off your lights from EnergySavers.gov.
Open your curtains to allow natural lighting in, and close them if the room gets too warm. Using light that is already available during daytime hours reduces energy output from light bulbs, saving you money. Learn more about daylighting from EnergySavers.gov.
Use energy-efficient lighting in at least 75% of your lighting fixtures
Fluorescent lights use up to 75% less energy than incandescent light bulbs, and can last up to 10 times as long. If you replace 20 bulbs with more energy-efficient lights, you can save up to $600 over the lifetimes of the bulbs. Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFLs) now come in all shapes and sizes. There are dimmable models, and models for recessed or outdoor lighting. Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting is even more efficient than CFL lighting, but with a greater up-front cost.
If you tried a CFL and didn’t like it, it may be because you didn’t select the right wattage, color, brightness, or size. When purchasing CFLs, use these equivalencies to get the brightness you are looking for (or roughly divide by 4):
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