Energy Saver Guy

Archive for July, 2009

Programmable thermostats are less than $50 at your local hardware store!
Rather than trying to remember to turn the thermostat up or down when you are not going to be home, just program it to whatever is comfortable.

In winter conditions typically you can lower the temperature 5-8 degrees when you are not home and set it to kick up to the original temperature 30 minutes before you get home. You can also set it to a lower temperature when you are sleeping. You would do the opposite in the summer.

This video explains how to make your dryer vent more efficient and why it is a smart thing to do.

Having a hard piped dryer vent with as few bemds as possible will make it easier for your dryer to exhaust the hot moist air. This means your dryer does not have to work as hard which saves energy and increases the life of the dryer.

I estimate that replacing a corrigated flexible vent with a straight hard metal or plastic exhaust pipe can save 2-5% on your energy bill and extend the life of the dryer 2-5 years.

Energy Saving Basement Window Insulation

If you have older single pane basement windows with the metal frame, it’s a good idea to make rigid foam panels to seal them in the winter months. Using 1-2 inch rigid foam board will increase the R value from 0 to as much as 6. The biggest energy savings, return on investment, comes from going from 0 or no insulation to 6-10.

Watch this Video to learn how to install rigid foam insulation in your basement windows.

If you’d like to keep light flowing into your basement, you can still use caulk to seal where the metal frame meets the cement blocks or concrete. Remember the tip about cobwebs, the more cobwebs, the more airflow. Try to seal areas with the most cobwebs first.

Heating And Cooling Distribution If you have hot air heating, it is a good idea to make sure the vents are not blocked or covered by rugs. In most duct systems there are dampers that can be adjusted in the basement trunk lines (see video). These dampers control the amount of air going to different rooms. You can adjust them seasonally if you have central air. What I mean by this is in the summer, you can turn down the dampers that send air downstairs and open up the dampers that send air upstairs (see video). If you live in an older home where the basement is dirty, damp and moldy, you need to seal off the duct penetrations in the basement ceiling (see video) and in basements like this duct sealing becomes more important.

Electric Hot Water Heater Savings.

You can keep the circuit breaker “off” on your electric hot water heater for up to 18-20 hrs a day depending on your needs. It’s always a twin pole breaker (See Video). It is quite simple to find out which breaker runs it and keep it off when not needed.

On either a gas or electric hot water heater it’s a great idea to drain a couple gallons out every 6 months (depending on your water quality). Draining out any sediment in the bottom of the tank, will increase the tank’s energy efficiency and save you money.

PS. Drain it until the water is clear.