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Energy Tips

If you’re worried about your energy costs, you can keep your family comfortable with our Energy Wise tips below. These tips will help reduce your energy usage, without sacrificing your comfort.

  • Become an energy detective. Learn where your electricity is going by shutting off everything that uses electricity in your home. Shutting your electricity off will enable you to look for problem areas or you may find items that are using electricity that you weren’t aware of.
  • Install a programmable thermostat. By turning your thermostat back 10 - 15% for 8 hours, you can save as much as 5% to 10% on your heating and cooling costs per year.
  • Caulk, seal and weather strip all seams, cracks and openings to the outside. You can save 10% or more by reducing the air leaks in your home.
  • Replace your furnace filter once a month. Failing to replace a filter can make your furnace and central air conditioner run harder and reduce its operating efficiency.
  • Turn off equipment when not in use. Don’t underestimate the energy savings you can get by turning off unused televisions, stereos and computers.
  • Add additional attic insulation. Upgrading from 3 inches to 12 inches can cut heating costs by 20 percent, and cooling costs by 10 percent.
  • Do not set your thermostat at a higher setting than normal. It will not heat or cool your home any faster, resulting in excessive heating/cooling and unnecessary expense.
  • Plant trees or shrubs to shade your air conditioning unit without blocking the airflow. A unit operating in the shade can use as much as 10% less electricity than the same one operating in the sun.
  • Use kitchen, bath and other ventilating fans wisely; in just 1 hour, these fans can pull out a houseful of warmed or cooled air. Turn fans off as soon as they have done the job.
  • During the heating season, keep the drapes and shades on your south facing windows open during the day to allow sunlight to enter your home and closed at night to reduce the chill from cold windows.
  • Carefully positioned trees can save up to 25% of a typical household’s energy used for heating and cooling. Just 3 properly placed trees around the house can save an average household between $100 and $250 in heating and cooling energy costs annually.
  • Lower the thermostat on your water heater; water heaters sometimes come from the factory with high temperature settings, but a setting of 120 degrees F provides comfortable hot water for most uses.
  • Don’t keep your refrigerator or freezer too cold. Recommended temperatures are between 37 to 40 degrees for the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator and 5 degrees for the freezer section.
  • Replace baths with short showers, install energy saving showerheads and faucet aerators, and only do full loads when washing clothes and/or dishes. Water heating typically comsumes 14% or more of your bill.
  • Install compact fluorescent lighting. It can save up to 75% of the electricity of standard lighting and will last years instead of months.

Additional Tips:

  • Holiday Cooking Tips: While preparing holiday feasts for your family and guests, remember these tips for energy efficiency in the kitchen (Full Story)
  • Look For The ENERGY STAR® Label For Savings: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency places the ENERGY STAR® logo on all ENERGY STAR® rated appliances. (Full Story)
  • Cool Your Summer Bills: Did you know that each degree that you raise the thermostat typically saves 2% on your cooling bill? Energy experts recommend setting your thermostat at 78º or higher. (Full Story)
  • Know the facts about Air Conditioning: Thinking about buying a new central air conditioner? Unhappy with the operation of your current air conditioner? Not sure whether to fix or replace it? (Full Story)
  • Benefits of Landscaping and Lighting: (Full Story)

For more energy efficiency information visit our energy efficiency links page or our brochures page.
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Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative | PO Box 69 | 5695 REC Drive | Marion, IA 52302-0069 | 319.377.1587 or 800.332.5420

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