Making Your Home Energy Efficient Room by Room: Living Area

The living room is a gathering spot for family and friends to spend quality time. It's also a place where you can take simple steps to be more energy-efficient.

Table Lamp

Replace your highest-use fixtures or the light bulbs in them with ENERGY STAR models.

Living room table and floor lamps are two of the most used light fixtures in a home. Conventional torchiere lamps also can be the highest wattage light fixtures in the home. ENERGY STAR qualified lighting fixtures and replacement bulbs can be found at home improvement and hardware stores, lighting showrooms, and other retail stores, including online outlets.

Ceiling Fan w/ Lighting

Depending on when and how you operate them, ceiling fans can provide comfort and help you save on your energy bills.

In the winter, your ceiling fan can help improve your comfort. Most fans have a switch that allows you to reverse the motor and operate the ceiling fan in the opposite direction. This produces a gentle updraft, which forces warm air near the ceiling down into the living space.

In the summer, check to make sure your fan is blowing air downward to help you feel cooler. On hotter days, dialing up the thermostat by only two degrees and using your ceiling fan can lower air conditioning costs by up to 14% over the course of the cooling season. Use low wattage CFLs in the ceiling fan light fixture for cooler light bulbs and more energy savings. And remember: Ceiling fans cool only people, not the room, so when you leave the room, turn the ceiling fan off.

Light Switch

Remember to always turn off your lights when leaving a room.

Drapes

During cold weather, take advantage of the sun's warmth by keeping drapes open during daylight hours. To keep out the heat of the summer sun, close window shades and drapes in warm weather.

Power Strip

Use a power strip as a central “turn off” point for electronics, video games, and computers when not in use.

Air Register

Make sure that the connections at vents and registers are well-sealed where they meet the floors, walls, and ceiling. These are common locations to find leaks and disconnected ductwork. Also make sure that all vents are clear of any furniture or rugs to improve air flow and comfort. If your home has radiators, you can place heat-resistant reflectors between radiators and walls. In the winter, this will help heat the room instead of the wall.

Window

During the winter months, replace your screens with storm windows to provide an extra barrier to the cold outside air. Caulk and weather-strip around windows and doors that leak air. If replacing windows, choose ENERGY STAR qualified models designed for your area, and save $150–500 per year in energy costs. With proper installation to ensure all gaps around them are sealed, ENERGY STAR qualified windows can help improve your comfort, cut drafts, and reduce fading of interior furnishings.

Learn how to fix problems with moisture on windows in your home.

Apply caulk and weather stripping around windows and doors that leak air.

Fireplace Damper

Close the flue damper tightly when not in use. Otherwise, warmed or cooled air can easily escape from the house.

A chimney is designed to remove by-products from a fire by creating a draft. The draft also pulls air from your home up the chimney-air that you've paid to cool or heat. Even without a fire in the fireplace, there still will be a draft in the chimney as long as there's a temperature difference between indoors and out. Closing the damper will keep air conditioned (or warmed) air in the living space where it belongs.

Home Theatre System

Look for the ENERGY STAR on consumer electronics products. These products use less energy without sacrificing quality or performance. Seal any holes with caulk or spray foam where pipes or TV/cable wires and vents enter or exit your home.

Consumer electronics play an increasingly larger role in your home's energy consumption, accounting for up to 15 percent of household electricity use. Many consumer electronics products use energy even when switched off. Electronics equipment that has earned the ENERGY STAR help save energy when off, while maintaining features like clock displays, channel settings, and remote control functions.

Outlet

Unplug any battery chargers or power adapters when not in use.

Making Your Home Energy Efficient Room by Room: Bedroom

You want your bedroom to be as comfortable as possible, for sleeping and when you're awake. Use these simple energy saving tips to make your bedroom more energy efficient and comfortable at the same time.

Energy Efficient Bedroom Lighting

Replace fixtures and bulbs with ENERGY STAR qualified lighting products. One of the easiest places to start saving energy in your bedroom is with lighting. You can start saving up to 75% on your lighting costs immediately by replacing your incandescent light bulbs with ENERGY STAR qualified LED bulbs or compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs). ENERGY STAR qualified residential LED bulbs uses at least 75% less energy, and last 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs while providing optimal light color.  Compact fluorescent bulbs provide high quality lighting and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs.

You can also save energy in the bedroom by replacing your regular lighting fixtures with ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures. They come in a wide range of designs, from floor and table lamps to ceiling fixtures, to suit any style. You can save more than $65 a year in energy costs simply by replacing your 5 most used lights with ENERGY STAR qualified light bulbs or fixtures. And whichever light bulbs or fixtures you use, remember to turn off the light when it's not being used.

TV and Other Electronic Devices

Consumer electronics account for 15% of household electricity use in the US, on average. That makes it a good place to start saving energy. TV's, DVD players and other electronic devices can eat up a lot of electricity, so be sure to turn them off whenever they're not being used. TVs are getting larger. In fact, some of the largest, high resolution, direct view TVs (versus rear projection products) can use as much electricity each year as a new, conventional refrigerator, or roughly 500 kWh, every year.  So if you're buying new equipment, choose products with the ENERGY STAR logo. ENERGY STAR qualified televisions use about 40% less energy than standard units. Many devices use energy even when they're turned off.  They use less energy when the device is switched off, and still maintain functions like clocks and channel settings. To save more energy, always unplug power adapters, cell phone chargers and other battery chargers when not in use.

Seal Windows for Comfort and Energy Savings

You want to stay cozy in your bedroom, especially in the winter months. To avoid drafts in the winter, replace window screens with storm windows, which help prevent cold outside air from entering your bedroom. Even with storm windows, you may find window and door frames that leak cold air and reduce your energy efficiency. Caulk and weather-strip around the leaky frames to reduce drafts. If your windows are old and in need of replacement, look for ENERGY STAR qualified models that are rated for your climate zone (your window contractor or retailer will be able to help you choose the right windows). With proper installation, you can save up to $95 per year in energy costs and have improved comfort, less drafts and protect your interior furnishings from fading.

Energy Saving Tips for Window Air Conditioners

Do you have a window air conditioner in your bedroom? If you do, you can save money with these energy saving tips:

• During winter months, cover the air conditioner from the outside with a tight-fitting insulating cover to keep heated indoor air from escaping to the outside. Or better yet, remove the air conditioner for the best protection against energy loss and to prevent drafts.

• The air conditioner should fit tightly in the window to prevent hot outdoor air from getting in.

• If you're buying a new window air conditioner, consider an ENERGY STAR qualified model, which uses at least 10% less energy than standard air conditioner models.

Keep Air Vents Clear

To maximize your comfort and energy efficiency, make sure air vents and registers aren't blocked by furniture, so air can flow freely throughout the room.

Making Your Home Energy Efficient Room by Room: Kitchen

Refrigerator/Freezer

A typical home uses 600-1200 kiloWatt-hours per year for refrigeration and freezing. To become more energy efficient with refrigeration in your home, follow these tips:

• Keep your refrigerator at 37°- 40° F and your freezer at 5°F.

• Keep your refrigerator filled to capacity, but don't overcrowd to the point where doors cannot be closed or air cannot circulate.

• Vacuum the condenser coils (underneath or behind the unit) every three months or so.

• Check the condition of door gaskets by placing a dollar bill against the frame and closing the door. If the bill can be pulled out with a very gentle tug, the door should be adjusted or the gasket replaced.

• Do not put uncovered liquids in the refrigerator. The liquids give off vapors that add to the compressor workload.

• Allow hot food to cool off before putting it in the refrigerator.

• Plan ahead and remove all ingredients for each meal at one time.

• Try switching off the power-saver switch, if your refrigerator has one. If only a small amount of condensation appears, save energy and leave the switch off.

 Buying Tips for a Refrigerator/Freezer

• Reduce your refrigeration electricity usage by 40 percent by replacing a 12-year-old or older unit with a new unit. 
• An Energy Star® unit will lower usage even more.

• Select a refrigerator or freezer that is just large enough for your needs

• Look for energy-saving features such as the power-saver switch and improved insulation materials.

• If possible, locate refrigerators and freezers away from direct sunlight, ranges, and heating equipment.

• Never put a second refrigerator in the garage. If you need a second unit, put it in the basement.

Range/Oven

• A typical home uses 200-700 kiloWatt-hours per year with its range/oven. To become more energy efficient with your range/oven, follow these tips:

• Only use pots and pans with flat bottoms on the stove.

• Include more stews, stir-frys, and other single-dish meals in your menus.

• Develop the habit of "lids-on" cooking to permit lower temperature settings.

• Keep reflector pans beneath stovetop heating elements bright and clean.

• Carefully measure water used for cooking to avoid having to heat more than is needed.

• Begin cooking on highest heat until liquid begins to boil. Then lower the heat control settings and allow food to simmer until fully cooked.

• Cook as much of the meal in the oven at one time as possible. Variations of 25°F still produce good results and save energy.

• Rearrange oven shelves before turning your oven on - and don't peek at food in the oven!

• Every time you open the oven door, 25°-50°F is lost.

• There is no need to preheat the oven for broiling or roasting. ƒ When preheating an oven for baking, time the preheat period carefully. Five to eight minutes should be sufficient.

• Use your microwave oven whenever possible, as it draws less than half the power of its conventional oven counterpart and cooks for a much shorter amount of time.

• Use the self-cleaning cycle only for major cleaning jobs. Start the cycle right after cooking while the oven is still hot, or wait until late in the evening when electricity usage is low.

Buying Tips for a Range/Oven

Convection ovens use a small fan to circulate hot air around the oven. This speeds up cooking time by about 30 percent and saves the same in energy.

Combination ovens use microwave technology and halogen lamps to cut cooking time and energy use by 66-75 percent.

 Dishwasher

• Wash only full loads of dishes - but do not overload dishwasher.

• Scrape food off dishes and rinse them with cold water before placing them in the dishwasher.

• Soak or pre-wash only in the cases of burned-on or dried-on foods.

• Don't use the "rinse hold" feature on your dishwasher when you only have a few soiled dishes.

• Buying tip: Look for dishwashers with internal booster heaters, so that you can set your water heater thermostat at 120°F (rather than 140°F for dishwashing purposes).

• Energy-Efficient Appliances for the Kitchen

Induction Cooking

Induction cooking is one of many advances made in home cooking. With induction cooking, surfaces stay cool while the food gets warm or hot. It uses magnetic friction to deliver heat through coils to the pots or pans on the surface. This prevents the ceramic surface from becoming hot, which prevents burns. The pots that are used must be made of magnetic materials, such as iron or steel, for the best results.

These units have very high efficiency ratings (in terms of the amount of heat used for actual cooking versus the total amount of heat delivered by the equipment), especially when compared to gas systems.

Light Energy Ovens

Many people use microwave ovens for a variety of cooking purposes, but they do not have the ability to grill or broil. Now, with light energy ovens, tungsten/ halogen lamps are positioned around the interior and computer-controlled "thermal-pulsing" selectively directs energy both into and onto the food. You get the size, convenience, and speed of a microwave oven, combined with the cooking ability of a regular oven or grill.

Larger versions of these ovens have been used in commercial restaurants and hotels. Starting in December 1998, models were available for residential applications.

Energy Efficient Cooking

Each piece of cooking equipment you use and how you use it makes a big impact on how much energy you use preparing meals. Here are some tips that should help you decide where and when savings are possible in the kitchen.

• Select the right pan or appliance. Oversized pans waste energy. The pan you use should match the burner size. A 6-inch diameter pan on an 8-inch burner wastes almost half of the energy produced by the burner. Using a separate appliance like a Crockpot can save energy when preparing foods requiring long cooking times.

• Pressure cookers reduce energy use 50 to 75 percent because cooking times are reduced when food is cooked at the higher temperatures created inside a pressure cooker. And when you bake, use glass and ceramic pans and you can lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees. If you're baking or roasting something for less than a half hour, use a toaster oven. They often use 1/3 to 1/2 the power needed for a conventional oven.

• With flat-surface electric burners, make sure the bottom of your pans are flat-bottomed and can make good contact with the element. Uneven pan bottoms don't conduct heat to the food as well. And with electric burners, you can turn them off toward the end of the cooking time since they'll radiate heat for awhile as they cool.

• With gas cooktops, a well-shaped blue flame indicates efficient burning. A yellow flame means the burner is operating inefficiently.

• Keep lids on pans as you cook; cooking without them can require three times as much energy as cooking with them on. Look for pans with glass lids if you like to keep an eye on what you are preparing.

• When boiling foods, keep the amount of water used to a minimum. Using excess water that must be heated wastes the energy required to raise its temperature.

• Use microwave ovens when possible since they use less energy and require shorter cooking times than conventional ovens. And in the summer, they have the additional advantage of producing less heat in the kitchen.

• Defrosting frozen foods in the refrigerator will reduce cooking time. But allow enough time for defrosting to take place. It can take several days for a frozen turkey to defrost in a refrigerator.

• Self-cleaning ovens are a great convenience, but they accomplish their tasks by heating to very high temperatures and burn off spilled or accumulated food. So use them only when the oven really needs the cleaning, once a month or so. And do it right after use so it's preheated for the cleaning cycle.

Solar Plane Pilot Plugs Renewable Energy

Swiss psychiatrist and aeronaut Bertrand Piccard, who in 1999 co-piloted the first balloon to circle the world non-stop, has again made aviation history. 

Alternating with his partner and compatriot, Andre Borschberg, he flew an airplane across the United States - in six stages from May 3 to July 6 - using only solar power. 

Their Solar Impulse HB-SIA, with a wingspan equal to that of an Airbus A340 but weighing no more than an average car, is equipped with 11,628 photovoltaic cells that power four electric motors averaging 8 horsepower each. 

Piccard, 55, initiator and chairman of the Solar Impulse venture, said the aircraft's technical details were less important than its renewable-energy message. 

"We at Solar Impulse aim to be pioneers. We want to open doors; others can deal with marketability later. It's not passengers we want to transport, but a message: that the technology exists to live with clean energies, and create jobs as well."

Read the complete article and Piccard's Q&A here!

EPA strengthens Energy Star requirements

Under the new standards, Energy Star certified refrigerators and freezers will use at least 10 percent less energy than models meeting 2014 federal minimum efficiency standards. If all refrigerators and freezers sold in the United States were to meet the updated requirements, energy cost savings would grow to more than $890 million each year and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of those from more than one million vehicles. Additionally, by recycling an old refrigerator and replacing it with a new Energy Star certified refrigerator, consumers can save from $150 to $1,100 on energy costs over the product's lifetime.

"We can all do our part in meeting the challenge of climate change," said Janet McCabe, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "By choosing Energy Star appliances, families can save energy, save money, and reduce carbon pollution."

Certain Energy Star refrigerators and freezers with connected features will provide consumers new convenience and energy-saving opportunities. These products will allow consumers to view real-time energy use, receive energy-related messages, such as an alert when the door has been left open, and manage appliance settings remotely. Refrigerators and freezers with connected functionality will also be "smart grid"-ready, meaning that with consumer permission, they will be able to respond to utility signals, including curtailing operations during more expensive peak demand times.

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Let's Get Crafty! Pt. 2

CD Sun Catchers 

Looking for a fun and creative way to teach your children about renewable energy? CD Sun Catchers demonstrate the generation of energy produced by the sun, including light and heat. Keep your beautiful sun-catcher as a fun decoration for any window or room. Or, for the winter holidays, give it out as a unique, hand-made ornament!

Materials:

• Junk CDs
• Glue
• Decorations: Gems, jewels, beads, sequins
• Sandpaper
• Fishing line, cut into 2’ lengths
• Paint (any color)

Instructions:

STEP 1: Before starting, make sure the paint you use will work with the CD. Experiment with paint on a spare CD to check for adherence. Add a few drops of liquid dish soap to the paint if needed.

STEP 2: Lightly sand the CD on the side with the label in order to the dull surface.

STEP 3: Paint the sanded side. Let the paint dry.

STEP 4: Add decorations to make this sun-catcher your own! Glue sequins, jewels, or beads to either the painted or mirrored side. Let the glue dry.

STEP 5: After the glue dries, string the CD on fishing line so that it hangs freely. For extra decoration, use spare beads and jewels to string onto the fishing line before tying it off.

Enjoy your new creation!

Internet Energy Efficiency: NRDC Study Questions Power Drain From Routers, Modems

If there’s one thing I pride myself on, it’s practicing vigilance when it comes to making sure that I unplug any non-essential appliances and electronics when I’m not using them. As for the things that I don’t unplug on a regular basis, I make sure that they’re connected to a vampire energy-combating power strip or similar (preferably non-terrifying) device. What can I say? I like to save moola.

However, in addition to the fridge, there are a couple of electronic devices in my home that I dare not tamper with — highly essential items that I never turn off and leave plugged in 24/7: My modem and AirPort Extreme base station.

Having previously delved into the energy-guzzling nature of newfangled HD-DVR cable boxes (crazy enough, they suck more juice than Energy Star rated fridges), the Natural Resources Defense Council has now set its sights on modems and routers, devices, that like cable boxes, are ubiquitous and rarely unplugged. Collectively, Americans consume $1 billion worth of electricity per year on keeping home networking devices fired up but could potentially save a whopping $330 million in costs if they switch over to energy-efficient models.

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