You don’t have to invest in solar panels or a geothermal heat pump to reduce your energy bills. There are many things you can do to save energy that only cost a little thought and time. Here are some energy-saving tips to share with your family:
- Turn your heat down at night or when everybody is away from home. You can do this with a programmable thermostat, but your older standard thermostat will accomplish the job just as well if you remember to set it manually.
- The same idea applies to your air conditioning, except in reverse. Turn the thermostat up when nobody is home or when everybody is settled down for the night.
- Open south-facing curtains on sunny winter days to take advantage of incoming solar heat. Keep south-facing curtains closed on hot summer days to block incoming sunlight.
- Adjust your washing machine water level to match your load size. Use no more hot water than it takes to keep your clothes submerged.
- Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees. This will save money and keep your family safe from scalding, as well.
- Don’t stand in front of the refrigerator with the door open. Decide what you want before you open the door.
- Be sure windows are closed when the furnace or air conditioner is running. If the temperature is comfortable outside, turn off the furnace or A/C, open the windows and take advantage of free fresh air.
- When you leave a room, turn off the lights, ceiling fan, TV and stereo.
- To boil eggs, put them in a pot of water and bring it to a boil. When the water boils, put a lid on the pot and turn off the stove. The eggs will be hard-boiled in about 15 minutes.
- Instead of the stovetop, boil water for tea and instant oatmeal in the microwave.
These energy-saving tips may seem trivial, but you’ll be surprised by how much they can save on your energy bills. For more energy-saving tips, contact the energy experts at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning. We have served customers in the Twin Cities area since 1974.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about energy-saving tips and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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