Home Power For Your Home Energy Efficiency Education

Education

Your EPB electric rates are among the lowest in the entire country. Still, you can lower your power bills throughout the year with these simple conservation steps.

Heating

There are basically two types of electric heating systems - resistance heat and electric heat pumps.

Resistance heat systems

These include ceiling heat, wall heaters, baseboard heaters, floor furnaces, portable heaters and central electric furnaces - and they're inefficient and expensive to operate. They use electricity to heat a wire coil, which then heats areas of your home. If you use this type of heat, turn the setting down when you're away or at night to save as much energy and money as possible. Also, close off unused rooms to reduce costs even more.

Electric heat pump systems

There are three types of heat pumps: air-to-air, water source and ground source. In the winter, they collect heat from the air, water or ground outside your home and pump it inside your home. In the summer, they act as your central air conditioner, transferring indoor heat outside to keep your home cool. These systems are designed to heat and cool your entire house, or in some cases, each level of a multi-level home. While resistance heat systems cause temperature fluctuations in winter, heat pumps keep your home consistently comfortable all day and night - and they're much more energy efficient.

Heat Pump

Heating uses more energy than any other aspect of your home, so consider upgrading to an all-electric heat pump. Today's electric heat pumps cost less to operate than gas furnaces - and they heat more continuously and evenly, which could add up to savings of 30 to 40 percent on your heating bill. (For more details see "Electric heat pumps: The easiest way to save energy - and money" below.)
Keep your outside heat pump clean of leaves, grass, newspaper, dirt, drifting snow or anything that would restrict air flow. To remove ice off outside coils, simply pour hot water over the coils or turn the thermostat to air conditioning mode for a few minutes.
Keep the thermostat on your heating system at the lowest comfortable setting, ideally 68°F degrees. Every degree you raise your thermostat over 68°F accounts for an increase of approximately 4 percent on the heating portion of your bill.
Heat pumps operate the best and most efficiently when left on one comfortable temperature. There's no need to turn them off when you leave the house.

Other Heating Systems

If you have a central heating system other than a heat pump, you can save money by setting your thermostat to 60°F when you leave the house - even for the day. At this temperature, your pipes aren't in danger of freezing or bursting, and you aren't wasting electricity heating an empty home.
If you heat with baseboard heaters or other individual space heating systems, close doors to unused rooms to keep heat in the areas of your home where it's really needed. If your home has a central heating system, doors and vents should NOT be closed.

General Heating Tips

Use a humidifier to keep your home more comfortable. It allows you to reduce the thermostat setting without feeling cold.
Check heating system filters at least monthly and clean or change them as needed. Dirty filters can increase operating costs significantly, damage equipment and reduce efficiency.
Be sure that heating registers and vents are not blocked by draperies or furniture. The vents should also be cleaned regularly.
Install inexpensive gasket sets, which can be found at most home improvement stores, around each outlet to seal cold air out and keep the warm air inside your home. Most homes can be completely fitted with gaskets for under $5, and the simple installation takes just a few minutes per outlet.
Make sure fireplace dampers fit tightly, and keep them closed when you're not using the fireplace to prevent warm air from escaping through the chimney. Also, consider installing glass doors and an outside air source to fuel the fire.
On sunny days, open drapes or blinds to allow natural solar heat to warm the house. Keep drapes and blinds closed on cloudy days and at night. Use insulated or heavy curtains on windows facing the north side of the house.
If your home has single-pane windows, consider replacing them with double-pane windows with high-performance glass (low-e or spectrally selective) to reduce heat loss.

Cooling

Next to heating, cooling uses more energy than any other part of your home. And setting your air conditioning at 70°F instead of 78°F will almost double your operating costs. So be sure to set your air conditioner no lower than 75°F when home, 80°F when you're gone for several hours, and turn it off when you're gone for more extended time periods. But don't just turn it off during the day - it's more costly to cool the house back down than to leave it on 80°F.
Reduce the amount of heat passing through your home - install awnings and shades on your home's east and west sides. And plant deciduous trees on the east and west of your home. These tips will cut air conditioning costs and allow cool breezes to pass into your home.
Supplement your central air conditioning with portable fans, ceiling fans and a window unit. They're extremely efficient, help circulate air and will spare you the expense of lowering your thermostat below 78°F. With them, you can keep your thermostat above 80°F and still feel cool - and save 30 percent on your cooling bill.
Replace dirty air conditioning filters each month - clean filters can reduce cooling costs up to 10 percent.
Seal and replace leaky ductwork - this effort could save you 20 to 30 percent on your cooling bill.
Shade your air conditioning unit from direct sunlight. Don't use anything that will restrict airflow - it will only make the unit work even harder.
Close all windows, doors and chimney dampers when using your air conditioning.
To reduce the heat generated by your stove at dinnertime, use pots and pans with tight-fitting lids on low heat.
On hot days, cook outdoors, use a microwave or prepare cold meals to avoid excess heat in the kitchen.
Install white window shades, drapes or blinds to reflect heat away from your house.
Install sun-control or other reflective film on south-facing windows to reduce indoor heat gain.
Consider planting vines on trellises outside your home - they can shade windows or the entire side of your house.
To prevent inaccurate temperature readings, place heat-producing appliances (such as lamps and TVs) away from the air conditioning thermostat.
If your home has single-pane windows, consider replacing them with double-pane windows with high-performance glass (low-e or spectrally selective) to reduce heat gain.
On hot summer days, the temperature in your attic can reach 150 degrees, which can increase the temperature of your entire house. Install a thermostat-controlled attic fan to exhaust the hot air and keep your home cooler.

Water Heater

On average, water heating accounts for about 16 percent of your total energy costs. Lowering your water heater's thermostat to 120°F should provide plenty of hot water while avoiding wasted energy.
Wrap the tank with the proper insulation for maximum efficiency, but be careful not to cover the thermostat.
If your water heater is more than 7 years old, consider buying a new one - today's models are more energy efficient, and the savings will continue throughout the heater's lifetime.
Drain a quart of water from your water heater every 3 months to remove sediment that can slow down heat transfer and lower the efficiency of your heater.
Take more showers than baths, and keep the showers short. In the average household, bathing uses up more hot water than any other water-related activity. You use 20 to 25 gallons of water for a bath, but less than 10 gallons during a 5-minute shower.
Keep your showers short to save hot water - with a regular shower head, just a one- or two-minute reduction can save up to 10 gallons of water. You can also use an energy-efficient showerhead to maximize savings.
Be sure to place the faucet lever on the kitchen sink in the cold position when using small amounts of water; placing the lever in the hot position uses energy to heat the water even though it never reaches the faucet.
Repair leaky faucets promptly - a leaky faucet can waste gallons of water in a short time.
If you heat with electricity and you have an un-shaded, south-facing location (such as a roof) on your property, consider installing a solar water heater - they save energy and are good for the environment.
New heat pump water heaters use heat from air to heat your water - and they use 30 to 50 percent of the electricity of standard electric resistance water heaters.
During warmer months, turn your water heater off when you're gone longer than a weekend.

Lighting

When you leave a room, or leave your home, remember to turn off all unnecessary lights.
Replace frequently-used lights with compact fluorescent lights - you'll save up to 79 percent on your lighting costs and significantly reduce the amount of heat generated by standard lights.
Instead of wasting energy by lighting the entire room, use task lighting to focus light where you need it most.
Consider using 3-way lamps - they make it easier to keep lighting levels low when brighter light isn't necessary.
If you have torchiere lamps with halogen bulbs, consider replacing them with compact fluorescent torchieres. Compact fluorescent torchieres use 60 to 80 percent less energy and can produce more light than halogen bulbs.
Installing timers and motion detectors for some indoor lights and most outdoor lights can save up to 30 percent of lighting energy use.
For more energy-efficient light, use one large bulb instead of several small ones - a 100-watt bulb produces more light with less energy than 2 60-watt bulbs.
For brighter, more energy-efficient light, place floor lamps and hanging lamps in corners - the reflection off the walls will provide more light.

Refrigerators / Freezers

Refrigerators use more energy than any other single appliance in your home. If your refrigerator is 10 years old or older, consider replacing it with an Energy Star qualified refrigerator - it will use less than half the energy of your old unit.
Your refrigerator cools food but heats your kitchen, so keep the door closed as much as possible.
Don't overfill your refrigerator/freezer - cool air needs to circulate freely. To make it work more efficiently, vacuum the condenser coils once a year (according to the safety instructions in your owner's manual) unless you have a no-clean condenser model. Your refrigerator will run for shorter periods with clean coils.
When buying a new refrigerator, look for one with automatic moisture control - it prevents moisture from accumulating on the cabinet exterior without having to add a heater.
Setting your refrigerator or freezer temperatures too cold wastes energy. For better efficiency, keep your refrigerator at 37°F to 40°F for the fresh food compartment, and your freezer at 5°F. If you have a separate freezer for long-term storage, keep it at 0°F.
If you have a manual-defrost refrigerator or freezer, defrost it regularly - frost buildup increases the amount of energy needed to keep the motor running. Don't allow frost to build up more than one-quarter of an inch.
Make sure your refrigerator door seals are airtight. Test them by closing the door over a piece of paper or a dollar bill so it is half in and half out of the refrigerator. If you can pull the paper or bill out easily, the latch may need adjustment or the seal may need replacing.
Cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder.

Cooking / Kitchen

Use your microwave to cook as often as possible - it's more efficient than stove cooking.
Match each pot or pan to the appropriately sized heating element on your stove. A six-inch pan on an eight-inch element, for example, wastes 40 percent of the element's output.
Keep range-top burners and reflectors clean; they will reflect the heat better and you will save energy.
Use a covered kettle or pan to boil water; it's faster and it uses less energy.
If you cook with electricity, turn the stovetop burners off several minutes before the recommended cooking time. The heating element will stay hot long enough to finish the cooking without using more electricity. The same principle applies to oven cooking.
Use small electric pans or toaster ovens for small meals rather than your large stove or oven - a toaster oven uses a third to half as much energy as a full-sized oven.
Use pressure cookers and microwave ovens whenever it's convenient - they can save energy by significantly reducing cooking time.
Induction heat ranges use electromagnetic energy to create direct heat in your pot without heating the cooktop surface - and it's nearly 90 percent efficient.
For more efficient stove use, plan your meals so that several foods cook at the same time in the oven.

Dishwasher

When washing dishes, always run a full load for maximum savings - or set the controls for smaller loads.
If your dishwasher allows you to adjust your water temperature, set it at a lower temperature to save hot water.
Don't use the "rinse hold" setting on your dishwasher if you're washing only a few dishes - it uses 3 to 7 gallons of water with each wash.
Let your dishes air dry. If you don't have an automatic air-dry switch, turn off the control knob after the final rinse and prop the door open slightly so the dishes will dry faster.
Instead of rinsing large food pieces and bones off your dishes, scrape them off. In general, soak or pre-wash only burned-on or dried-on food.

Laundry

When washing clothes, always run a full load for maximum savings - or set the controls for smaller loads.
Dry towels and heavier cottons in a separate load from lighter-weight clothes.
Make sure you don't waste energy by over-drying your clothes. If your dryer has a moisture sensor, use it - it detects when clothes are dry and shuts the dryer off automatically.
Clean your dryer's lint filter after every load to improve air circulation.
Using your dryer's cool-down cycle will allow clothes to finish drying with the lingering heat.
Periodically check your dryer vent to make sure it's not blocked - this saves energy and may prevent a fire. Manufacturers recommend using rigid venting material, not plastic vents, which can collapse and cause blockages.
If you're drying multiple loads, dry them one right after the other - you'll use less energy since the dryer is already heated.
To save energy, wash full loads in the coolest water possible, and always rinse clothes in cold water.
If you're on the market for a new clothes washer, consider buying an ENERGY STAR labeled model - it will use up to 50% less energy and 40% less water.
A new technology called Horizontal Axis Washing Machines (HWMs) use less energy and water than regular machines - and with the money you save, an HWM can pay for itself in 3 to 3-1/2 years.
New microwave clothes dryers dry clothes in about 15 percent less time and use 15 percent less energy than typical dryers.

Insulation

Caulk and seal cracks or crevices wherever two different building materials meet, and weather-strip around doors and windows between heated and unheated areas of your home, such as garages, basements and attics.
Make sure thresholds are tight against the bottom of outside doors.
Add storm windows to single-pane windows, or consider replacing them with thermo-pane windows.

New Appliances

When shopping for appliances, look for the most energy-efficient model in your price range. Federal law requires that yellow Energy Guide labels be placed on all new furnaces, refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, dishwashers, clothes washers and heat pumps. Use the labels to estimate annual energy costs when comparing models. (Be sure to use EPB rates when calculating comparisons, not national averages.)

High Bill Inquiry

EPB Electric Power rates are steady and never fluctuate from one season to another. Year in and year out, electric power remains a cost effective way to heat and cool your home, heat your water, provide lighting and power appliances.

If you feel your bill is higher than you expected it to be, you may request a high bill inquiry. To find out more about some of the typical causes of high bills, click here.

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