Just as it doesn't make sense to let your car engine run all night long on the belief that this will use less fuel than turning it off at night and on in the morning, it doesn't make sense to let your home's heating or cooling system run continuously when no one is there. During the heating season, for instance, lowering your thermostat by ten degrees for eight hours at night can reduce your energy costs by as much as seven percent, with no sacrifice in comfort. A programmable themostat will ensure that your heating/cooling system runs less often during the day when the house is unoccupied, and less at night after everyone has gone to bed. They will also turn your heating or cooling system back on before you wake up or come home, so you may never notice a change (except when you get lower heating or cooling bills).
Energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps
Why use compact fluorescent lights (CFLs)?
Energy efficient light bulbs use about one-third the electricity of conventional incandescent bulbs to produce the same amount of light, and they last many times longer. Replacing a 60 watt incandescent light bulb with a 15 watt CFL will save about $36.00 in electricity costs over the 10,000 hour rated life of the CFL
Plastic interior storm windows are a low-cost, effective way to reduce infiltration around windows. Each storm consists of a plastic spline and channel system to create a virtually airtight seal in front of the window. The storm is installed by attaching the lengths of adhesive white plastic channels around the frame of the window. The 4 mil clear vinyl is spread across the face of the window, and held in place with a thin plastic strip that locks into the channel. The seal is achieved in a way similar to that of a sealing plastic bag. If well maintained, the clear 4-mil clear vinyl can be reused year after year. The plastic storm spline and channels may be cut to size with a utility knife. The clear 4 mil vinyl may be trimmed with scissors.
While window air conditioners really ought to be removed during cold winter months, these indoor air conditioner covers will help to prevent drafts through most window-mounted or through-wall room air conditioners. Each package contains one beige-color washable poly/cotton fabric cover, a windblock insulating liner, and a roll of removable tape to secure and seal the windblock liner
Automatic door sweeps are the perfect door sweeps if your door is crossing carpets or rugs. Automatic door sweeps will rise when the door is open to clear carpets and rugs, and seal the gap between the door and threshold when the door is closed. To install, the sweep is attached to the side of the door facing the door jamb using the provided screws, and a "roller" (plug) is inserted into the door jamb. When the door sweep presses against the roller, the roller presses the vinyl flange against the threshold. The sweeps are suitable for sealing gaps up to 1/2" between the threshold and door bottom.
When it comes to saving energy thanks to better home insulation, a triple pane window is among the very best choices. The point is to stop all that heat from transferring to the outside straight through the windows, and a triple pane window can do just that.
Triple paned (also known as triple glazed) windows are of course heavier and more expensive than double paned windows, as you might expect. But a window with three panes is an investment rather than a purchase.
There are also insulation benefits to triple glass windows because of the two internal fill spaces rather than just one as in double paned. These spaces are filled with air, argon or sometimes krypton and work to stop heat transfer, as well as cutting down on noise.
Your shower uses around 22 percent of the total water you use in your home (if your home is average). A good portion of that water takes a detour through your water heater, raising your energy bill on its way to soaking your head. You can assume that with an old standard shower head, a 5-minute shower would use about 30 gallons of water. If you install a low-flow shower head, it can cut your shower water use by two thirds.
You can reduce your water heating bill ten to twenty percent off through the elimination of standby losses -- energy lost from warmed water sitting in a tank. And, since water heating accounts for about 14 percent of the average U.S. household energy budget, this can be a significant loss. Tankless water heaters provide hot water at a preset temperature when needed without storage, thereby reducing or eliminating standby losses. Tankless water heaters can be used for supplementary heat, such as a booster to a solar hot water system, or to meet all hot water needs. Tankless water heaters have an electric, gas, or propane heating device that is activated by the flow of water. Once activated, the heater provides a constant supply of hot water. The maximum flow rate at a desired temperature will be determined by the capacity of the heater. Gas tankless water heaters typically have larger capacities than electric tankless water heaters. Large units intended for whole house water heating are located centrally in the house while, in point-of-use applications, the water heater usually sits in a closet or under a sink.
Pressure assisted toilets look identical to gravity toilets. When you lift the lid of a pressure assisted toilet, however, instead of seeing water, you will notice an inner tank. The inner tank is completely sealed; when water is fed from the water line, the air inside the tank gets compressed. When the toilet is flushed, instead of just falling by the force of gravity, the water is forced out with the pressure of the compressed air. This pressurized stream of water cleans all the waste from the bowl much more efficiently than the water from gravity toilets. The pressure in the toilet is therefore created by using the water pressure provided by the water company - no pumps or other devices are used. Pressure assisted toilets are still more expensive than gravity toilets, but they do a better job of removing waste from the bowl with less water.
Run your dishwasher with a full load. Most of the energy used by a dishwasher goes to heat water. Since you can’t decrease the amount of water used per cycle, fill your dishwasher to get the most from the energy used to run it.
Avoid using the heat-dry, rinse-hold and pre-rinse features. Instead use your dishwasher’s air-dry option.
Wash full loads — Clothes washers are most efficient when operated with full loads.
Wash clothes in cold water
Use the moisture sensor option on your dryer, which automatically shuts off the machine when the clothes are dry.
If your clothes washer has spin options, choose a high spin speed or extended spin option to reduce the amount of remaining moisture, thus starting the drying process before you put your clothes in the dryer.
Air dry clothes whenever possible.
Position your refrigerator away from a heat source such as an oven, a dishwasher, or direct sunlight from a window.
To allow air to circulate around the condenser coils, leave a space between the wall or cabinets and the refrigerator or freezer and keep the coils clean.
Make sure the door seals are airtight.
Keep your refrigerator between 35 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit and your freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
Minimize the amount of time the refrigerator door is open.
Change your air filter regularly
Check your filter every month, especially during heavy use months (winter and summer). If the filter looks dirty after a month, change it. At a minimum, change the filter every 3 months. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm or cool — wasting energy. A clean filter will also prevent dust and dirt from building up in the system — leading to expensive maintenance and/or early system failure.
Tune up your HVAC equipment yearly
Just as a tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort.
Install a programmable thermostat
A programmable thermostat is ideal for people who are away from home during set periods of time throughout the week. Through proper use of pre-programmed settings, a programmable thermostat can save you about $100 every year in energy costs.
Seal your heating and cooling ducts
Ducts that move air to-and-from a forced air furnace, central air conditioner, or heat pump are often big energy wasters. Sealing and insulating ducts can improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system by as much as 20 percent — and sometimes much more.
Focus first on sealing ducts that run through the attic, crawlspace, unheated basement, or garage. Use duct sealant (mastic) or metal-backed (foil) tape to seal the seams and connections of ducts. After sealing the ducts in those spaces, wrap the ducts in insulation to keep them from getting hot in the summer or cold in the winter. Next, seal ducts that you can access in the heated or cooled part of the house.
Install a programmable thermostat
A programmable thermostat is ideal for people who are away from home during set periods of time throughout the week. Through proper use of pre-programmed settings, a programmable thermostat can save you about $100 every year in energy costs.
Seal your heating and cooling ducts
Ducts that move air to-and-from a forced air furnace, central air conditioner, or heat pump are often big energy wasters. Sealing and insulating ducts can improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system by as much as 20 percent — and sometimes much more.
Focus first on sealing ducts that run through the attic, crawlspace, unheated basement, or garage. Use duct sealant (mastic) or metal-backed (foil) tape to seal the seams and connections of ducts. After sealing the ducts in those spaces, wrap the ducts in insulation to keep them from getting hot in the summer or cold in the winter. Next, seal ducts that you can access in the heated or cooled part of the house.
Microdisplay rear projector: 0.11 to 0.15 watt per square inch
LCD: 0.16 to 0.41 watt per square inch
CRT: 0.25 to 0.40 watt per square inch
Plasma: 0.30 to 0.39 watt per square inch
Appliance Standby Power
TV set 4.0
VCR 5.6
Compact Audio 10.6
Cable Box 11.6
Rack Audio 7.0
Microwave Oven 3.1
Battery Charger 2.4
Answering Machine 3.3
Clock Radio 2.0
Cordless Phone 2.8
Leaky Faucet
Put a bucket under the leaky faucet. Measure how much water was collected after one hour. How many gallons of water would be wasted each day?
Taking a Bath vs. Taking a Shower
Which one do you think uses more water for the average person?
Washing Dishes with Water Running
How much water is wasted by leaving the water running when washing the dishes (instead of using wash basins)?
Watering the Garden
What can you do to reduce the amount of water lost by evaporation? Do you think the time of day that you water the garden makes a difference?
Brushing Teeth with Water Running
How much water is wasted by leaving the water running when brushing your teeth (instead of turning it off)
All mobile HCW collections are sponsored by SWALCO and are for Illinois residents ONLY. You do not need to be a resident of the community where the collection takes place in order to participate. All mobile events are held on Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., unless otherwise noted.
Village of Fox Lake
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Streets Department
216 Washington Street
Village of Vernon Hills
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Metra Train Station
Highway 45 and Ranney Avenue
Village of Lake Zurich
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Middle School (former North Campus)
100 Church Street
Village of Deerfield
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Deerfield High School
1959 N. Waukegan Road
Village of Lindenhurst Village (Public Works Facility)
2301 E. Sand Lake
Road
Saturday, March
31- 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Saturday, June 16-
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Saturday, November
3- 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Village of Round
Lake (Public Works Facility)
751 W. Townline
Road
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
2nd Tuesday of every other month
Tuesdays: March 13; May 8; July 10
September 11;
November 13