Weatherization Tips for Your Home
Weatherization is one of the easiest ways to make your home more energy efficient. By making sure your home is sealed properly and that you’re not wasting water, you can drive down your energy costs.
If you’re looking for ways to get started weatherizing your home, the list of items below is a good place to start.
To make sure you’re not wasting water, you can:
- Install low-flow shower heads. A family of four each showering five minutes a day can use about 700 gallons of water per week. Low-flow showerheads can help cut hot water use in half, saving that family 14,000 gallons of water a year.
- Change your settings. Use your shower head on/off switch to turn off or lower the flow of water when you need less, like when you’re shaving.
- Insulate pipes. Insulated pipes keep the hot water that exists in the pipes warmer. This means you won’t have to wait as long for hot water, which reduces waste.
- Repair leaks. In addition to pipe insulation, decrease your hot water usage by repairing leaky faucets.
Help ensure your home is sealed properly:
- Use caulk. Weatherstrip doors and windows that leak air, and use a high-quality caulk to help fill cracks and gaps where air can enter or escape your home.
- Insulate your home. The insulation R-value you need depends on the climate and your heating and cooling system, but the higher the R-value, the greater the insulating effectiveness.
- Use child safety outlet caps. Promote energy conservation and child safety by keeping drafts and your child’s favorite toys away from unused electrical outlets.
- Install storm windows. Or replace single-pane windows with double-pane windows, which are more efficient.
More tips that can help as well:
- Look for energy-efficient appliances. When replacing your current appliances, choose ENERGY STAR® models.
- Compare Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratings. Most new high-efficiency furnaces have an AFUE rating of 95% or higher. The higher the AFUE, the more efficient the unit — and the more money you can save.
- Improve efficiency with high-tech features. For example, electronic spark or hot surface ignitions on new residential furnaces eliminate the need for continuously burning pilot lights that waste fuel and increase operating costs.
- Explore the Low Income Weatherization Program. If you’re an FPU electric customer and qualify as a low-income household and meet other criteria, you may be eligible for the Low Income Weatherization Program.
Contact Us Today!