After the last week of arctic weather in our region, many Hunterdon County residents may be in for a rude awakening when they open their next heating bill. Start saving energy and saving money with these home efficiency tips:
Insulate: Making sure your walls and attic are well insulated could save you a lot of money when it comes to keeping the heat inside your home. Properly-insulated walls help slow the rate at which heat escapes, which results in less energy being used to heat your home.
Upgrade Windows: If you have older windows, consider upgrading to energy-efficient windows. According to energystar.gov, replacing windows can save 7 to 24 percent of your heating bills.
Replace Older Furnaces: Furnaces built prior to 1992 that use a standing pilot are said to waste around 35 percent of the fuel they use. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy(ACEEE) recommends getting a condensing furnace, which condenses escaping water vapor and recycles it. These models have an efficiency of 90 percent.
Use CFLs instead of light bulbs: Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) use about 25 percent of the energy that incandescent light bulbs use. While CFLs are bit more expensive than light bulbs, it costs more money to run regular light bulbs. CFLs use about 27 watts of electricity and produce the output of a 100 watt light bulb. They also last 10 times longer, so you end up spending more on repeat purchases of regular light bulbs.
Don’t use you old fridge as a backup: As tempting as it may be to use your old refrigerator as a backup to store beverages for parties, that fridge could cost you an extra 100 to 150 dollars a year. Newer refrigerators only add about 30 to 60 dollars a year. While you may pay more for a bigger energy efficient fridge upfront, it will pay off in the long run.
Although these energy-efficiency tips do require an upfront cost, consider them an investment. The energy that they save will mean more money in your pocket in the long term. For help with your energy-saving costs, look into the New Jersey Clean Energy Program, which offers several promotions and rebates to help you make your home more energy efficient.
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