HOT TIPS!

• Close your curtains at dusk to reduce the amount of heat escaping through your windows.
• Set your thermostat at the lowest comfortable temperature. Typically between 18°C and 21°C.
• Water need not be heated to a scalding temperature. You hot water cylinder thermostat should be set at 60°C or 140°F. Any higher is a waste of energy and can lead to scalding; any lower and there may be risks of legionella.
• ′Bleed′ your radiators from time to time to remove unwanted air from your heating system and keep your radiators working at their maximum output.
• If you tank is not insulated, fit a BS Kitemarked insulating jacket, 75mm or 3 inches thick, around your hot water tank. It will save you around £20 a year and as it will only cost around £12 to buy, will pay for itself in well under a year.
• You can also put a second hot water jacket on your tank if the current jacket is below the recommended thickness.
• Insulate your central heating and hot water pipesespecially those between your boiler and hot water cylinder to save an extra £10 a year. This is best done when you have access to pipes. For example when pipes are exposed during renovation work

FACTS!

• Boilers account for around 60% of all domestic carbon dioxide emissions. By fitting a new high efficiency condensing boiler with heating controls, you will significantly cut your home′s CO₂ emissions and could save around £200 a year.
• If everyone in the UK with gas central heating installed a high efficiency condensing boiler, we would save enough energy to heat over 3.5 million homes for a year.
• If you install the right heating controls, you could save up to 40% on your fuel bill. That′s about £190 - £240 off the average bill.
• Cavity wall insulation is a fantastic way to significantly reduce the amount of energy you need to heat your home. The average house could reduce heating costs by 15%. In fact, between 2002 and 2005 around 800,000 UK households installed cavity wall insulation. It is estimated that this will have saved nearly 400,000 tonnes of CO₂, enough to fill the new Wembley Stadium 47 times.
• Around a third of all the heat lost in an un-insulated home is lost through the walls. If you have cavity walls, insulating them will make a great difference, and it could save you around ������£90 a year on your fuel bills.
  
  

Heating, Cooling and Insulation in the US

Heating and Cooling Tips

• Your contractor should be able to give you energy fact sheets for different types, models, and designs to help you compare energy usage. For furnaces, look for high Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratings. The national minimum is 78% AFUE, but there are ENERGY STAR® models on the market that exceed 90% AFUE.
• Place heat-resistant radiator reflectors between exterior walls and the radiators.
• Bleed trapped air from hot-water radiators once or twice a season; if in doubt about how to perform this task, call a professional.
• Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure they′re not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.
• Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as needed.
• Use fans during the summer to create a wind chill effect that will make your home more comfortable. If you use air conditioning, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting about 4°F with no reduction in comfort.
• Turn off kitchen, bath, and other ventilating fans within 20 minutes after you are done cooking or bathing to retain heated air.
• Install a programmable thermostat that can be adjust the temperature according to your schedule. ENERGY STAR® labeled products can cut your energy bills by up to 30 percent. Find retailers near you at http://www.energystar.gov/ when you′re ready to replace your heating and cooling systems - as well as appliances, lighting, windows, office equipment, and home electronics.
• Insulate your hot water heater and hot water pipes to prevent heatloss.
• Insulate heating ducts in unheated areas such as attics and crawlspaces and keep them in good repair to prevent heat loss of up to 60 percent at the registers.
• Heating can account for almost half of the average family′s winter energy bill. Make sure your furnace or heat pump receives professional maintenance each year. Look for the ENERGY STAR® label when replacing your system.
  
  

Insulation and Air Sealing

TIPS & ADVICE

• Remember that new windows must be installed correctly to avoid air leaks around the frame. Look for a reputable, qualified installer.
• In temperate climates with both heating and cooling seasons, select windows with both low U-values and low solar heat gain coefficiency (SHGC) to maximize energy benefits.
• In temperate climates with both heating and cooling seasons, select windows with both low U-values and low solar heat gain coefficiency (SHGC) to maximize energy benefits.
• Select windows with air leakage ratings of 0.3 cubic feet per minute or less.
• Remember, the lower the U-value, the better the insulation. In colder climates, a U-value of 0.35 or below is recommended. These windows have at least double glazing and a low-e coating.
• When you′re shopping for new windows, look for the National Fenestration Rating Council label; it means the window′s performance is certified.
• Installing new, high-performance windows will improve your home′s energy performance. While it may take many years for new windows to pay off in energy savings, the benefits of added comfort and improved aesthetics and functionality may make the investment worth it to you.
• Apply sun-control or other reflective films on south-facing windows to reduce solar gain.
• Install awnings on south- and west-facing windows.
• Close curtains on south- and west-facing windows during the day.
• Install white window shades, drapes, or blinds to reflect heat away from the house.
• Repair and weatherize your current storm windows, if necessary.
• Install exterior or interior storm windows; storm windows can reduce heat loss through the windows by 25% to 50%. Storm windows should have weatherstripping at all moveable joints; be made of strong, durable materials; and have interlocking or overlapping joints. Low-e storm windows save even more energy.
• Keep windows on the south side of your house clean to let in the winter sun.
• Close your curtains and shades at night; open them during the day.
• Install tight-fitting, insulating window shades on windows that feel drafty after weatherizing.
• You can use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. Remember, the plastic must be sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration.
• Conduct an energy audit of your home to find air leaks and to check for the proper level of insulation. Common sources of air leaks include cracks around windows and doors, gaps along baseboard, mail chutes, cracks in brick, siding, stucco or foundation, or where any external lines (phone, cable, electric, and gas) enter the home.
• To test for air leaks on your own, on a windy day, hold a lit candle next to windows, doors, electrical outlets, or light fixtures to test for leaks. Also, tape clear plastic sheeting to the inside of your window frames if drafts, water condensation, or frost are present.
• Plug air leaks with caulking, sealing, or weather stripping to save 10 percent or more on your energy bill.
• Adequate insulation in your attic, ceilings, exterior and basement walls, floors, and crawlspaces, as recommended for your geographical area, can save you up to 30 percent on home energy bills.
• Installing storm windows over single-pane windows or replacing them with ENERGY STAR® windows can reduce heat loss from air leakage, and reflect heat back into the room during the winter months to save even more energy.
• In cold climates, ENERGY STAR® windows can reduce your heating bills by 30 to 40 percent compared to uncoated, single-pane windows, according to the Efficient Windows Collaborative.
• Close fireplace dampers when not in use. A chimney is designed for smoke to escape, so until you close it, warm air escapes.