Water Heating Tips

Tips: Water Heating

Water heating is the second largest energy expense in your home. It typically accounts for about 18% of your utility bill.
There are four ways to cut your water heating bills: use less hot water, turn down the thermostat on your water heater, insulate your water heater, or buy a new, more efficient model.

Water Heating Tips

• Install aerating, low-flow faucets and showerheads.
• Repair leaky faucets promptly; a leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a short period of time.
• Set the thermostat on your water heater to 120°F to get comfortable hot water for most uses.
• Insulate your electric hot-water storage tank but be careful not to cover the thermostat. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations.
• Insulate your natural gas or oil hot-water storage tank but be careful not to cover the water heater's top, bottom, thermostat, or burner compartment. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations; when in doubt, get professional help.
• Insulate the first 6 feet of the hot and cold water pipes connected to the water heater.
• If you are in the market for a new dishwasher or clothes washer, consider buying an efficient, water-saving ENERGY STAR® model to reduce hot water use. See the Appliances section for more information.
• Install heat traps on the hot and cold pipes at the water heater to prevent heat loss. Most new water heaters have built-in heat traps.
• Drain a quart of water from your water tank every 3 months to remove sediment that impedes heat transfer and lowers the efficiency of your heater. Follow the manufacturer's directions.

Although most water heaters last 10-15 years, it's best to start shopping now for a new one if yours is more than 7 years old. Doing some research before your heater fails will enable you to select one that most appropriately meets your needs.

Keep Your Energy Bills Out of Hot Water. Insulate your water heater to save energy and money, or choose an on-demand hot water heater to save even more.

Long-Term Savings Tips

Buy a new energy-efficient water heater. While it may cost more initially than a standard water heater, the energy savings will continue during the lifetime of the appliance. Look for the ENERGY STAR® and EnergyGuide labels. You can find the ENERGY STAR label on efficient water heaters in the following categories: high efficiency gas non-condensing, gas condensing, electric heat pump, gas tankless, and solar.
Consider natural gas on-demand or tankless water heaters, which heat water directly without using a storage tank. Researchers have found energy savings can be up to 30% compared with a standard natural gas storage tank water heater.
Consider installing a drain-water waste heat recovery system. Drain-water, or greywater, heat recovery systems capture the energy from waste hot water—such as showers and dishwashers—to preheat cold water entering the water heater or going to other water fixtures. Energy savings vary depending on individual household usage.
Heat pump water heaters can be very cost effective in some areas. They typically use 50% less electricity to heat water than conventional electric water heaters. If your water heater is located in your basement, it will also provide dehumidification in the summer months. However, this technology can pose some installation challenges, so you should consult with an installer before you purchase one.

Average Hot Water Usage

Faucets and appliances can use a lot of hot water, which costs you money. Look for ways to heat your water more efficiently and use less.

Activity	Gallons per Use
Clothes washer	7
Shower	10
Automatic dishwasher	6
Kitchen faucet flow	2 per minute
Bathroom faucet flow	.05 per minute
Total daily average	64

Source: Federal Energy Management Program Energy Cost Calculator, March 2010

Solar Water Heaters

If you heat water with electricity, have high electric rates, and have an unshaded, south-facing location (such as a roof) on your property, consider installing a solar water heater. The solar units are environmentally friendly and you can have them installed on your roof to blend with the architecture of your house.
Solar water heating systems are also good for the environment. Solar water heaters avoid the greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity production. When shopping for a solar water heater, look for the ENERGY STAR label and for systems certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation or the Florida Solar Energy Center.

Long-Term Savings Tip

Visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency website to see if you qualify for tax credits or rebates for buying a solar water heater.

Energy Saving Air Conditioner Tips

Tips: Air Conditioners

Buying a bigger room air conditioner won't necessarily make you feel more comfortable during the hot summer months. In fact, a room air conditioner that's too big for the area it is supposed to cool will perform less efficiently and less effectively than a smaller, properly sized unit. Central air-conditioning systems need to be sized by professionals.
If you have a central air system in your home, set the fan to shut off at the same time as the compressor, which is usually done by setting the "auto" mode on the fan setting. In other words, don't use the system's central fan to provide air circulation—use circulating fans in individual rooms.
Instead of air-conditioning, consider installing a whole-house fan. Whole-house fans work in many climates and help cool your home by pulling cool air through the house and exhausting warm air through the attic. Use the fan most effectively to cool down your house during cooler times of the day: your home will stay cooler through the hotter times of the day without using the fan.

Cooling Tips

• Set your thermostat at as high a temperature as comfortably possible in the summer, and ensure humidity control if needed. The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.
• Avoid setting your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and, therefore, unnecessary expense.
• Consider using an interior fan along with your window air conditioner to spread the cooled air through your home without greatly increasing your power use.
• Avoid placing appliances that give off heat such as lamps or TVs near a thermostat.

Long-Term Savings Tips

• If your air conditioner is old, consider buying an energy-efficient model. Look for the ENERGY STAR and EnergyGuide labels—qualified room air conditioners are 10% more efficient, and qualified central units are about 14% more efficient than standard models.
• Consider installing a whole-house fan or evaporative cooler if appropriate for your climate.

Programmable Thermostats Tips

Tips: Programmable Thermostats

You can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply turning your thermostat back 7°-10°F for 8 hours a day from where you would normally set. (If you have a heat pump, don't do this without a programmable thermostat). You can do this automatically by using a programmable thermostat and scheduling the times you turn on the heating or air conditioning. As a result, the equipment doesn't operate as much when you are asleep or not at home.
Programmable thermostats can store multiple daily settings (six or more temperature settings a day) that you can manually override without affecting the rest of the daily or weekly program.

Passive Solar Heating & Cooling Tips

Tips: Passive Solar Heating and Cooling

Using passive solar design to heat and cool your home can be both environmentally friendly and cost effective. In many cases, your heating costs can be reduced to less than half the cost of heating a typical home.
Passive solar design can also help lower your cooling costs. Passive solar cooling techniques include carefully designed overhangs and using reflective coatings on windows, exterior walls, and roofs. Newer techniques include placing large, insulated windows on south-facing walls and putting thermal mass, such as a concrete slab floor or a heat-absorbing wall, close to the windows.
A passive solar house requires careful design and siting, which vary by local climate conditions. If you are considering passive solar design for a new home or a major remodel, consult an architect familiar with passive solar techniques.

Passive Solar Tips

• Keep all south-facing glass clean.
• Make sure that objects do not block sunlight on concrete slab floors or heat-absorbing walls.

Heat Pump Tips

Tips: Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are the most efficient form of electric heating in moderate climates, providing up to three times more heat than the energy they use. A heat pump can reduce your electricity use for heating by 30%-40% compared to electric resistance heating such as furnaces and baseboard heaters.
A heat pump does double duty as a central air conditioner by collecting the heat inside your house and pumping it outside.
There are three types of heat pumps: air-to-air, water source, and geothermal. They collect heat from the air, water, or ground outside your home and concentrate it for use inside.
Geothermal (or ground source) heat pumps have some major advantages. They can reduce energy use by 30%-60%, control humidity, are sturdy and reliable, and fit in a wide variety of homes.

Heat Pump Tips

• Do not set back the heat pump's thermostat manually if it causes the electric-resistance heating to come on. This type of heating, which is often used as a backup to the heat pump, is more expensive.
• Install or have a professional install a programmable thermostat with multistage functions suitable for a heat pump.
• Clean or change filters once a month or as needed, and maintain the system according to manufacturer's instructions.

Long-Term Savings Tip

• If you heat your home with electricity and live in a moderate climate, consider an energy-efficient heat pump system to reduce your energy consumption.

Carbon Monoxide Detector IMPORTANT

Install a Carbon Monoxide Detector

Carbon monoxide (CO) detectors are required in new buildings in many states. They are highly recommended in homes with fuel-burning appliances such as natural gas furnaces, stoves, ovens, water heaters, and space heaters. An alarm signals if CO reaches potentially dangerous levels.

Call Geo Furnace today 231-943-1000 and make sure you have one! It can save your life!

Air Duct Tips & Minor Repairs

Tips: Air Ducts

Your air ducts are one of the most important systems in your home, and if the ducts are poorly sealed or insulated they are likely contributing to higher energy bills.
Your home's duct system is a branching network of tubes in the walls, floors, and ceilings; it carries the air from your home's furnace and central air conditioner to each room. Ducts are made of sheet metal, fiberglass, or other materials.
Ducts that leak heated air into unheated spaces can add hundreds of dollars a year to your heating and cooling bills. Insulating ducts that are in unconditioned spaces is usually very cost effective. If you are installing a new duct system, make sure it comes with insulation.
Sealing your ducts to prevent leaks is even more important if the ducts are located in an unconditioned area such as an attic or vented crawl space. If the supply ducts are leaking, heated or cooled air can be forced out of unsealed joints and lost. In addition, unconditioned air can be drawn into return ducts through unsealed joints.
Although minor duct repairs are easy to make, qualified professionals should seal and insulate ducts in unconditioned spaces to ensure the use of appropriate sealing materials.

Minor Duct Repair Tips

• Check your ducts for air leaks. First, look for sections that should be joined but have separated and then look for obvious holes.
• If you use tape to seal your ducts, avoid cloth-backed, rubber adhesive duct tape—it tends to fail quickly. Instead, use mastic, butyl tape, foil tape, or other heat-approved tapes. Look for tape with the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) logo.
• Remember that insulating ducts in the basement will make the basement colder. If both the ducts and the basement walls are not insulated, consider insulating both. Water pipes and drains in unconditioned spaces could freeze and burst if the heat ducts are fully insulated be-cause there would be no heat source to prevent the space from freezing in cold weather. However, using an electric heating tape wrap on the pipes can prevent this. Check with a professional contractor.
• Hire a professional to install both supply and return registers in the basement rooms after converting your basement to a living area.
• Be sure a well-sealed vapor barrier exists on the outside of the insulation on cooling ducts to prevent moisture condensation.
• If you have a fuel-burning furnace, stove, or other appliance or an attached garage, install a carbon monoxide (CO) monitor to alert you to harmful CO levels.
• Be sure to get professional help when doing ductwork. A qualified professional should always perform changes and repairs to a duct system.