Thermostat down, bundle up: energy saving tips for winter

Sierra Club National Sustainable Consumption Committee

Since space heating uses 49 percent of the energy in our homes, turn down your thermostat to 65 degrees. For every degree you lower your heat in the 60-degree to 70-degree range, you'll save up to 5 percent on heating costs. Wear warm clothing, like a sweater. Set the thermostat back to 55 degrees at night or when leaving home for an extended time (heat pumps should only be set back two degrees to prevent unneeded use of backup strip heating). Install a programmable thermostat that is compatible with your heating system.

Traditional fireplaces are an energy loser-it's best not to use them because they pull heated air out of the house and up the chimney. When not in use, make absolutely sure the damper is closed. If you decide not to use a fireplace, then block off the chimney with a piece of rigid insulation from the hardware store that fits snugly into the space.

Reduce hot water temperature. Set your water heater to the 'normal' setting or 120 degrees, unless the owner's manual for your dishwasher requires a higher setting. Savings are 7-11 percent of water heating costs. Insulate the first five feet of pipe coming out of the top of your water heater.

Shorten showers. Simply reducing that lingering time by a few minutes can save hundreds of gallons of hot water per month for a family of four. Showers account for two-thirds of your water heating costs.

Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying cycle.

Plug home electronics into power strips; turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use.

Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.

Look for the Energy Star label on home appliances and products. Energy Star products meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Driving tips

Idling gets you 0 miles per gallon. The best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it. No more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days is needed. Anything more simply wastes fuel and increases emissions.

Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking) wastes gas. It can lower your highway gas mileage 33 percent and city mileage 5 percent.

Avoid high speeds. Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying 10 cents more per gallon of gas.

When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces wear.

Use air conditioning only when necessary.

Clear out your car; extra weight decreases gas mileage.

Reduce drag by placing items inside the car or trunk rather than on roof racks. A loaded roof rack can decrease your fuel economy by 5 percent.

Check into carpooling and public transit to cut mileage and car maintenance costs.

For further information visit: Department of Energy, www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/ or California Energy Commission, www.consumerenergycenter.org/flex/tips.html.