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Tip 27 - Tune Up The Heat |
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If each U.S. household lowered its average heating temperatures by 6ºF over a 24-hour period, we'd save the energy equivalent of 500,000 barrels of oil every day.
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy says this: "The single most important thing people can do to save energy in their homes is to make sure their furnaces are running efficiently. More energy is used for heating than for any other purpose in American apartments and houses." |
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ENERGY FACTS- According to Worldwatch, home heating is responsible for spewing 350 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year, which means more than a billion tons of the most prevalent greenhouse gas, CO2.
- About 12 percent of U.S. emissions of sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide -- both key causes of acid rain -- come from home heating.
- About 40 percent of energy used in a home is for heat.
- If your heating system is running inefficiently, 30 percent to 50 percent of the energy is wasted.
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SIMPLE WAYS TO SAVE ENERGYGet a Furnace Tune-Up.- This means testing it for combustion efficiency and pollutants, cleaning it (dirt on the nozzle, sediment in the boiler, soot in the combustion chamber) and adjusting it (such as calibrating thermostats.).
- Gas furnaces should be tuned every two years; oil furnaces should be tuned annually.
- A simple tune-up can increase a furnace's heating efficiency by five percent, with a corresponding reduction in destructive emissions. Call a heating contractor for details and estimates.
- In a gas furnace, a five percent rise in efficiency means an annual savings of 8,000 cubic feet of gas. So if 100,000 families -- a tenth of a percent of U.S. households -- tuned their furnaces, we'll save more than 500 million cubic feet of gas a year.
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A FEW HEATING TIPSIf You Have a Forced-Air System:- Insulate ducts with R-11 or R-19 fiberglass batts wherever they pass through unheated spaces.
- During heating season, change air filters once a month. Your heater uses more energy when the filter is clogged with dust.
If You Have an Electric Heating System:- Consider installing a heat pump, which uses thermal energy from outside air for both heating and cooling. Initial cost may seem high (as much as $3,000 for a whole-house unit, about $400 for a single room), but it can cut your heating bill by 40 percent a year.
If You Have a Hot Water/Steam System:- Install a reflector behind your radiator. You may buy one or make it by taping aluminum foil on cardboard. This saves energy and cash by throwing back heat you'd normally lose through the wall.
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