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| Saving Energy the Easy Way |
| More and more people want to live in green, energy-efficient homes. Even if your house is 100 years old, there are some easy things you can do to save energy. |
From "Today Show Tips"
episode DTST-104 |
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More and more people want to live in green, energy-efficient homes. But even if your house is 100 years old, there are some easy things you can do to save energy. Check them out! - Heating and air conditioning. Replace the furnace filter every month during heating season (and cooling season, too, if you have central air conditioning). A dirty filter can affect the efficiency of your heating and air-conditioning system, making it can also work much harder and shortening its life expectancy. Disposable filters are inexpensive. A few bucks spent now can save you thousands of dollars later.
- Refrigerators. We rarely give refrigerator maintenance much thought, but the fridge does have some issues. One of them is the door gasket, which will eventually tear, breaking the seal and letting cold air out. In fact, the magnet that holds the door closed is encased in the gasket, so every time you open the refrigerator door, the magnet is trying to pull itself through the gasket. Replacing the gasket costs $100-$150.
However, you can avoid that expense with something you probably already have at home: Vaseline. Just smear a think film of it on the gasket. The Vaseline lets the door release more easily and improves the seal. You've just saved the cost of a new gasket. (If you think it might be too late for your gasket already, try this: Close the door on a dollar bill. If you can pull the bill out easily, the gasket has had it. - Dryers. You probably clean out the lint trap on your dryer every time you dry a load of laundry. However, not all the lint gets trapped. Inevitably some of it gets past the trap and builds up in the dryer vent, blocking the flow of air and moisture out of the dryer. The result: The dryer has to run longer to dry the same load. Even worse, the lint is flammable, so it could cause a fire. You can prevent that, though, by changing out the vent hose. Install a metal dryer-vent tube instead of flexible plastic hose to minimize the fire risk.
- Washing machines. Again, the problem is in the hoses. Washers usually come with rubber hoses that connect to the hot- and cold-water valves. They have that water pressure on them all the time, and as they age, they become susceptible to bursting. And you end up with a flood. Replace those rubber hoses with "blow-proof" supply hose. They're reinforced metal, so they can handle the water pressure.
- Water heaters. Drain the water heater once a year to prevent the buildup of minerals, which can eventually damage the heating element.
- Windows. One of the best things you can do to save energy is to use caulk to seal up any leaks around windows and doors. In the typical house, the cumulative effect of leaky windows is like leaving one window wide open.
If you live in a hot climate, consider putting a sun-blocking film on your windows. 3M makes a good one; it's professionally installed. It costs about $125 a window, but you'll not only save on air-conditioning costs, you'll also protect your furniture, drapes and carpet. - Lighting. Change the six most-used light bulbs in your home from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps. You can save as much as $60 a year on your electric bill. Or, if you want to change all the bulbs (the typical home has 65 lights), you could save up to $300! And CFLs last up to five years!
| ALSO IN THIS EPISODE: | | Saving Energy the Easy Way |
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