Be The ChangeMove Your Thermostat a Few Degrees & Save Big
Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. Our homes generally put out twice as much CO2 as our cars. So there’s lots of savings to be had in dollars and CO2 by adjusting the thermostat.
The easiest thing to do is to bump up the thermostat by two degrees in the summer and down by two degrees in the winter. Just that will save the average person about 6% in energy bills.
You don’t have to sacrifice any comfort if you install a programmable thermostat that automatically adjusts the temperature before you wake up and before you come home from work. If you program your thermostat correctly, you could cut your heating costs by 20 to 75 percent and your cooling costs by 15 to 25 percent. (Your actual savings, of course, will depend on factors like climate, the amount of insulation in your house, the temperature you set your thermostat at, and the rate structure of your utility company. Not every home is alike!)
Programmable thermostats have come a long way in the last five years. They used to have tiny windows and little buttons that had to be pressed several times to put the thermostat in the right mode. Today’s top programmable thermostats have large backlit screens, touch screens and can be pulled off the wall for armchair programming. It only takes one button to override the programming if you are around when you weren’t expecting to be.
If you can’t find what you’re are looking for at your local hardware store, IAQSource has the largest selection on-line.
[sidebar]
It’s just an old Myth
People used to believe that it took more energy to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. This misconception has been dispelled by years of research and numerous studies. The fuel required to reheat a building to a comfortable temperature is roughly equal to the fuel saved as the building drops to the lower temperature. You save fuel during the time that the temperature stabilizes at the lower level. So, the longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy (and CO2) you save.
What’s on the Program?
The typical winter program has four periods:
There is typically just a set back at night during the weekend. If all you need is four periods and weekend setting, don’t bother with the seven day, six period models.
For winter operation, consider setting the thermostat to 55 degrees at night when you sleep and at 68 degrees when you're home. For summer operation, set the temperature to 78 degrees when you're home and at 85 degrees or higher when the house is unoccupied. In the summer season, you might only need to cool down the house during the late afternoon and evening hours when your family is home. [sidebar]
Installing a programmable thermostat is generally a do-it-yourself operation unless you have a heat pump or electric heat. Then, you need to make sure you get the right kind of set back thermostat. Radiant heating systems are so efficient and react so slowly that an eight hour setback does not save substantial energy.
Not everyone is wired for programming— even simple setback thermostats. Find the person in your group who’s got the knack and make them brownies, dinner or whatever they like. Trade an hour of their time programming your thermostat for an hour of your time doing something you like to do. That’s how people have built community for centuries, and we moderns need to get back into the practice. The Lone Ranger ideal has gone too far.
You may also want to nominate someone in the group to go down to the local hardware store and negotiate a group discount for buying a bunch of thermostats.
If you’re replacing a non-digital thermostat, DO NOT throw it in the trash. The old ones have lots of mercury that leach into the water systems and end up in the food you eat. Go to earth911 and type in your postal code to find the closest recycling center that can safely recycle the mercury in your old thermostat. Having one person in the group do this for everyone is a great convenience.
Your hot water heater probably has a thermostat too. They are often set to 140F degrees when 120F is perfectly adequate (and safer!). Heating water soaks up 20% of an average home’s energy needs. If you set your water heater to 120 degrees you can save 15% on hot water and reduce your carbon footprint in few minutes. (You can bring it back to 140 if you’ve got lots of people coming to visit.)
If your water heater is the older type with fiberglass insulation, you can save even more by wrapping it with a fiberglass blanket. It takes about $20 and 30 minutes. For step by step directions with pictures go to Powerhouse. Newer water heaters (less than seven years old) don't need a tank wrap, but can benefit from pipe insulation, which can be purchased separately.
If you install low flow showerheads and faucets , you can reduce hot water consumption by 20-40%. It only takes a few minutes to unscrew a showerhead and put in a new one. For quick and easy steps on how to install a low flow showerhead, visit Energyhawk. While you are at it, consider a chlorine removing showerhead . Chlorine is toxic and makes your skin age faster.
[Side bar] Whites = Hot Water Not anymore. Laundry detergents have been reformulated to work just as well at cold temperatures. Try it. You’ll see. If you do lots of laundry and live in a low water zone, consider the new front loading home washers. They use 80% less water than the old, top loading ones.
If this looks like just one more list of to do's—then STOP! How you go about being sustainable is MORE important than you might imagine. We can't create a sustainable world from overextended lives.
Don't proceed until you read
"Guiding Principles for Lasting Change"
and
"Why Be Sustainable?"
The 12 steps are organized so that the things that take the least amount of time and money come first. Most items on the list will actually save you money. Many will also save you time.
In all the steps, we ask you to spend more time connecting with neighbors. Connecting with your neighbors is the only way to avoid getting overwhelmed.
A sustainable world is only possible within a deeply connected community — It's that fundamental.
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