Across much of southern New England, many homeowners have yet to turn on the heat much at home, or at all. But you know that will be changing a lot and very soon.
What can you do in what's left of October and November to save money come December, January, and February?
"The concept we try to get across is: You wouldn't leave a window open all winter long, would you?'' That's how Bill Stack, an energy efficiency expert with the electric and gas utility NStar, likes to explain the basic principle behind one of the biggest ways you can save -- namely, plugging air leaks around doors, windows, and pipes or cables entering your home using weatherstripping, insulating foam, and similar materials. If you can see light coming in around a door, add self-adhesive weatherstripping to close that leak.
For a home heated by forced hot air, replacing the air filter twice a year will cost you as little as $8 -- $4 per filter -- and that combined with an annual tune-up by a heating professional can save you 10 to 20 percent on your heating bill by using gas or oil more efficiently to produce heat.
Another way to save up to 20 percent is a programmable thermostat that is scheduled to automatically drop the temperature when you're going to be away at work or school, then raise the temperature when you'll be returning. With a conventional dial thermostat on the wall, Stack said, "The problem with one of these is that people don't remember to reset them. That's what's great about a programmable thermostat. You can pre-program them.''
It's often debated just how low should let the temperature drop when you're away to maximize the benefit of lowering the temperature, and not let the house get so cold you waste energy re-heating it. Stack said it depends, obviously, on the specific conditions of your home or condo, but as a rule, "We recommend 64 when you're away and 68 when you're home,'' Stack said.
Opening up drapes and blinds to let in sunshine from south-facing windows -- then closing them again at sunset -- is a totally free and surprisingly effective way to reduce your heating bill.
Business
And while it's smart any time of year, replacing old light bulbs with very efficient LED (light emitting diode) bulbs makes particular good sense right now. "With winter comes long nights, and you're going to be using your lights a lot more than you would during the summer months,'' so LED savings start piling up much faster in winter, Stack said. Many produce as much light as incandescents for 70 or 80 percent less electricity. That means you'll recoup the $8 or $9 cost of a 75-watt-equivalent bulb in about a year, and then have a lightbulb rated to last another seventeen years while consuming much less energy.
Paul Degnan, an NStar colleague of Stack's who welcomed us into his Canton, Mass., home to see the changes he'd made after getting a MassSave.com energy assessment two years ago, said, "It reduces my energy costs, which is good for the planet and good for my wallet.''
"All of the ways that we've addressed energy concerns have also improved the comfort level as well,'' Degnan said. "Anywhere we were getting drafts, we addressed, and it makes the house more comfortable to live in when the weather is lousy. I would easily say that I've saved over 20 percent on gas and electric costs.''
With video editor Lauren Kleciak and videographer Daniel J. Ferrigan
