Simple energy conservation measures can lower your utility bills while
increasing the comfort of your apartment. You make
dozens of energy decisions every day. The following tips suggest
physical improvements and energy-conscious habits that can reduce costs
for space heating and cooling, water heating, lighting, and appliance
use. Before you implement any measures requiring some alteration of
your apartment, such as caulking and weather-stripping, make sure to
get your landlord's permission.
Space Heating and Cooling
Thermostat:The heating
season: set your thermostat to 65½ and 68½. Before you go to bed, set
it back/down around 60½
When you are leaving the apartment,
set it back to 50½ to 55. Note that people over 65,
infants, and people with certain illnesses risk hypothermia at
temperatures under 65½ . I
f you think you or someone else is
at risk, consult your doctor before turning down your thermostat.The cooling season: set the air conditioner at no lower than
78, when you are in the apartment. If no one is going to be
in the apartment for several hours, set the thermostat up as high to keep the air conditioner from coming on
(unless you have pets) while you are out.
Radiators: keep them clean. Dirt and dust absorb heat
and reduce heat output. Since radiator covers block airflow, you need
to remove them when the radiators are in use.
Vents: Arrange your furniture and drapes so they do not block or obstruct registers (vents), radiators, or baseboard heaters.
Forced Air: If heated air from a forced air system enters your apartment
through an inconveniently located register (for example, under a piece
of furniture), you should direct the air out into the room with an air
deflector. This is an inexpensive scoop-shaped device that attaches
over the register, typically with magnets.
Air Leaks: If your main door opens to either an unheated hallway or directly
to the outdoors, make your door airtight. Warm air can escape between
the door frame and the wall. If this is the case in your apartment,
caulk between the frame and the wall. The loss of warm air is
frequently greatest under the bottom of the door. Prevent this by
installing a door sweep on the bottom edge of your door. A low-cost
alternative to a door sweep is a draft guard. This is a closed tube of
cloth filled with sand that is laid against the bottom of your door.
Weatherproofing: Weatherproof your windows to decrease heat loss in the winter and
heat gain in the summer. Caulk around the window to decrease heat loss
or gain. In the winter, use plastic sheeting over your windows to act
as temporary storm windows. Reasonably priced commercial mounting kits
are available. For greater savings, you may want to invest in moveable
insulation such as insulated curtains.
Air Conditioner: It can let in drafts if left
in place or uncovered during the winter. You should use an inside cover
in addition to (or, if you cannot safely reach the outside of your
unit, in place of) an outdoor cover.
Filters: Check the filter at least once
at the beginning of the cooling season. Clean the
filter or replace it. If you can do so safely, check and clean the
condenser coils and the grills on the outdoor side of the unit.
Block the Sun: Keep south and west facing window drapes or shades closed during summer days to minimize solar heat gain in your apartment.
Fans: When the temperature outside is comfortable, open a window or use
a fan instead of the air conditioner. A fan only requires a tenth of
the energy needed to run an air conditioner.
Fireplace: If you have a fireplace without glass doors, consider plugging it
when it is not in use. Even a closed damper leaks a large amount of
heated air to the outdoors.
Lighting and Appliance Use
When leaving a room for even a short time, turn off the lights.
Use natural sunlight in place of electric lighting as much as possible.
Dirty windows let in less light, and dirty light bulbs, fixtures, and shades emit less light, so keep them clean.
Position lamps to make the most of their light. For instance, you
will not need to light up the whole room if you have a lamp by your
reading chair or at your desk.
Consider purchasing light-colored furnishings, curtains, and
rugs, rather than dark, because they reflect light and reduce the
amount of artificial light needed in a room.
Replace incandescent lights with fluorescent lights in fixtures
that you leave on for long periods of time (kitchens, study lamps,
hallways, bathrooms). Fluorescent lights are five times more efficient
and last up to 20 times longer. Compact fluorescent lights are now
available that provide light quality that is similar to that of
incandescent lights.
If you do use incandescent lights, use low wattage light bulbs
when you need only a small amount of light. When you need a larger
amount of light, however, use a higher wattage bulb rather than two or
lower wattage bulbs. The efficiency of incandescent bulbs increases as
wattage increases.
Control your lighting with dimmers or timers. Dimmers save energy
by allowing you to reduce the amount of energy needed. Using timers is
much less costly in the long run than leaving your lights on all day.
If you want the added protection of leaving lights on when nobody is at
home, consider lighting timers. These turn the lights on and off
automatically at preset times. Fluorescent lighting requires special
dimmers or timers, so only use in fluorescent fixtures that are
approved for such use.
Thaw frozen food items in the refrigerator instead of on the
counter top. When you transfer the items to be thawed from the freezer
to the refrigerator the day before using them, the frozen items will
help cool the refrigerator as they defrost, cutting down on the energy
the refrigerator uses.
Frost build-up increases the amount of energy needed to cool a
refrigerator, so defrost regularly. Never allow your freezer to build
up frost more than one quarter of an inch thick.
Leave seldom-used appliances such as extra color televisions and
video tape players unplugged when not in use. They draw as much as 10
Watts (7 kWh/month) even when they are not on.
The energy consumption of a waterbed heater ranges from 500
kWh/year to 2000 kWh/year. At $0.10/kWh, that is a $150/year
difference. If you must have a waterbed, keep your utility expenses
down by buying foam pads (about $20), and buying shallow-fill (6 inches
thick or less) mattresses. These require smaller heaters (150 watts).
Buy energy-efficient appliances. An appliance with a lower
initial purchase cost may, in the long run, cost you more than an
energy-efficient model with a higher initial purchase cost. For
example, new refrigerators use about one half as much energy as similar
models from 10-15 years ago.
Preheat your oven only when absolutely necessary and do not
preheat for dishes cooked for an hour or more. In any case, never
preheat for more than 10 minutes.
Whenever you can, use the range top instead of the oven. The range uses far less energy.
When cooking or baking in your oven, do not open the oven door
any more than absolutely necessary. The oven loses about 20% of its
heat every time you open the door.
If you do not already have one, consider purchasing a microwave
oven. Microwave cooking uses much less energy than conventional cooking.
Hot Water Conservation
Take showers instead of baths. A five-minute shower uses only about one-half as much water as a bath.
Install low-flow showerheads. They cut water consumption by 40 to 60%.
Don't let faucets drip. Just one drip a second from a leaky
faucet can waste up to 200 gallons of water a month. Replace worn out
washers.
Do as much household cleaning as possible with cold water rather than hot.
Only run full loads in the dishwasher. Use the air dry (or energy saver) option if available. Heat drying is a high-energy user.
If you or your landlord buys a washing machine, get one of the
new horizontal axis machines. They use 33% less water as well as half
the energy.
Check your hot water temperature at the faucet with a
thermometer. Adjust the temperature at your hot water heater (or get
your maintenance person to adjust it) until the faucet temperature is
120
This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency
of the United States government. Warranty, express or implied, or
assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy,
completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or
process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe
privately owned rights
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