ENERGY TIP OF THE MONTH:

Tip of the Month
January 2012
Switch to energy-saving halogen incandescent lightbulbs to cut lighting energy use by 25 percent. These bulbs last three times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs and can easily be dimmed. Want to save more? Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light- emitting diodes (LEDs) cut lighting energy use by at least 75 percent. Learn more at energysavers.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy

Tip of the Month
December 2011
During the holiday season, consider using ENERGY STAR-qualified lights and strands to decorate. They use 70 percent less energy than regular lights and last up to 10 times as long. They also give off less heat, reducing the risk of fire.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (ENERGY STAR)

Tip of the Month
November 2011
Use motion sensors on your lights to save on your electric bill. These sensors turn on lights automatically when someone enters a room and turns them off after a person leaves.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy

Tip of the Month
October 2011
When buying a new appliance, check the black and yellow EnergyGuide label. This label provides an estimate of the product’s energy consumption and efficiency. It also shows the highest and lowest energy efficiency estimates of similar models. Most major appliances—such as refrigerators, dishwashers, and clothes dryers—are required to have these labels.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy

Tip of the Month
September 2011
Is your washing machine more than 10 years old? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, families can cut related energy costs by more than a third —and water costs by more than half—by purchasing a clothes washer with an ENERGY STAR label. Choose a front-load or redesigned top-load model.  
Source: U.S. Department of Energy

Tip of the Month
August 2011
One of the easiest ways to make your home more energy efficient is to add insulation in the attic. To see if you need insulation, look across an uncovered attic floor. If the insulation is level with or below the floor joists, you probably need to add more.
Source: Energy Star

Tip of the Month
July 2011
Consider using solar lights for outdoor lighting. Solar cells convert sunlight into electricity that can be stored in a battery and tapped at night to make light. Check manufacturers ’ instructions to make sure your solar lights are situated to receive sufficient sunlight to recharge each day.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy

Tip of the Month
June 2011
Does your home have a window air conditioner? Make sure that your window unit is properly weather stripped, and clean the filter monthly. Keep “fresh air” vents on window A/C units closed.
Source: Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives

Heat pumps provide economical heating and cooling

Suppose that on the coldest days, you could find warm air hiding outdoors and use it to heat your home? That’s exactly what heat pumps do. And during warm weather, they work like an air conditioner, removing the heat from the interior of your home and releasing it outdoors.

That’s why a heat pump can probably meet most of your heating and cooling needs.

In warm weather, electric air-to-air heat pumps pipe a liquid called refrigerant through coils inside your home, where it absorbs heat from the air and vaporizes. The refrigerant flows into an outdoor coil, cools and becomes a liquid again. This cool liquid flows back into the house where a fan blows across it, forcing cool air through the home’s ductwork.

The process reverses in winter, with the vaporized refrigerant bringing heat energy from the outside air, where the fan blows across it, spreading heat throughout the house.

Because heat pumps move heat, rather than generate it, they can deliver more than three times as much heat as they consume in energy, making them one of most efficient ways to heat and cool the typical home.

Geothermal heat pumps use a similar process except that instead of working with outdoor air, they convey heat to and from underground pipes, up to six times as much heat as they consume.

Is this the right choice for you? I will be happy to sit down with you to discuss your home’s needs and help determine if a heat pump is right for you. Just give me a call at 260-625-3700, ext 436. That’s just one more way we provide advice when you want it and help when you need it.

For more energy savings ideas contact Doug Ferrell, your energy advisor at Northeastern REMC.