Learn How to Save Energy

Want to save money and help the environment? If so, I recommend visiting "Energy Savers: Tips on Saving Energy and Money at Home" the next time you are on the web. This website has been set up by the U.S. Department of Energy to provide consumers with they information they need to conserve energy at home and spend less money on utility bills. The information found on the site will also teach consumers to live more sustainable lives, because energy conservation is a key part of environmental conservation. By using less energy you can reduce your personal contribution to a host of environmental problems, from air pollution to global warming. The following review will provide readers with a few morsels of knowledge found in the Energy Savers guide.

There are plenty of reasons why you should want to conserve energy. According to the Energy Savers guide the average American family spends more than $1600 on utility bills annually. If you are concerned about global warming, energy conservation is a must. "The electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars," according to the guide.

So where does all that money go? The guide says that energy usage for the average American home breaks down the following way:

Heat - 34%
Appliances & lighting - 34%
Heating hot water - 13%
Electric air conditioning - 11%
Refrigerator - 8%

Let's focus in on one of the biggest consumers of energy found in most homes: home heating systems.

The Energy Savers guide notes that only 20 percent of homes built before 1980 are adequately insulated. Ensuring that attics, crawl spaces, walls, floors, and basements are properly insulated can save consumers up to 10 percent on heating costs. By following the useful links provided by the guide, you can learn how to determine whether your home is adequately insulated and what to do about it if it is not.

Air leaks can also drive up the cost of heating - or cooling - your home, according to the guide. Fixing air leaks can also save consumers up to 10 percent on heating costs. Typical trouble spots include window and door frames, electrical boxes, and ceiling fixtures. Often, the problem can be solved cheaply by applying some chalking or weather stripping to the affected area. You can use a lit stick of incense to determine where leaks exist. On a windy day, just place the lit incense stick close to places where a leak might take place - like an old window. If the smoke blows horizontally, you've got trouble!

150 million tons of carbon dioxide are emitted by heating and cooling systems in the U.S. alone, according to the guide. So by learning to use heat efficiently, you can help fight global warming and save the environment. The guide offers a number of other tips that can help you learn to stop wasting heat and start saving energy. To offer a few examples:

1. Set your thermostat as low as is comfortable in the winter and as high as is comfortable in the summer.

2. Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as needed.

As you can see, the Energy Savers guide contains a wealth of knowledge on the subject of energy conservation. This review has barely touched upon the information found within the guide. So what are waiting for? Visit the USDE's Energy Savers Tips on Saving Energy & Money at Home on the web today!