Ways to Save - Tips

Make sure your home heating equipment is properly maintained and cleaned.
Have furnace filters replaced regularly.
Caulk or weather-strip doors and windows.
Plug cracks in masonry walls and foundations, or where pipes and wires
enter your home.
Keep drapes and shades closed at night. Open the drapes on sunny winter days to get the full benefit of the sun.
Replace your fireplace’s fire screen with glass doors and a convective grate to reduce the loss of warm air. Always keep your fireplace flue closed when the fireplace is not in use.
Insulate areas with the biggest air leaks: attic, crawl space, unheated basement.
Make sure you use insulation with the right “R” value and weather-strip the attic hatch or door entrance.
Check the insulation in your exterior walls and doors.
Install programmable thermostats to automatically adjust the temperature in your home.
Install energy efficient windows.
Install wall outlet and switch plate gaskets to limit the flow of cold air.
Don't turn your heat completely off overnight or during the day. You may use more energy reheating a cold room than you saved by turning it off. At night, lower your thermostat 4 to 6 degrees, maximum.
Set your hot water heater temperature to 110 to 120 degrees.
Be sure to maintain property humidity in your home.
Replace your older heating equipment with new, high efficiency equipment and save 20% to 30% on your fuel bills.
Make sure furniture and rugs don’t block radiators or heating vents.
Arrange for an Energy Efficiency Checkup from New England Conservation Services.

Did you know?
Consider these money-saving tips that can save you money and reduce your energy consumption:

Replacing your traditional thermostat with a programmable one can save you up to $15 per month.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs use 75% less energy and last 10 times longer than regular incandescent bulbs.
Side-by-side refrigerators use more energy than top or bottom mounts, and top loading washing machines use more energy than front loaders.
Virtually every home needs more insulation. Most homes can save up to 15 to 25% on heating and cooling by additional insulation in the attic. If the insulation batting in your attic is less than a foot thick, you’ll benefit by adding more.
Drafty old windows can be a major source of leaks, and can often be made airtight by weather-stripping. But if you need new windows, you may be eligible for a tax credit when you install high efficiency windows.
If your water heater is more than 10 years old, it might be time to invest in a new, more efficient model than can save you up to 50% on water heating costs.
Water efficient filters that stop drips can save up to $70 per year.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes tax credits for making your home more energy efficient. The credits cover projects finished in 2009 and 2010. Get more details about tax credits and rebates.
Tax credits are even more generous – up to 30% -- for some renewable energy alternatives like solar panels, geothermal HVAC systems, wind and fuel cells. Get more details about tax credits and rebates. [What is URL for this link?]