Energy Audit Tips

April 2010 tips:

January 2010 tips:
Avoid High Bills in Winter:
Lower the setting on your thermostat.
When you go to bed at night or go off for the day, lower your thermostat five degrees. You’ll save money even when you take into account the energy used to heat your home back up when you come back home. Be careful to only increase your temperature setting one degree at a time when you return so that the heat strips are less likely to come on and steal your savings away!
If you are cold natured, add a space heater.
Space heaters use less electricity than your heat pump however only if you turn down the thermostat and only have the space heater on when you are in the room. Note: Space heaters can greatly reduce your heating bill but are dangerous if you do not properly operate and maintain them according to the manufacturer’s instruction, so please use due care.
• Add a layer.
Wearing a sweater around the house could keep you comfortable at home and with your energy costs at the end of the month.
• Blanket your water heater.
Put an insulation blanket around your water heater if it is located outside in a garage or on a porch. It will help prevent heat loss and make it easier to maintain water temperature without excess energy use. To determine if it needs a blanket, simply put your hand on the side of the tank. If you can feel the hot water inside, your heater needs a blanket.
• Seal your home.
Caulking and weather-stripping windows and doors is a relatively easy and low-cost step to keeping your home warmer in the winter.
Check all locations where plumbing and electrical come into your home and seal any gaps you find.

October tips:

ELECTRIC:
1. Extreme Temperature Settings—JEA recommends setting your thermostat on 68 egrees in the winter and 78 degrees in the summer. Every degree above 68 in the inter or below 78 in the summer adds 5 percent to the heating and cooling portion of our utility bill. Large deviations from these set points can cause high bills.
2.Duct Leaks—Duct leaks caused by breaks or disconnections of the duct work in your attic ill cause high bills. Properly sealed ducts can increase the system’s efficiency by as much s 20 percent and provide more uniform heating and cooling of all the rooms in your ome. One sign of a disconnected duct is a room that never seems to be a comfortable emperature. A licensed heating and cooling contractor can test and seal the ducts for you.
3. Improper Heating and Cooling System Charge—Improper refrigerant charge can lower fficiency by 5 to 20 percent and cause premature component failure, resulting in costly epairs. A licensed heating and cooling contractor can test and add or remove refrigerant or you.
4.Heat Strips—Auxiliary or emergency heat in heat pump systems is usually provided hrough electric resistance strip heat. The strip heat can become stuck on even when the ystem is not in heating mode. A sign of this problem is warm/hot air coming out of the egisters in the cooling mode.
5. Inadequate attic insulation—While this will generally not cause a spike in your electric bill, it can contribute to high bills in general. Increasing your attic insulation to an R value of 38 can save up to 30 percent on the heating portion of your energy costs.
6. Additional equipment—Some equipment can add substantially to your electric bills.
• Additional Refrigerators—An additional refrigerator can add $100 per year to your utility bill on average. If you must have additional refrigeration, buy a smaller dorm room refrigerator. Go to www.energystar.gov/recycle to learn more.
• Pool Operating Costs—JEA recommends running a pool pump six hours in the summer and four hours in the winter. If you have a heater installed, keep in mind that a solar pool heater can save you 50 to 90 percent of the pool heating portion of your utility bill. [To learn more about solar pool heaters, visit the Florida Solar Energy Center at www.fsec.ucf.edu.]
• Tubs and Spas—Hot tubs and spas cost about $20 per month to operate. Make sure your hot tub or spa is insulated as much as possible to lower the heating requirements.
• “Always On” Equipment—Look closely at items you may leave turned on around the clock: outdoor lights, TVs, computers and fans. Each one individually requires little energy. However, in combination and around the clock, they can make a noticeable difference on your electric bill.
WATER: (Watch next month for this information)
Most high water bills can be traced to leaks. To determine if you have a leak anywhere in the house, turn off all the taps and check the water meter. If the leak detector (the red needle on your water meter) is turning, chances are you have a leak somewhere.
1. Toilets—Toilet leaks are the single most common cause for high water bills, and leaks at the flapper valve take first place. Place a few drops of any
colored liquid in the tank and then leave for 15 to 30 minutes. When you return, look into the bowl to see if there is dye color in the water. If so, you probably have a flapper valve leak. The average leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water per day.
2. Incorrectly Programmed Irrigation Timer—Not technically a leak, an incorrectly programmed irrigation timer has the same effect as a leak and
can account for an increase on your water bill. JEA recommends that the programmer be set to turn on two times per week. Visit the St. Johns River Water Management District Web site (sjrwmd.com) for irrigation guidelines and water-saving tips. If you need additional assistance, call 1-866-664-8644 for a free LawnSmart audit, and JEA’s experts will check it out for you.
3. In-ground Irrigation Systems—Leaks here are common around the sprinkler heads. Sometimes soft, wet spots around the in-ground sprinklers indicate a leak is being absorbed into the ground. Irrigation leaks often double or triple the water portion of your utility bill depending upon size and severity.
4. Faucets—Check faucets regularly for leaks at the faucet head and seepage at the base and its connections. A leak of one drop per second can waste up to 2,700 gallons of water per year.
5. Water Heater—Leaks at the water heater are potentially the most expensive type of leak because the electric portion of your bill is affected, along with the water portion. Check the temperature and pressure release valve, tank, tank faucet and all plumbing connections to make sure you won’t be paying for water you don’t use.

If you conduct these tests and don’t seem to have any of these problems, you may need to call a professional electrician or plumber.
Visit jea.com and take our online energy audit, or call JEA at 665-6000 for a free DVD that leads you through the audit. You can also e-mail your questions to conservation@jea.com.

September tips:

Heating, cooling, refrigeration and water heating are the top three users of energy in the home. Here are tips to help you save energy.
• Set your thermostat at 68 degrees in the winter and 78 degrees in the summer. Program your thermostat for 5 degrees higher in the summer and 5 degrees lower in the winter when you’re away from the house.
• Change your air filter monthly.
• Conduct an online or do it yourself energy audit for your home or office. JEA offers a free Home Energy and Check up video or DVD.
• Clean and service your heating/ventilation/air conditioner (HVAC) unit once a year.
• Use cold water for your laundry. Six loads of laundry with warm or hot water costs about $9.90, but six loads with cold water…only 90 cents. Switch to cold water washes and save.
• Every extra refrigerator or freezer can use up to $120 per year in energy. Consider disconnecting or removing.
• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs throughout the home.
• Set your pool pump properly. A 1-horsepower pool pump running 24 hours a day will cost you $65 a month. Set it to run 8 hours in the summer and 5 hours in the winter.
• Improve your ceiling insulation to at least R19.
• Close the fireplace damper so cool air or heat won't escape through the chimney.
• Make sure your air ducts are sealed. The pipes that carry heated or cooled air around your home can often leak, leading to lost energy and money.
• Caulk around window, doors, pipes or anywhere else where air can leak in or out. Use weather stripping around windows, doors and pipes.
• Use ENERGY STAR™ appliances.

August Tips:


July Tips:

Take Action!
The Stop Global Warming calculator shows you how much carbon dioxide you can prevent from being released into the atmosphere and how much money you can save by making some small changes in your daily life. It’s our hope that the calculator will promote action, awareness and empowerment by showing you that one person can make a difference and help stop global warming.
There are many simple things you can do in your daily life — what you eat, what you drive, how you build your home — that can have an effect on your immediate surroundings, and on places as far away as Antarctica. Here is a list of few things that you can do to make a difference.

 
From: StopGlobalWarming.org

June Tips:
Smart Digging
Smart digging means knowing where utility lines are buried before you dig in order to protect yourself from injury and prevent damage to underground utility lines. One easy call to 811 starts the process of getting underground utility lines marked for free. Calling 811 in Florida routes you to Sunshine State One Call. Your utility companies then send a professional locator to your location to mark underground lines within two full business days. Once the lines are marked, you will know the approximate location of your utility lines and can dig safely.

Water Restrictions - Know Your Days

April Tips:

Set Computers to Sleep and Hibernate
Enable the "sleep mode" feature on your computer, allowing it to use less power during periods of inactivity. In Windows, the power management settings are found on your control panel. Mac users, look for energy saving settings under system preferences in the apple menu.
Configure your computer to "hibernate" automatically after 30 minutes or so of inactivity. The "hibernate mode" turns the computer off in a way that doesn't require you to reload everything when you switch it back on. Allowing your computer to hibernate saves energy and is more time-efficient than shutting down and restarting your computer from scratch. When you're done for the day, shut down.
Take Control of Temperature
Set your thermostat in winter to 68 degrees or less during the daytime, and 55 degrees before going to sleep (or when you're away for the day). During the summer, set thermostats to 78 degrees or more. 
Use sunlight wisely. During the heating season, leave shades and blinds open on sunny days, but close them at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows. Close shades and blinds during the summer or when the air conditioner is in use or will be in use later in the day.
Set the thermostat on your water heater between 120 and 130 degrees. Lower temperatures can save more energy, but you might run out of hot water or end up using extra electricity to boost the hot water temperature in your dishwasher.

March Tips:


LIGHTING TIPS

Buy ENERGY STAR®. If you are thinking about purchasing new lighting fixtures or bulbs, look for the ENERGY STAR® label. Bulbs and fixtures bearing the ENERGY STAR® label are the most energy efficient models on the market and will save energy, money, and help the environment. Keep in mind that a typical light bulb kept on for 24 hours per day will cost you about $75.00 each year. Try motion sensors that turn lights off automatically when everyone leaves a room.

Invest in a timer. Timers that automatically turn lights on and off can reduce your energy use and at the same time increase safety by making a house seem occupied even when people are away.

Keep fixtures and bulbs clean. Dirt, along with being unsightly, can absorb as much as 50% of the light.

More bulbs are not better. Use one bulb instead of multiple bulbs whenever possible. A single 100-watt incandescent bulb produces the same amount of light as two 60-watt bulbs, and it uses 20% less energy.

Depends on the room. Light colored walls and surfaces reflect light while dark colors absorb light. The same light fixture in two different rooms will provide different levels of light on a reading surface.

Shades matter. Translucent lamp shades provide more light to a room than solid colored shades.

Avoid elaborate lighting schemes. Instead of elaborate outside lighting, try accenting walkways and drives. This will save energy and provide safe light for people walking in hazardous winter conditions.

Always pull on the plug. When unplugging lights, always pull on the plug and not the cord. Over time pulling on the cord will damage it and create a hazard.

Replace halogens with fluorescents. That halogen torchiere was cheap and attractive; but did you know you could be spending 2-3 times the purchase price per year in electricity costs. The lamps also have been shown to be fire hazards. A compact fluorescent torchiere is safe, and can save over $30 per year in electricity costs.

Keep lights off during the day. Use daylight whenever possible, rather than turning on redundant overhead lighting.