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Implementation of a family energy reduction plan is often the first step toward an energy reduction committment.  Installing solar panels or a rain water harvesting system may be a consideration in new construction or even in retrofitting older construction but it is seldom our first initiative toward energy conservation. We have all heard of the three R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle. This is a more likely approach for those of us who are interesting in reducing our carbon foot-print and saving a few dollars along the way.
 This is the first in a series of articles that will explore a variety of energy-saving tips for the home. We will look at specifics such as “seasonal energy savings tips” as well as topics such as “Retrofitting older structures”, and review estimates of “Carbon dioxide emissions reduction”. Following this series, we will also review alternatives to conventional energy systems in an energy reduction plan.

The first article in this series includes an extensive plan for implementing a program for reduction of energy use in the home. A commitment of this kind may only become a reality with the involvement of all members of the household. A good starting place is to get all members of the household on board in the development of an energy reduction plan.

Steps to the implementation of an energy reduction plan for your home
 Energy reduction plan household planning meeting

• Initial meeting should be scheduled around everyone’s ability to attend the energy reduction planning session. Create some enthusiasm about the energy reduction plan meeting. Serve favorite snacks and create some excitement in advance about the upcoming meeting (maybe even prepare an invitation to each family member). Let everyone know that all ideas are open to consideration and their ideas and involvement is desired.
• Have an energy reduction plan brainstorming session at the first meeting and encourage input from all members before introducing the following ideas.
• List good ideas from the brainstorming session as well as any usable ideas below as a guide to you family commitment to save energy while developing your energy reduction plan.
• Assign a family member to each item on the list to monitor the success of your initiative between meetings.
• Have the younger members of your family design an “Ideas box” to be placed in the house for energy saving tips that family members may submit between meetings. Establish some kind of reinforcement or reward for ideas submitted for the energy reduction plan.
• Track savings from your energy reduction plan and reinvest some of the savings into your rewards program.
• Schedule regular meetings to incorporate new ideas for the energy reduction plan presented by family members and evaluate the success of your commitment.
• Consider providing commitment cards to the energy reduction plan signed by each family member.

 General energy saving considerations for your energy reduction plan

 • While shaving, brushing teeth, or using the bathroom sink in general, turn off the water when not in use.
• Do not use your toilet as a waste basket for flushables. Use a trash can and only flush when necessary. Clean, drinking quality water should not be wasted to flush tissue paper or cigarette butts.
• If toilet replacement is an option, replace old toilets with newer low flush models.
• Televisions, radios, DVD’s, VCR’s, should be turned off when not in use. Put on a power strip and turn the strip off.
• Computers, printers, other office equipment and battery chargers should also be placed on a power strip and turned off when not in use.
• Use the sleep feature when possible if power cannot be turned off.
• Subscribe to online magazines and newspapers you normally read to reduce the energy used to make paper and have it delivered to your home.
• Purchase or make sturdy canvas bags for each family member and eliminate the use of plastic bags. 12 million barrels of oil a year are used to make plastic bags and they require a thousand years to break down in landfills. Eliminate them. They take more energy to recycle than is required to make new ones. Produce typically does not need to be placed in plastic bags. Eliminate them also whenever possible.
• Trade regular batteries for rechargeable to avoid the necessity of disposing of hazardous materials.
• Recycle newspaper, cardboard, plastic, glass, printer ink cartridges and anything else that is recyclable.
• Do as much of your shopping as possible on-line. You will be conserving both your time and the fuel necessary to shop in person.
• Take your favorite coffee cup with you and avoid the use of plastic cups.
• If you use a dehumidifier or a humidifier, turn them off when the humidity level is acceptable.

Kitchen Energy Reduction Plan

• Do not start the dishwasher unless you have a full load.
• Check and clean the drain of the dishwasher on a regular schedule to increase its efficiency.
• Use energy settings and turn off the heated dry to reduce energy consumption; allow dishes to air dry.
• Compost foods scraps or dispose in the garbage to save energy and reduce maintenance on disposal.
• Set refrigerator temperature around 37 degrees and freezer temperature between 0 and 5 degrees.
• Check for air leakage around refrigerator seal and replace if leaking.
• If you have an extra refrigerator or freezer, assess its’ need to determine if you should continue paying $8.00-10.00 a month for an older appliance that may not be needed.
• Allow hot foods to thoroughly cool before placing them in a refrigerator or freezer.
• Use energy saving tools such as toaster ovens, convection ovens, slow cookers or small electric pans to cook small meals instead of the oven or stovetop.
• Microwaves and pressure cookers use much less energy because they cook foods faster.
• If you have an electric oven that is self-cleaning, wait until you have a hot oven following cooking to run the self-cleaning component to decrease the amount to time necessary to get to the cleaning stage.
• Cook the entire meal in the oven to save energy or cook an extra dish for another day.
• Only preheat when recipe calls for preheating. Never preheat the broiler.
• Cut food in smaller pieces to decrease the cooking time.
• Use appropriately sized lids on pots and pans to decrease cooking time and reduce energy use.
• Use the appropriate size burner for the pots and pans.
• Use the oven window rather than open the door. You lose 25-75 degrees of heat each time you open the door.
• When buying a new kitchen appliance, always choose an Energy Star label.

 Laundry energy reduction plan

 • If your dryer has a moisture sensor, use a setting that automatically shuts off when clothes are dry.
• Do not overfill dryer as a crowded dryer is much less efficient.
• Try to schedule laundry to take advantage of using the dryer in consecutive loads so it doesn’t have to reheat.
• Wash and dry full loads to save energy.
• When a new dryer purchase is necessary, consider a gas dryer as it uses only about 1/3 the energy of an electric.
• Make sure and empty the lint tray between loads to increase efficiency.
• Run major appliances during non-peak periods (such as nights) whenever possible.
• Use a cold water detergent and wash clothes in cold or warm water, never hot, to save energy. Always rinse clothes in cold water.
• Make sure that water level in washer matches the clothes level to save water and energy. Use the shortest cycles appropriate for the load.
• If replacing a washer, remember that front load washers use considerably less water.

 Water heating energy reduction plan

 • Make sure that water heater is wrapped in insulation and that water pipes are wrapped to save energy.
• When the water heater needs replacing, consider a tankless model to greatly reduce energy. Compare the energy guide labels when making a purchase and do not buy a larger unit than you actually need.
• Keep the sediment cleaned from the bottom of the tank to increase efficiency. (Draining a little water from the bottom of the tank will clean out the sediment).
• Use the vacation setting anytime you leave for more than a day or two.
• Keep the setting on your hot water only high enough to avoid running out of hot water.
• Leaking faucets may use enough excess energy to increase your bill. One drop per second can add up to 165 Gallons a month. Fix all leaky faucets immediately to save water end energy.
• Taking a shower most of the time instead of a bath can result in a big savings of water and energy.
• Take shorter showers or install a low-flow energy efficient shower head.

 Heating and cooling energy reduction plan

 Cooling and heating your home is the single most costly of any household energy use accounting for about 45% of your bill, hence a great place to conserve energy and money.
• In moderate climates, consider installing a heat pump when changing units to save about 30-40% of your energy costs.
• Adjust the thermostat up and down in small increments to reach the desired level. On a heat pump, cranking it up to quickly may cause the back-up heat strips to come on which greatly increases the use of energy.
• Make sure the coolant is fully charged to increase efficiency.
• Using a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust the temperature will pay for itself and save energy.
• Always change or clean the filters per the schedule, usually monthly. When construction work is being done, check filters more frequently.
• When it is necessary to replace your furnace always choose a high efficiency unit to reduce heating cost and save energy and check to determine the appropriate size unit. An over-size unit will waste energy and increase your costs.
• Placing compressor in a shady location will reduce cooling cost as the unit will work more efficiently. Make sure there is good air circulation around the compressor.
• Keep any obstructions (furniture, drapes etc.) away from the HVAC vents and return air duct to increase the units’ efficiency.
• Consider operating major appliances in your home during early morning or evening hours as they add heat to your home and increase the costs related to cooling.
• If you use window units for cooling, remove them during the winter and seal windows with weather stripping and caulk wherever necessary.
• Cover outside central air unit with a tarp to keep it clean when not in use during winter months.
• Install ceiling fans and use to circulate air rather than run the fan on a central unit. They are more efficient. Also, consider installing a whole house fan in the attic to remove hot air from the house when central unit is not in use. (Must be insulated during the winter time to prevent heat loss).
• Keep rooms not in used closed off with vents closed to save energy.
• Be aware that vent fans in kitchen and bathrooms should be turned off as quickly as possible after use as they can remove the warm air from your home in a short period of time.
• A space heater or wood stove is a good way to warm a major living area to a comfortable temperature while the thermostat can remain low.
• During winter time, add an extra blanket to the bed and turn the thermostat down at night.
• Circulate air in the house during summer with ceiling fans so the thermostat temperature may be turned up.

 Insulation energy reduction plan

This is a good time to mention an energy audit since more than half the energy used for heating and cooling is lost through un-insulated walls, ceilings, floors, and attic space. It is a small investment with a big return in savings.
• Adding additional insulation in the ceiling, walls, and floors of your house insures that the heat is trapped inside during the winter and remains outside during the summer. Research the recommended insulation requirements for your area and supplement where needed.
• Inspect all doors and windows for air leakage, and caulk and weather-strip where needed.
• Inspect plumbing, ductwork and electrical wiring that come through exterior walls and floors and seal and caulk all air leaks. Check and insulate behind all plug covers and switch covers to prevent the entrance of cold air.

 Lighting energy reduction plan

 • Dimmer switches prolong the life of light bulbs and save energy. Install them wherever possible.
• Use low voltage lighting and motion sensitive lighting for outdoor needs.
• Remove one of the lights from your garage door opener or remove both of them and replace with a motion sensitive light in garage for more efficiency.
• Use lights with motion detectors for all outdoor security lights.
• Replace all lighting inside the house with compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Add under counter lights in the kitchen. They provide greater savings and in most cases, meet the need efficiently.
• Change recessed can light to 50 watt Halogen light or, better yet, change to the new compact fluorescents designed for recessed lighting.
• Remember that lighting accounts for 15% of the typical residential electric bill, so turn it off when not in use. In addition, electric lights add heat to space than must be cooled in the summer time.

Windows energy reduction plan

• Since we lose 10-25% of our heat through the windows, it is prudent to replace single pane windows with insulated double pane with low-e glass and vinyl frames to keep out ultra-violet light and keep heat in.
• In cold climates, glass should be low emission and gas filled to reduce heat loss and in warmer climates select windows having spectrally selective coatings to reduce heat gain and conserve energy.
• If window replacement is not an option, storm windows may reduce heat loss by 25-50%.
• Reflective film applied to windows (particularly west-facing windows) may reduce heat and protect furniture.
• In new construction, house designs with passive solar features can very effectively reduce energy consumption.
• Make sure shrubbery and trees are pruned back on south facing walls around windows to get the maximum benefit of passive solar heat.
• Installation of protective overhangs on west side of house may reduce cooling costs in the summer time. In new construction, limit west windows especially in hot climates.
• For maximum solar gain, open draperies on south facing windows during the day time in cold weather and close all curtains and drapes at night to reduce heat loss.
• During the summer months, close all drapes on windows with direct sun contact to minimize heat gain.
• Take advantage of the new insulated shades during all seasons when window coverings are being replaced.
• Make sure that all windows are completely sealed with silicone to prevent any air leaks.

Tips specific to a home with a fireplace in your energy reduction plan

 • Remember that a fireplace sends the heat up the chimney so always install glass doors to prevent heat loss when using a fireplace.
• Use only dry, hardwoods to produce maximum heat output and have chimney cleaned and inspected regularly.
• Make sure the fireplace has an outside air supply so it will not be sucking the heated air from your home.
• Keep the damper closed when not in use.
• In summertime, opening the damper is a good way to create a natural draught.
• If fireplace is not used, insulate the flu and use silicone caulk to seal the doors.

If you have additional ideas for your energy reduction plan to add to our list, let me know. They will be included in updates. barbarakjenkins@gmail.com