Conservation

Tips

We offer many easy to follow tips for saving energy around your home.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Cooling
Cooking
Hot Water Heating, Washing, and Drying
Lighting
Refrigeration & Freezing

Cooling

Turn air conditioners off if you are going to be gone more than four hours.
Increase attic ventilation. Attic temperatures can exceed 140 degrees in attics with inadequate ventilation.
Grow deciduous shade trees on the south side of the house. We have a book on tree selection. Would you like one? It's easy, just email us with "Send Me Your Tree Selection Book" as the subject line of your message. Be sure to include your complete mailing address in the body of your email. As always, please remember trees under power lines can be dangerous.
Circulate air inside house with fans. The air movement increases the cooling of the body by evaporating moisture on the skin.
Clean or replace air filters regularly (usually monthly). This is critical for giving your heat pump a long life.
Keep the sun outside with shades. Drapes help too. Closing draperies can help keep rooms cooler in the summer. However outside shading is much more effective.
Shade air-conditioner.

Cooking

Use your microwave oven in place of your range oven whenever possible.
When using your oven, try to cook more than one item at a time.
Use tight-fitting lids to keep the steam in the pan.
Use smaller amounts of water for cooking; use the lowest possible heat to maintain boiling or steaming.
Preheat oven only 5 to 8 minutes when baking; do not preheat the oven when broiling or roasting.
Self-cleaning ovens have thicker insulation and will retain heat, making these models more energy-efficient than regular ovens.
Use the self-cleaning feature on your oven sparingly.
Pressure cookers use much less energy than ordinary pots and pans.
Using small cooking appliances (electric fry pans, toaster ovens, etc.) are generally more efficient.

Heating

Seal ductwork leaks.
Use thermostats correctly to lower bills. Heat pumps and furnaces differ. Heat your home only during the time you actually need the heat. When using a furnace, turn back the thermostat when you are sleeping or when nobody is home. Programmable thermostats can be programmed to do this automatically. For heat pumps it may be better to leave your thermostat alone unless you have a "smart" thermostat.
Close crawl space vents in winter. Open them in the spring. Attics need ventilation all year long. Don't close attic vents.
Caulk and weatherstrip against drafts. Install foam insulation gaskets under outlet and light switch plates. Weatherstip doors and windows. Caulk all cracks or leaks on the living side of all ceilings, floors, and walls.

The most cost effective way to lower your heating bill is to reduce the rate at which your home loses hot air or allows cold air to come in. The warm air leaks from the house through cracks. When added together, cracks can represent a hole in the house that is as much as four square feet in area. Infiltration often accounts for 20% to 30% of the total heat loss in the home.

Although some degree of ventilation is necessary to maintain good air quality, most homes can benefit from a substantial decrease in air leaks. Caulking cracks and penetrations in the home can reduce air leaks relatively inexpensively and easily. Caulk is a compound used to seal cracks between fixed components of the home.

Cracks are commonly found around door and window frames, at joints in the siding, between fireplaces and siding, between the porch and house, where siding meets the foundation, around eaves and molding, and areas around vents, electrical outlets, or water faucets. Inside the home, look for cracks or openings around water pipes and drains, where the furnace flue goes through the ceiling, around light fixtures, and around the attic entry.
Keep fireplace dampers closed when not needed. Fireplaces can increase heating costs if they are inefficient. Warm air will rise up the chimney and escape when the fireplace is not being used. This often cancels the benefits of the heat from the fire. Fireplaces with glass doors are more efficient.
Increase comfort without changing the thermostat. You feel cold by windows because your body heat radiates to cold windows. Closing draperies stops this radiant body heat loss and increase your comfort without increasing air temperature.
Add insulation. Code for attics is R-38 (10 inches to 17 inches depending on type of insulation). This saves on cooling costs too. Code for floors is R-30 (10 inches of fiberglass batt) for electric resistance heated homes. It is R-19 (6 inches) if heated with a heat pump. Walls should be full of insulation. New homes require a minimum of R-19 wall insulation.
Clean or change furnace and air-conditioning filters regularly. For heat pumps this is a must to get high efficiency and long life. Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed. Open doors and arrange furniture, curtains, and drapes so the airflow from heat registers is not blocked.
Improve windows. Seal up cracks. Install new weatherstripping. Replace with new double pane, low -E, vinyl or wood framed windows. Saving money considerations.

Hot Water Heating, Washing and Drying

Repair leaking or dripping hot water faucets. A big leak can cost $224 per month. A hot water tank or faucet leak can cost you as much as nearly $255 per month. (4.5kW times 30 days times 24 hours equals 3,240 kWh per month. Our rate of $.0786 times 3,240 equals $254.66 before taxes. Taxes add $21.65 for a total of 276.31). If you have leaks, the solution to your high bill may be fixing your hot water leaks.
When you have to shop for a new appliance, look for the Energy Star label. These appliances have been identified as the most energy-efficient product in their class. Also, look at the Energy Guide label to compare each appliance.
Set your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It's also safer. If your water heater was purchased before 1992, wrap it with an insulated blanket.
Install low flow faucet aerators and showerheads (2.5 gallons or less per minute).
When using your dishwasher, wash full loads only and let the dishes air-dry. If you don't have an air-dry switch then turn it off after the final rinse and crack open the door.
Wash and dry full loads. If you're washing a small load of clothes, use the lowest practical water level setting.
Try cold water wash, using cold-water detergent.
Line dry clothes outside if practical.
Make sure dryer is venting to outside properly. Clean the lint screen in your dryer before every load and check the dryer venting system at least once a year for clogging. It should be cleaned.
Take showers instead of baths. Generally, showers use less hot water.
Turn electricity off at the breaker for vacations. If you are going to be gone for three days or more, turn off the water heater to save money. But don't forget to turn it back on when you return.
Use cold water when running the garbage disposal.
Take showers instead of baths. Generally, showers use less hot water.

Lighting

Turn off lights in any rooms you're not using.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent lights. Compact fluorescent bulbs last 8 to 10 times longer (they are great for difficult access locations). For the same amount of light the energy cost is only one fourth to one third the energy cost. Prices have a range from $1 to $20. Visit the Austin Utilities, Conservation Tips Lighting website for more information.
Use timers or motion detectors on lamps that are used for security lighting.
Use natural daylight as much as possible.

Refrigeration & Freezing

Recommended temperatures are 37-40 degrees for fresh food storage and 5 degrees for the freezer section.
Regularly defrost your freezer when ice or frost build-up is 1/4" or thicker.
Check your refrigerator/freezer door gasket periodically for good sealing.