If we keep burning coal and gas and oil, the scientific consensus is that by the latter part of the century the planet’s temperature will have risen five degrees Fahrenheit to a level higher than we’ve seen for 50 million years.

Remember energy-efficiency is cost efficiency too. Therefore, before doing anything about heating systems and even looking at insulation, you need to first tackle air leaks. For a simple test, light a candle on a breezy day, and wander through your house looking for places where the smoke drifts. Sealing them is usually easy, from the outside silicone does the trick and if you can put some insulation from inside, you will shut most of the heat loss.

Old houses usually let a lot of heat go through the windows. Remember how your grandpa used to seal windows in winter with plastic barriers? This simple measure can cut heat loss by as much as 25% to 50%.

Insulate pipes

Insulate your hot water pipes with foam. This will decrease heat loss from your water heater to sinks, showers and toilets.

Keep curtains drawn

In summer, it keeps the sun from heating the house and in the winter, at night, it provides additional insulation.

Minimum heat in the garage

North Americans have their houses more than needed and this applies to garage heating, as well. What a waste! Instead, you can keep it above the freezing level, simply by improving the insulation. For starters, make sure that the joints are tight. When building a house, some people don’t bother to insulate their garage wall in order to save some money. So assess your needs again. One simple thing you can do is turn the heat completely off when the climate gets warmer. As some days are cooler, when the season changes (temperature as we all know fluctuates from one day to the other) you will not need to turn the heat back on if you quickly get into your car.

Reduce heat in scarcely used rooms

Often, we try to have the same comfortable temperature wherever we go. But does it make sense to heat the basement when you spend less than five minutes a day in it? What about the unused rooms upstairs? You can easily preset these areas to one or four degrees cooler and if you need to spend more time in them for whatever reason, turn it up a little, it should take only a few minutes to be comfortable again. And if you just need to go get something quickly, resist the temptation to turn it up if you feel it’s a little uncomfortable. Remember that for the next 23 hours or something, that room is going to be warm for no one!

Right heating

Use programmable thermostats for your rooms without connecting them to your central heating system. The advantage is that you can then reduce the temperature of individual rooms depending upon the use of that particular room. Also, when you are at work and the kids are in school, reduce your home’s temperature by one or two degrees. There is no need to keep the place warm when nobody is there. You will save 5-10% on your energy consumption on a yearly basis. Programmable thermostats are better because their precision level is higher than the old models. You also end up consuming less energy by keeping the temperature consistent than heating by bursts.

A/C in the summer

If you live in cooler climates, air conditioning is not at all a must-have. Recall the time when people did not have air conditioning and they still survived. Instead use the conventional, equally effective methods of cooling, such as taking a shower before going to bed, making sure the house stays cold during the day by drawing up all the curtains, so on and so forth. Plus if you have cold weather the rest of the year, why not enjoy a little bit of the heat that you’ve been waiting for the whole year?

Switch off the lights when not in use

Keep the lights on only in the room you are in. And switch off when you leave a room. It’s as simple as that. Teach you kids this habit especially in context to spaces that are not often used such as the attic, the garage etc.

Light tips

Tell me: how often do you wipe dust off the bulbs?

Never?

That’s bad because merely cleaning your bulbs will save you energy. If your wall color is pale, luminosity would be better and you can then comfortably turn off the surround lights.

Timer on lights

Keeping the patio light on, when everyone inside the house is sleeping is sheer nonsense. If you really need patio light, make sure they are kept to the minimum, are eco-energetic and that they are on a timer.

Motion activated lighting

Use motion sensors to activate at least a few lights at home. These can be used outside in the patio, or inside to keep the low traffic areas well-lit. Also have a timer attached to a sensor so when there is no movement, it automatically gets turned off.

Replace your bulbs

Did you know that traditional bulbs convert just five percent energy into light and 95 percent into heat? In comparison the ratio for a compact fluorescent light (CFL) is 80%-20% and they last far longer. However don’t rush to throw all your regular bulbs in one go. Start replacing them gradually with CFLs. Although the latter are made with gas, it they can be disposed properly at an approved recycling center and the benefits far exceed the drawbacks. Make sure you put these bulbs in rooms where the light stays on for a good period of time, as turning on and off these lights reduces their life span. If you light it up and need to return to the room a while later, leave the light on.

Stop the water heater during your vacations

Why have you got your water heated if you are NOT going to use it for one or two weeks?

Instant water heater

There now exist instant water heaters, wherein instead of keeping the water in a tank, and keeping it hot even when there is no need for it, the device is located close to the faucet and it heats only when you turn on the hot water tap. Just remember however that if you use a lot of water, this device is not as efficient as the pressure is less than the conventional device. Also, this device can be plugged only to one exit, so is practical only for small apartments. Else, just go for a combination of a few smaller tanks, instead of one huge overhead tank.

Timer during vacation for lights

If you absolutely want to keep burglars away while you are not home, instead of leaving lights on or the radio running, put your lights on a timer. You will save money and it will serve you better as potential burglars will notice that certain lights where on and now they are not. Clever, isn’t it?

Use electricity at the right time

Try to cut down on your electricity consumption during peak hours, i.e., from 7:00AM to 9:00AM and then again from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Start your laundry or dishwasher at night, instead of at lunch hour for example. You may want to go bi-energy and heat with gas at those times and switch back to normal the rest of the day to give some respite to the common electricity grid.