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The beginning of autumn has brought us relief from the heat and humidity of a typical Maryland summer. With the new season, comes cooler temperatures and reduced daylight hours. Before you know it, you’ll be turning up the heat thermostat and having lights on in your home for longer periods of time. For you and most Marylanders, this means increased energy usage and higher utility and heating fuel costs.
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) would like to share some ways to conserve energy, reduce costs and reduce resulting air pollution from heating fuel. Meanwhile, possibly curtailing the higher demand for electricity from power plants.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S.DOE), the average person spends $2,333 annually on home energy bills to run appliances and provide light and heat. Some of that energy is wasted - it’s money from your pocket, and it is bad for the environment. Electricity generated from fossil fuels releases carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen and sulfur into the air.
There are many things you can do to save energy, ranging from simple no- or low-cost changes, to long-term investments. The simplest no-cost change is making a habit of turning off lights, televisions and computers in unoccupied areas or your home.
Low-Wattage Bulbs
Another way to reduce energy costs is to use low wattage bulbs in areas where high wattage bulbs are not needed. Even better, is to replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). Although more expensive, CFLs are more efficient and last many hours longer than incandescent bulbs. Fluorescents, however do contain mercury, a by-product that should not go into landfills. MDE advocates proper disposal through a hazardous household waste (HHW) collection event or through a fluorescent light recycler.
A Well-functioning Shell
Your house’s “shell” or “envelope” is the barrier between the controlled indoor environment and the harsh outdoor elements. They are the windows, outside doors, walls, foundation, floor and roof. The envelope is also a selective filter that allows certain amounts of light, fresh air, heat and coolness to enter and leave. If it functions well, you use less energy in your lighting and your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
Weatherizing
There are numerous ways in which a house can be made more efficient to retain heat during cold weather and reduce energy use and costs. “Weatherizing” a home helps prevent heat loss and can involve minor maintenance and changes to more expensive home improvements. Heat always flows from a warmer environment to a colder one and weatherizing a home reduces the places where heat can escape.
Weatherizing can include sealing cracks, increasing roof insulation, weather-stripping, replacing broken glass, and covering window air conditioners. More substantial changes are installing new windows and doors that have high insulation values.
Weatherization Assistance Program
Many homes that are not energy efficient are older, and may not be well maintained. Some of these homes, when occupied by low-income families, who may be unable to afford needed changes, can contact the U.S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program for help. This program has recently awarded $92.5 million to 19 states to improve the energy efficiency of low-income family homes. Maryland is one of the states receiving money for energy-efficient home improvements. To learn more about the program and how to apply for benefits, visit the USDOE’S Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Web site at
www.eere.energy.gov/weatherization/.
Here are a few other helpful suggestions. If you have an older thermostat, installing a programmable control is a good investment. This lets you program lower temperature settings when you are sleeping and at work, and higher settings for when you are at home. Opening drapes during sunlit hours will allow the sun to warm rooms, while closing drapes during the night helps insulate rooms. Have your heating system inspected periodically for routine maintenance. And remember – replace dirty air filters on your HVAC system once a month. This makes it easier for the system to work, saving energy dollars.
To learn more energy saving tips, visit
www.energysavers.gov.
To find information about county HHW programs, visit http://mde.maryland.gov/programs/LAND/RecyclingandOperations
program/Pages/hhw.aspx.
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