Get the Most
Out of Your
Energy Dollar
Northeast Utilities is strongly committed
to helping you improve your energy
efficiency. It’s a cost-effective resource
for us and a way to lower electric bills
for you.With good planning,sensitivity
to change and solid cooperation from
customers like you, we can:
Continue helping the environment
through reduced emissions from fossil
fuels;
Help spur the economic recovery of
New England by helping manufacturers
become more competitive.
Please take a few minutes to read
this brochure. It contains money-saving
tips that won’t cost you anything to
do. It’s just one more way we’re
working with our customers on a
brighter future.
Produced by the Community
Relations Department.
This information is paid for by
customers of CL&P.
5M10/00
45 Ways to
Use Energy
Wisely
We care about the communities and
customers we serve in Connecticut.
As part of our long-term commitment
to the well being and safety of those
communities, we are providing this
energy use information.
We All Need Energy
Energy — especially electricity and
natural gas — is absolutely necessary
for modern life. Imagine a world
with no lights, no radio or television,
no hot water heater, no refrigerators,
no air conditioning, no gas ranges,
no microwaves, no computers, and
no traffic lights — among other things.
We all use these modern conveniences, right?
They all use energy and energy costs
money. Thus, every time we flick
a switch, we’re making a purchase —
we’re buying energy.
Do you want to spend less on energy?
Saving energy is the way to do it. Would
you believe there are lots of ways to save
energy that don’t cost anything? All you
have to do is change your energy habits.
Here are 45 simple, no-cost, low cost
tips that will help you develop new
better energy habits. These little things
can add up to big savings.
Heating
1 Turn down the heat to 55 degrees F. at
night and when you leave home. (However,
babies and elder ly people need a higher
room temperature than other people
and a safer room temperature for them
is 70 degrees F.)
2 Don’t block radiators or heating vents with
furniture or draperies.
3 Vacuum the dust from radiators, heat and
air-conditioning vents, and baseboard
heaters because dust reduces their efficiency.
4 Bleed air trapped in radiators to improve
water circulation.
5 When the heating season begins, close all
storm windows and lock your inside sashes.
If you open a bedroom window at night,
close the door.
6 Close your curtains at night to cut down
heat loss.
7 Close closet doors.
08 Shut the fireplace damper so heat doesn’t
go up the chimney.
19 Cover through-the-wall air conditioners so
cold air can’t leak into your home. Close
central air-conditioning vents.
Hot Water
10 Have dripping faucets fixed.
11 When shaving or washing up, fill the sink
half-way instead of letting the water run.
12 Turn off the water heater when you’re
away from home for an extended time
(such as a weekend trip or vacation).
13 Take showers instead of baths.
14 If you have a gas water heater, drain half
a bucket of water from the faucet at the
bottom of your water heater tank every
two months to remove rust and sludge
that can collect there .
15 Set your water heater’s thermostat to
120 degrees F.
Washer & Dryer
16 Always put a full load of clothes in
the washer.
17 Presoak heavily soiled clothes to
avoid having to rewash them, and use
cold water, not hot.
18 Remove clothes from the dryer when
they’re slightly damp if you are going to
iron immediately.
19 Keep the lint filter clean.
20 Do two or more dryer loads in a row.
21 Dry your clothes outdoors when possible.
Lighting
22 Turn off lights when you leave a room or
when they aren’t needed.
23 Keep bulbs and lighting fixtures clean for
maximum lighting.
24 Unplug instant-on appliances, such as
television sets, when you don’t plan to use
them for a few days or more.They draw
current even when they’re switched off.
25 Use task lighting directed at a specific area
instead of overhead or general lighting.
26 Keep windows clean so daylight can come
through better.
Appliances
27 Don’t try to heat your home with your
stove or range .
28 Preheat your oven only when necessar y.
29 Shut off the electric burner a few minutes
before the end of cooking time.
30 Flames of gas burners should just barely
touch the bottom of the pan.Turning the
flame too high wastes energy.
31 Don’t line oven racks with foil. It blocks heat
flow and makes the oven work harder to
cook the food.
32 Cook double portions and freeze half for
another meal.
33 Do your heavy summer cooking in the
cooler early morning or evening hours.
Try to use the range top more, the oven
less. Use your energy efficient microwave
oven whenever possible.
34 When you boil water, put a lid on the pot
or kettle.The water will boil faster and
therefore you will use less energy to boil it.
35 When you boil water for coffee or tea,
heat only as much as you need. Don’t heat
a full kettle.
36 Close the refrigerator tightly after using it.
Make sure it’s well sealed. If you are able to
pull a dollar bill past the refrigerator door
gasket when the door is closed, you need a
new gasket.
37 Don’t try to cool the house with the
refrigerator.
38 Vacuum or dust the back and bottom
of the refrigerator regularly to keep the
cooling coils free of dust.
39 Plan ahead for taking food from the
refrigerator ; don’t leave the door open
longer than necessar y.
40 Don’t put hot foods in the refrigerator;
let them cool to room temperature.
41 Don’t put foil on refrigerator shelves.
It blocks cold air flow and makes the
refrigerator work harder to cool food.
42 Cover all foods before putting them in the
refrigerator.
43 Don’t store paper bags or anything else
behind the refrigerator. Blocking the back of
the refrigerator reduces air flow, making the
refrigerator work harder.
44 Keep the freezer as full as possible for
greatest efficiency. Fill up empty space with
plastic jugs of water.
45 Make sure the refrigerator is located in a
cool spot, away from direct sunlight.
These 45 Tips are Only
the Beginning for You.
If you think about the
heating/cooling theory in the
next section, you’ll probably
find there are many more
ways you and your family can
increase your energy savings.
It’ll mean more money in
the household budget for other
things, along with an improved
comfort level in your home.
Heat Loss Principles
How is Heat Transmitted?
Heat flows from a warm area to a
cooler one. Heat is transmitted in two
important ways:
Conduction
Convection
Conduction
Conduction is the transfer of heat through
solid objects. It occurs when heat flows
from molecule to molecule within a
substance or between substances touching
each other. A good example is the way
an electric stove burner works.A pan
placed on the burner gets hot as heat is
transferred from the metal of the burner
to that of the pan.The hot pan warms
the contents.
Heat is lost from a building by conduction
when it passes directly through the
building materials which make up the walls,
windows, ceiling, roofs, and floors.
You can stop this heat loss by installing
insulation in structures separating
cold areas and warm areas in your home
such as the attic floor of an unheated
attic or an outside wall. Storm windows
are window insulators.They will reduce
the loss of heat through windows.
Convection
Convection is the transfer of heat through
liquids or gases, including air. For example,
let’s consider a radiator. Hot water
circulating through the radiator warms the
metal radiator. Currents of air carry heat
from the surface of the radiator into
the room. Pretty soon, you’re feeling nice
and warm because the heat energy of
the hot water has been transferred to the
metal radiator and from there to the air
flowing around you.
Convection causes heat loss in your home
when cold air leaks in or warm air leaks
out.The air leaks around the edges
of windows and doors, through cracks in
floors and walls, around wall sockets and
other outside wall fittings, and around
attic hatchways.You can stop this heat loss
by plugging leaks with weather stripping
around windows and doors and by caulking
cracks and other small openings in the
outside walls of your home .
Your Home & Heat Loss
Now that you understand how heat
is lost from your home, you can
take action to prevent it. There is a
cost for insulation, weatherstripping,
and caulking but you will soon
see the energy savings dollars far
exceeding your original cost.
And your home will be warm and
comfortable as well.
Can’t afford to spend the money
to stop heat loss? Local gas
and electric utilities offer free heat
loss prevention services for the
homes of those customers living
on low income.