“What can I do today?”
Save money with small changes in your routine
Nearly everyone can reduce the amount of natural gas they use by taking a few simple and affordable steps.
- During the winter months, keep your thermostat between 65-70°. When you go to sleep for the night or leave the house, dial your thermostat down.
- Open your blinds or drapes to let the sun in on sunny winter days. At night, close them to help insulate your windows from the cold.
- Don't heat space you don't use. Close the vents and shut the doors for less-used rooms and open them up when you need them. By minimizing the space you actually heat, you can save significantly over heating your whole home.
- Warm air quickly rises out of your comfort zone, which leaves you down in the cold. Direct your heating registers so that they're blowing horizontally across the floor instead of straight up. If you have ceiling fans, set them in the summer so that you feel a breeze coming down (usually counterclockwise). In the winter, reverse the fan's direction and operate it at a low speed to bring your warm, heated air down where you need it.
- Put lids on pots when you're cooking on the stove. The contents will heat up faster and you'll use less gas.
- Fifteen percent of what you're spending on natural gas probably goes to heating water. Take shorter showers and wait for a full load before you run the clothes washer or dishwasher. Set water heater at “warm” rather than “hot,” and use a thermometer to make sure that what comes out of the tap is no more than 120 degrees.
- You may not need as much hot water as you think. For example, laundry detergents today are usually just as good at getting your clothes clean in cold water, so you can run your washing machine at lower temperatures.
“What can I do this weekend?”
- Change or clean your furnace filter. You should do this at least once per month. Clogged filters inhibit airflow and make your furnace work harder.
- Buy a water heater blanket and follow the instructions to wrap it tightly around your water heater. It's an inexpensive way to help your water heater run more efficiently.
- Reduce consumption of hot water by installing water flow restrictors on your showerheads and faucets.
- Install a programmable thermostat so that you can have the temperature dialed down automatically after you've gone to bed. You can even use it to warm your place up before you get up in the morning. Not only will it be more comfortable in your home, savings can be dramatic.
Links We Recommend
EnergyStar, a government-sponsored site, provides a fun and interactive tool that educates you on how to conserve energy in every room of your home. Each room contains a number of “stars” on items that could help cut energy costs and help conserve.
Home Energy Saver, a government site lets you conduct your own home energy audit. Enter your zip code to find out about average homes in your area and the difference in cost between an energy efficient home and a regular home. Answer the questions and find out exactly how much you could save.
This tip sheet provides you with plenty of useful conservation tips that range from no-cost to those that require a financial commitment.
Keep Warm Illinois is a state-sponsored site designed to provide helpful tips for conserving energy in homes. Along with the list of tips for each section of your home is a video that both shows and explains how to conserve energy in that particular part of the house.
For more detailed conservation tips, visit our resource page.