Put on a sweater, you're making me cold.

The U.S. government says the average household spends over $2,200 per year in energy costs, with almost half of that going toward heating and cooling. There's not a lot you can do about cold weather if you live in the Upper Midwest, but there are a lot of things you can do to take the edge off winter heating bills.

1. Because I am my mother's daughter, I keep the thermostat at 58 degrees overnight and when we aren't home, and bump it back up to 65 or so when we are home. That's just the how it was done when I was growing up, and I continued the tradition without considering not everyone else does. In fact, some people tell me it's nuts. But our natural gas utility validates dialing down to save on energy costs, even advocating 55 degrees if you plan to be gone for several days. Minnesota's Office of Energy Security explains that for every 1 degree you adjust the thermostat down, you can save 2% of your fuel bill.
2. In The New York Times one energy industry player estimated that 80% of Americans who have programmable thermostats simply do not bother to program them because it's difficult. The Energy Star program says you can save up to $180 per year by properly programming your thermostat, and points you in the right direction on its website. Set it and forget it!
3. Let the sun shine in:  Maximize the winter sunlight and boost your indoor heat by keeping curtains or blinds open during daylight hours, then keep the heat indoors by keeping the windows covered when it's night. South-facing windows will get the best solar exposure and help brighten the house as well as warm it.

 
I think we may already be at the threshold for keeping the thermostat low in our house, but how low can you go? Who's with me at 58?

Another bright idea ...

I can't remember the last time I changed a light bulb in our house. I think I may have changed the porch light three or four years ago, but that's it -- and it's all because we switched 100% to CFLs.

Compact Fluorescent Lamps are often maligned for the color of the light they produce, the way they look, their price and their disposal requirements. Early bulbs seemed to lend a gloomy cast to a room, and the spiral shape looked awkward in exposed settings. But if you have decided that CFLs aren't for you, take another look.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, CFLs use up to 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs of similar light level, last up to 10 times longer and produce up to 90% less heat. One bulb won't make much of a difference in your electricity bill. But think about all the lights you use in your house. Over the 10-year life expectancy of one 25-watt CFL (replacing a 100-watt incandescent), you could save up to $105. That's per bulb. And if your electricity is coal-generated, using fewer watts over time means less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Enough numbers, here's why I love CFLs:

1. I can't remember the last time I changed a light bulb in the house. For real.
2. With a little experimenting, we found the right color balance, and we like it better than incandescent. Two "daylight" and one warm equal the perfect balance for reading, crafting and hanging out in the living room. We like the bluer CFLs for reading, yellower CFLs in the foyer and bedrooms. The kitchen is still a work in progress.
3. The bulbs give off little heat. In a house with no central air, this makes a huge difference in the summer.
4. CFLs come in different styles, not just the spiral, like tubes, circles, and even with casings that resemble incandescent bulbs -- and they work with our '50s vintage lamps and '30s vintage sconces.

The one downside to CFLs is getting rid of them. You cannot put them in the trash or regular recycling because they contain mercury. The lighting industry and utilities promoting CFL adoption could have done a more aggressive job of educating us on how to dispose of the bulbs, especially when they break, when the bulbs first came on the market. I made the mistake of cheerfully vacuuming up the one that broke, not realizing that is the wrong move entirely. Very detailed steps are here. They include letting the room air out, keeping people and pets away, picking up the broken pieces (using tape or damp cloth as needed), sealing the debris in a plastic bag, and taking it to the hazardous waste facility.

Using CFLs are just one step to take toward reducing your overall energy use, but it's among the simplest and easiest.

Have you made the switch?

The chill of late autumn settles in over the northern plains,

and I can hear the wild wind whistling.

Oh, wait. That's not the wild wind, that's a draft coming in through the cracks in the slanty shanty we call home. My natural gas utility tells me if I add up all the small cracks and gaps in our house, they could equal a 2-by-2 foot hole in the wall. Even worse, it could cost me up to 40% more to heat this winter.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates 10% of heat losses are from poorly-sealed windows, and another 2% is lost from uninsulated wall outlets. Sealing my home from the winter's chill is one of the simplest and most cost-effective things I can do to keep the heat where I want it, keep the bills lower, and reduce consumption of a non-renewable fuel source.

1. Take a little patience, an extra set of hands (or two), and a hair dryer to seal the deal with plastic window kits. We did this last year in the rooms we use the least, and it made a noticeable difference. Before you decide the plastic-covered windows are ugly, consider how ugly your winter heating bills can be. The living room, dining room and foyer are on the docket for this year.
2. 
   For the double-hung windows I am not using plastic on -- like the kitchen and bathroom windows -- I can use rope caulk to seal up small leaks. It's easy to press around the window edges by hand, it's easy to remove again, and it can be stored and reused if clean and flexible.
3. Foam insulating gaskets for your electrical outlets and light switch plates and safety caps to stop the air leaks. You'll want to turn off the power at the breaker box before starting this one.

It looks like my weekend is booked. More energy-saving suggestions can be found at:
http://www.mnenergychallenge.org/
http://www.energysavers.gov/

Energy Efficiency Rules!

For the next several days, I will be posting daily energy-efficiency tips and suggestions, as part of a seminar on sustainability I am taking. Please respond to any of the posts, offer suggestions, etc. All feedback will be incorporated into the final paper for this class.

Thanks for participating!