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Save Money and Stay Warm
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By Dave Rongey
Summary: Keep your energy bill and your pollution output low this winter by taking a whole-house approach to heating. Start with setting your thermostat as low as is comfortable. |
This Winter, Save Money and Stay Warm
A programmable thermostat can help by adjusting the temperature according to your schedule-it can cut back heating at night, for instance, and turn it up again before you rise in the morning.
It's also important to weatherize your home—caulk and weather strip any doors and windows that leak air. Make sure your equipment is properly maintained and cleaned, and that furnace filters are replaced regularly.
Finally, insulation is inadequate in many homes. Check the insulation in your attic, ceilings, exterior and basement walls, floors, and crawl spaces to see if it meets the levels recommended for your area.
Check out Heating and Cooling for more tips.
Heating and Cooling Your HomeHeating and cooling your home uses more energy and drains more energy dollars than any other system in your home. Typically, 45% of your utility bill goes for heating and cooling. What's more, heating and cooling systems in the United States together emit 150 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, adding to global climate change. They also generate about 12% of the nation's sulfur dioxide and 4% of the nitrogen oxides, the chief ingredients in acid rain. |
No matter what kind of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system you have in your house, you can save money and increase your comfort by properly maintaining and upgrading your equipment. But remember, an energy-efficient furnace alone will not have as great an impact on your energy bills as using the whole-house approach. By combining proper equipment maintenance and upgrades with appropriate insulation, air sealing, and thermostat settings, you can cut your energy use for heating and cooling, and reduce environmental emissions, from 20% to 50%. Heating and Cooling Tips
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The Safest Way to Test Electrical Devices and Identify Electric Wires!The Non-Contact Electrical TesterThis is a testing tool that I have had in my personal electrical tool pouch for years, and is the first test tool I grab to help identify electrical wiring. It is a Non-contact tester that I use to easily Detect Voltage in Cables, Cords, Circuit Breakers, Lighting Fixtures, Switches, Outlets and Wires. Simply insert the end of the tester into an outlet, lamp socket, or hold the end of the tester against the wire you wish to test. Very handy and easy to use.
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