How can I save on my home energy consumption?

For example, cleaning the condenser tubes of refrigerators and removing scale from water heater tanks will keep them running at optimal efficiency. Additionally, properly insulating the roof area prevents icicles from forming on the roof in the winter or absorbing too much heat in the summer so that heat is not lost and air conditioning is not used as much. In this article, we will cover which appliances or areas of your home should be cleaned and inspected regularly so that energy is not wasted. We'll also explain how you can save water by installing faucet vents and making other small adjustments without drastically changing your lifestyle. Below we will present some guidance on how to save you money by cleaning regularly. Regular Cleaning of Refrigerator Condensate TubesThe spinning tubes at the bottom and back of your refrigerator attract dust. Refrigerant is charged into the condenser tube and circulates through it while a fan blows room air through it. The flowing air carries away the heat generated by the refrigerant inside the condenser tube. When the fan draws air in from under the refrigerator, it also brings in dust and dirt, which can get on the condenser tube. If the condenser tube hasn't been cleaned in a while, you'll find it surprisingly dirty if you remove the cover plate from the lower part of the front of the refrigerator. In addition to being unsightly, the dust that adheres to the condenser tube has an insulating effect, making it difficult for the fan to efficiently remove the heat. Vacuuming the refrigerator condenser tube a few times a year with a vacuum cleaner and a long brush will help the refrigerator run at peak efficiency. Also, don't place your refrigerator against a wall to improve its energy efficiency by ensuring air circulation behind it, and likewise, don't place it in direct sunlight or next to heat sources such as electric heaters or stoves. In terms of energy-saving tips, the financial benefits are negligible compared to the effort required to clean the condenser tube at the bottom of the refrigerator. But even from a sanitation standpoint alone, it's a worthwhile endeavor. Replacement Furnace FilterThe filter on your forced-air furnace plays a very important role in your home. It filters out tiny bits of dust, dirt and debris from the airflow as it passes through the furnace. This not only improves the quality of the air, but it also protects the inside of the furnace (as well as the air conditioner evaporator coil, if there is one). Without a furnace filter installed, dirt can collect in the back of the heat exchanger and inside the evaporator coil. This dirt acts as an insulator and prevents efficient heat transfer between the furnace (or air conditioner cooler) and the airflow through it. And furnace filters also slow down airflow through the furnace, especially if the filter is dirty. The best way to keep your furnace running at peak efficiency is to keep the inside of the filter clean. As a homeowner, this is one of the best maintenance measures you can take for your furnace. You can buy filters in bulk and replace them every 30 to 45 days, or vacuum them out at the same intervals. People with pets will find that furnace filters need to be replaced or cleaned more frequently because pets produce dander, hair, dirt and bring in dust from outdoors. Keep in mind that in most homes with central air conditioning systems, the role of the furnace blower is to cool and dehumidify during the summer. Therefore, air still passes through the furnace and furnace filter during these months. This makes it clear why homes with central air conditioning systems also need to have their filters replaced or cleaned in the summer, and at about the same intervals as in the winter. The freer the air flows through the furnace, the more capable it is of heating or cooling your home while consuming less energy. Tuning Up Heating or Cooling Equipment Systems such as furnaces, cookers and air conditioners have mechanical moving parts in addition to electric components. After a period of time, these components may become less flexible, meaning they need to be lubricated and cleaned. Just like a car, all of the components of your heating and cooling equipment are tuned up to run optimally and work in concert with each other. Tune-ups for heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, especially newer, more complex systems, should only be performed by professionally trained service personnel with specialized tune-up equipment. How often should a tune-up be performed? For fuel systems, the recommended service interval is one year. Air conditioning systems, gas-fired heaters and boilers should be checked at least every two years. Just as a tune-up on a car will increase gas mileage, a tune-up on a heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit will make the unit run more efficiently and will extend the life of the components. Clean Heating For hot water heating and electric heating systems, heating convectors and radiators will only operate at peak efficiency if they are kept clean. These systems rely on airflow through those ducts or the numerous radiators around the heating element. Obstructed airflow (whether it's due to accumulated dust and dirt, or to coverings on the top or bottom of the heating elements) can reduce the performance of the entire system. As with forced-air furnaces, free-flowing air is essential to obtaining higher efficiency and realizing energy savings. Removing or opening up the covering around the heating convector reveals the heat sinks, which are responsible for distributing the hot water in the ducts or the heat generated by the heating elements. Use a vacuum and brush to clean the fins, and if any are bent, straighten them to ensure effective air circulation and therefore effective heat transfer between them and the air. Check the ducts for leaks during the annual cleaning Duct sealing: keeping the ducts free of dirt will help send hot and cold air evenly into each room. Scheduling an annual cleaning also provides an opportunity to check for leaks. Here's a surprising statistic: Professional heating, ventilation and air conditioning organizations estimate that 25 percent of the air in a shoddily installed forced-air duct system leaks out and doesn't get where it's supposed to go. In other words, some ductwork leaks 25 percent of the airflow passing through it. Such leaks can occur in corners, slot gaps, duct threaded joints, or at the roof - in short, you're not getting all the hot and cold air you've purchased. The solution to duct leaks is to seal them up. While using a product called duct tape to do this sounds great, regular duct tape is actually not very good for sealing ducts. Cloth duct tape loses its adhesive properties when exposed to heat, and the tape gradually loosens and eventually falls off the pipe. A product better suited for this job is canned duct sealing latex, which can be purchased at heating stores, hardware stores, and home supply centers. To use duct latex, you need to put on gloves, reach into the can of latex, scoop out some latex, and then apply it around any individual duct joints you can find. The latex is about as thick as pancake batter, and once it has set, it will stick firmly to the pipe and it will never leak. In most forced-air heating and cooling systems, there are plenty of opportunities for you to improve duct performance, such as loose assembly joints and small and large gaps that should be sealed as soon as possible. After the sealing job is done, the diverter vanes in the ducts (if installed) may need to be reinstalled and cleaned, as air that was supposed to go to a specific area can now finally flow through. The result could be that a room that was cold suddenly becomes the hottest room in the entire house. Additionally, the furnace or air conditioning compressor will run differently than usual when the air conditioning air flows to where it was supposed to go. Also, duct sealing latex is not expensive and takes very little time to seal the ducts, but the results are very noticeable. Duct packing: after getting the ducts sealed, it's time to figure out how to better enhance the performance of your air delivery system. Those ducts that pass through unheated slots or top floors should be wrapped in insulation, as it is a complete waste for the ducts to give off heat or send cold air in these areas, but if that heat or cold air can be retained, the furnace or air conditioner doesn't need to run as aggressively so it can effectively regulate the temperature of the room. There are two types of insulation for ducts: packaged and sheathed. Sheathing styles are more effective because they have fewer gaps, but they require temporary disassembly of the ducts to put them on. Maintaining Air Conditioning with Clear Air Lines The job of an air conditioning system is to move refrigerant from indoors to outdoors. Inside the furnace evaporator coil, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the air flowing through the airbox. Next, the refrigerant is sucked out and flows into a heat transfer device called a condenser. The condenser coil is similar to the water tank in an automobile. As the refrigerant flows through the small tubes of the condenser coil, thin metal heat sinks connected to these small tubes draw heat from the refrigerant. A fan inside the condenser blows air through all the small fins and tubes, accelerating the transfer of heat from the refrigerant to the outside air. But this part of airflow cooling is only possible if the path to the compressor is unobstructed. Objects such as ornamental plants, ivy, mulch, or benches placed above and around the compressor can prevent airflow from moving freely through the system, thus reducing the efficiency of heat transfer. So, in order not to waste the money you spend on your air conditioner, it is best to keep the outside of the compressor components free of obstacles that are close to them. Since the airflow through the condenser is very important for the efficient operation of your central air conditioning system, it is important to carefully inspect the outside of the condenser components from time to time. Thin metal heat sinks are fragile and can bend if they are touched by something, such as a baseball, lawn mower tire, or the edge of a rake. Inexpensive "radiator combs," available at heating stores and home improvement centers, can straighten multiple rows of bent fins in a single pass. Cleaning isn't the only way you can improve the energy efficiency of your home. In the next section, we'll discuss more effective water-saving strategies.