Energy Conservation Tips

Consider changing the temperature you set your thermostat to.

• In the winter, set your thermostat a few degrees lower, so that it is just a bit colder in your house than you would normally have set it to and in the summer, set your thermostat a few degrees higher, so that it is just a bit warmer than normal. (According to the U.S. Department of Energy, "You can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply turning your thermostat back 7°-10°F for 8 hours a day from its normal setting. The percentage of savings from setback is greater for buildings in milder climates than for those in more severe climates")
• Turn the thermostat down when you are away from home

Consider installing a programmable or wifi/smart thermostat.

This will make it easier to control the temperature of your home because these thermostats allow you to set temperature levels for specific times of the day.

Note that there are a few different types of programmable thermostats:

• 7-day programmable thermostat:
  • Allows you to set a separate/unique schedule for each of the 7 days of the week.
• 5-2 day programmable thermostat:
  • Allows you to set two separate/unique schedules: One for the weekends and a separate schedule that repeats across each of the 5 week days.
• 5-1-1 day programmable thermostat: Allows you to set one schedule that repeats for each of the 5 weekdays, and a unique schedule for Saturday, and unique schedule for Sunday.
  
  
• Wi-Fi/Smart thermostat:
  • This type of thermostat allows you to adjust your thermostat settings remotely from your phone via a thermostat-specific phone app. 

THERMOSTAT REBATES: 

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A good building envelope

• Insulation:
  • Insulation significantly helps reduce the amount of air that transfers from inside to outside your house, and vise versa. This is why making sure your attic has enough insulation can be one of the easiest, most cost-effective, energy efficiency projects you can complete, since heat rises. You can assess your current insulation levels to see if they meet recommended levels. Check the insulation in your attic, ceilings, exterior and basement walls, floors and crawl spaces to see if it meets the recommended levels for the Holyoke area that are listed on this Energy Star webpage. Insulation is measured in R-values; the higher the R-value, the better your walls and roof will resist the transfer of heat. Consider factors such as your climate, building design and budget when selecting insulation R-value,
• Air sealing:
  • Air leaks are among the greatest sources of energy loss in a home. Save energy and money by weatherstripping doors and windows and by having a contractor come and seal any additional leaks in your home.
• Duct Sealing:
  • Many duct systems are poorly insulated, or are not insulated properly. Ducts that leak heated or cooled air into spaces that are not heated or cooled (i.e. unconditioned spaces), such as crawlspaces, can add hundreds of dollars per year to your heating and cooling bills, so insulating them is usually very cost effective. Although minor duct repairs are easy to accomplish, ducts in unconditioned spaces should be sealed and insulated by qualified professionals using appropriate sealing materials. For minor repairs, look for duct sections that should be joined but have separated, and then look for obvious holes. If you use duct tape to repair and seal your ducts, look for tape with the Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) logo. For cooling ducts, be sure that a well-sealed vapor barrier exists on the outside of the insulation to prevent moisture build up.

Weatherization Hack:

• Lay rugs down for additional insulation!

Weatherization Incentives:

• Keep the fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning so conditioned air does not escape from your house. 

COMPARE THE COSTS TO HEAT WITH VARIOUS TYPES OF SPACE HEATING SYSTEM OPTIONS.

• Click here for our chart that compares the cost to heat with various heating fuel and system types in Holyoke.
• Efficiency Maine also has a great heating cost calculator tool you can use to compare heating system and fuel types. (When using the calculator, keep in mind HG&E’s average residential electric rate (as of January 2023) is $0.15/kWh and our average natural gas rate during the 2021/22 heating season was $1.41/therm.

CONSIDER INSTALLING HEAT PUMPS AND MINI-SPLITS.

Heat pumps and mini-split systems are a highly efficient, electric heating and cooling system type that is becoming more and more popular in Holyoke due to recent advancements in the technology. They are often roughly around 300% efficient (in heating mode). Mini-splits specifically are generally more efficient than a central air conditioner as well. 

• To learn more about heat pumps and mini-splits: Click here for our heat pump education webpage.
• Heat pump and mini-split rebates and incentives: Click here for our webpage that lists the various incentives available for heat pumps and minisplits.
  
  

• Keep the fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning so conditioned air does not escape from your house. 

It’s important to maintain your heating and cooling systems so they operate more efficiently.

Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as needed, and clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters and radiators periodically, making sure that they are not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes. Also consider having your heating system inspected/maintained/cleaned annually by a professional HVAC company (or HG&E!). HG&E services gas heating equipment as well as gas and electric water heaters but does not install them. To schedule equipment service with HG&E, please contact the HG&E Service Center to schedule an appointment at 413-536-9400 ext. 1 between 8:00 am – 3:00 pm Monday-Friday. (Service fees apply).

When sunlight enters a house, it can supply the house with a significant amount of heat.

So, open the window coverings (i.e. curtains, etc) on your south-facing windows during the day to naturally heat your home using the sun. Shut all of your windows at night so that it reduces the amount of warm air escaping from your house at night.

Consider purchasing thermal curtains for your windows.

Thermal curtains are a bit thicker than normal curtains and provide additional insulation. If it feels cold near your windows in the winter, adding thermal curtains can help keep the cold out.

Window Hack:

Tips for your holiday Lights

• Be sure to choose energy efficient LED holiday lights
• Set your lights on a timer

More people = more body heat

If you are hosting, consider turning down your heat.

• Turn your AC off when you are away:
  • Based on a study conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Boulder, in general, turning off your air conditioner when you are not home (during a typical 8-hour work day) uses less electricity than keeping it running all day. Click here for the full article with more information.
• Replace or clean your air conditioner filter regularly so it operates more efficiently
• Use fans instead of your AC

Unplug electronics and appliances that you are not using and consider using a power strip to make it easier.

• In the kitchen:
  • Coffee Maker
  • Interior Night Light
  • Clock
• In the Office:
  
  • Computer
  • Cable modem
• In the Living Room:
  
  • Cable box with DVR
  • Game console
  • Smart TV
• In the Basement:
  
  • Cordless power tool
  • Musical Instrument

Use kitchen and bathroom fans wisely

In just one hour, they can pull out a house full of warmed or cooled air.

review the energy guide label to determine how much energy the new appliance is going to use annually

 Many appliances have a yellow Energy Guide label, which lists estimated annual energy use, so different models can more easily be compared.

Consider choosing appliances that are Energy Star certified

Energy Star certified appliances use less energy than their non-certified counterparts. It’s recommended to look up the model number of the new appliance on the Energy Star website, energystar.gov, to make sure the new appliance is indeed listed as Energy Star certified. Energy Star certified appliances are more efficient than appliances that meet the minimal requirements for energy efficiency that are set by the federal government. The federal government does require many appliances to include an Energy Guide label, which is yellow, and which lists the estimated amount of energy the appliance will use each year. But, this is different than the Energy Star Certification. So, just because an appliance has a yellow Energy Guide label, this does not mean that the appliance is Energy Star Certified. You can look the model up on the Energy Star website, energystar.gov, to confirm whether the model is indeed Energy Star Certified.

Rebates for energy efficient appliances

HG&E offers a variety of rebates for qualifying, energy efficient appliances. Visit our appliance rebates webpage for information on rebates that are currently available. 

determine how much energy the appliance is estimated to use annually

Make sure to look for the Energy Guide label to see how much energy the appliance is estimated to use annually.

consider purchasing an energy star certified appliance instead

Energy Star certified appliances use less energy than their non-certified counterparts. If you are interested in purchasing an Energy Star appliance, be sure to check that the appliance is indeed Energy Star certified by looking up the model number on the Energy Star website. Just because it has an Energy Guide label does not confirm the appliance is Energy Star certified.

rebates for washers and dryers:

Visit our appliance rebates webpage for more information on rebates available for qualifying energy efficient clothes washers and dryers.

• Approximately 80-85% of your washing machine’s energy use goes towards heating the water. Therefore, you can reduce your energy use by washing full loads with cooler water and cold-water detergent. In fact, simply switching the setting from hot to warm can cut energy use in half!

clean your lint filter regularly

Cleaning your lint filter after every load will increase air circulation and help make sure your dryer vent is not blocked which will help keep energy use down because your dryer will not have to work as hard to circulate air. Plus, it is much safer to clean filters regularly.

try not to over-dry your clothes

Instead, use a cool-down cycle to allow clothes to finish drying with residual heat.

hang your clothes up outside

If its nice out, consider hanging your clothes outside to dry to avoid using the dryer altogether.

• In general, match the size of the pan to the burner that you are using.
• Cover your pan when boiling water – it will save energy and make the water boil faster.
• For small meals, use small electric pans or toaster ovens rather than your large stove or oven; a toaster oven uses half to a third as much energy as a full-sized oven.
• Use pressure cookers and microwaves to save energy by significantly reducing cooking time.

• If you need to purchase a gas oven or stove, look for one with an automatic, electric ignition system. An electric ignition saves gas because a pilot light is not burning continuously.
• In gas appliances, look for blue flames; yellow flames indicate that the gas is burning insufficiently, and an adjustment may be needed. If you have yellow flames, consult the manufacturer or contact the HG&E Service Center to schedule an appointment (service fees apply).

• Keep range-top burners and reflectors clean; they will reflect the heat better, saving you energy.
• Turn your oven and stovetop burners off a few minutes before the allotted cooking time as the heating element will stay hot long enough to finish cooking without using more electricity.

Refrigerators are among the most energy intensive appliances in a home, but with a few steps, you can keep your energy costs to a minimum.

• Keep your refrigerator temperature at 37 to 40°F for the fresh food compartment and 5°F for the freezer. Long-term storage freezers should be kept at 0°F.
• Frost build-up decreases efficiency, so regularly defrost manual defrost refrigerators and freezers according to manufacturers’ recommendations.
• Replace your refrigerator door seals if they are not airtight
• Cover liquids and wrap foods – uncovered foods release moisture and make the condenser work harder.
• Move your refrigerator out from the wall and vacuum its condenser coils once per year unless you have a no-clean condenser model.

• Most of a dishwasher’s energy usage is attributable to water heating. Therefore, you should refer to your manual for the recommended temperature – many dishwashers have internal heating elements that can and should be decreased to 115°F.
• Don’t rinse your dishes before loading, just scrape them instead. (Prewashing is generally only recommended in cases of burned-on or dried-on food.)
• Be sure to always run a full load, but don’t overload
• Let your dishes air dry
• Don’t use the “rinse hold” on your machine for just a few soiled dishes – it uses three to seven gallons of water each time you use it!

LED lightbulbs use a lot less energy than older, more traditional types of lightbulbs. LED lights are about 90% more efficient than incandescent lights and 80% more efficient than CFLs. (consumerenergyalliance.org)

LEDs vs CFLs

• CFLs are a common outdoor lightbulb type. LEDs are more expensive than CFLs but LED lights use less energy and last three to five times longer than CFLs. In fact, because of the payback associated with LED lights, HG&E has converted all 4,000 of its streetlights in the City of Holyoke to LEDs.  Learn more about this LED Streetlights initiative.

How Long do Different Types of Lightbulbs Last?

• A good quality LED bulb can last 3-5 times longer than a CFL, 30 times longer than incandescent, and 5 times longer than traditional halogen bulbs (org & energy.gov)

• Use task lighting: Instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focusing the light where you need it. Also, consider three-way lamps as they make it easier to keep lighting levels low when brighter light is not needed.
• Turn off the lights in any room that you are not using.
• Consider installing timers, photocells, or occupancy sensors in order to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
• Evaluate your current lightbulbs to see whether they are LEDs, or to determine what their wattage is. 

Use Energy.Gov's Calculator to Help You Estimate How Much Your Lightbulbs costs to operate each year 

To get an idea of how much electricity and money you will save for converting a specific lightbulb, all you have to do is find the wattage of your current lightbulb and the wattage of the new lightbulb you are considering. Then, you can plug those two numbers into energy.gov’s calculator to determine how much each costs to operate each year. When using the calculator, it will ask you for your electric rate. HG&E’s average residential electric rate is $0.15/kWh.

How to do the math used in the energy.gov calculator by hand:
1. Subtract the wattage of the new light from the wattage of the old light. (Ex. 60 watts – 10 watts)
2. Determine about how many hours per year you use the light.
3. Multiply the # of hours from step 2 to the # watts from step 1.
4. Divide by 1000 to get the average annual kWh savings.
5. Multiple by HE’s average residential electric rate, which is $0.15/kWh

EXAMPLE: The new LED lightbulb you are considering is 10 watts, and your current incandescent lightbulb is 60 watts. You use the light roughly every day for 4 hours. Therefore, you will save roughly 73 kWh per year or $10.95/year.

Annual kWh savings = ((60 watts – 10 watts) * (4 hours per day) * (365 days per year))
(1000 watts)

Often, when domestic hot water heating systems are installed, they are set to maintain a temperature of 140 degrees, by default.

However, according to energy.gov, "most households usually only require them to be set at 120ºF"..."Set too high, or at 140ºF, your water heater can waste anywhere from $36 to $61 annually in standby heat losses. "

So, consider checking what temperature your water heater is set to, and consider setting it to 120 degrees.

Efficiency Maine's water heating cost calculator  can help you compare the costs to heat with your current water heater against other water heating system types. When using the calculator, you will need to adjust the costs for energy, and can also adjust the efficiency rating of the water heater, etc. See below for our electric and gas rates:

• Average residential electric rate (as of January 2023): $0.15/kWh
• Average natural gas rate (from November 2021 – October 2022): $1.33/therm

• Consider taking shorter showers
• Wash your clothes in cold water

• Rebates: Click here for our appliance rebates webpage for more information on rebates available for hot water heating systems.
• Other Incentives: HG&E’s Residential Energy Conservation Program (RECP) provides financial assistance at 0% interest for the implementation of qualifying energy efficient domestic hot water heating systems. Financial assistance is repayable over a period of up to five years and repayment charges are conveniently placed on your HG&E monthly bill. If you are a commercial customer, check out our Commercial Energy Conservation Program webpage. 

When performing a simple audit yourself, some of the things that you should look for are your home’s insulation levels, open fireplace dampers, holes or cracks around doors, light and plumbing fixtures, and other places where air may leak in and out of your home.  If insulation does not meet levels recommended for your area, you should consider adding additional insulation. Because heat rises, increasing the amount of insulation in attics that have little to no insulation can be one of the most cost-effective energy efficiency improvements.  Furthermore, you should seal any areas that have substantial air leakage.  Your appliances and heating and cooling systems should be checked to ensure that they are being properly maintained. By studying your family’s lighting needs and patterns you can make informed decisions about when to turn off lights when to replace with more efficient lights.