Save energy (and money) with these tips

By John Quinlan jquinlan@siouxcityjournal.com 

 As the old song goes, when the weather outside is frightful and the fire is so delightful, it’s time to crank up the heat and hope it stays comfortably warm in your home. And hopefully, you can forget about the snow, snow, snow that song is also promising.
Homeowners want to be warm, but they don’t want so spend all their money doing it. So Tina Potthoff, media relations manager for MidAmericanEnergy Company has come up with a list from MidAmerican of the Top 10 Tips to offer for no- and low-cost energy saving ideas to make homes and small businesses more energy efficient.
At the top of the list is the home energy audit, which can be done online or in-home.
“Fall seems to be a popular time (for the audit) because the weather is nice,” she said. “People are starting to think about winterizing their home, It usualy kind of comes and goes with the seasons. When we see football weather get here, people start to think, ‘OK, colder temperatures are right around the corner. So it might be time to look into some improvements to the house or some ways that we can save money on our home heating bill.’
“We just went through a very hot summer in June and July here at MidAmerican Energy. So as people are proceeding to go into the fall, I think that they are looking at the opposite, that what is winter going to be bringing?”
Some customers are very interested in making their homes more energy efficient.
“But a big percentage of our customers are interested in saving money on their next utility bill,” Potthoff said. “Sometimes it just takes small steps to make some decent savings in your energy bills. So just by following some of those small steps that we have on our website, people can save anywhere from $10 to $20 on their utility ill per month, depending on what they are implementing.
MidAmerican’s Top 10 Tips for Energy Efficiency:
1. GET IT ONLINE: Complete MidAmerican’s online home energy audit. Compare your energy use to similar homes in your area and see where your home uses the most energy. More information can be found at http://www.energyguide.com/Ha/Welcome.aspx?referrerid=93&sid=461. Customers may qualify for a free in-home energy audit under MidAmerican’s HomeCheck Program. However, there are several criteria that must be met before this audit can take place. More information can be found at http:/www.midamericanenergy.com/ee/ia_res_homecheck_onsite.aspx.
2. ROLL IT OUT: Make sure your home has adequate insulation. This includes the attic, exterior walls, floors, basement and crawl spaces. In unheated areas, be sure to insulate around furnace ducts or boiler pipes.
3. BUY IT RIGHT: Install Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulbs and appliances in your home. Energy Star light bulbs use 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs.
4. SEAL IT UP: Use weather stripping and caulk to seal air leaks and block drafts, even in basement and attic, around doors, windows, chimneys, electrical outlets and other potential areas for air leakage.
5. SET IT SMART: Keep your thermostat at 68 degrees or lower in the winter to save some green. You also can save with a programmable thermostat that automatically adjusts the temperature when you’re asleep or away.
6. WRAP IT UP: Put clear plastic sheets over the inside or outside of your windows to reduce heat loss and increase comfort. Window wrap kits, available at your hardware or home store, are an ideal choice for the job.
7. LET IT SHINE: Keep draperies, shades and blinds open on sunny winter days, especially with windows on the south side of your home.
8. TURN IT OFF: Use kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans only when necessary. Remember, moisture from cooking and bathing helps humidify your house, making it more comfortable in the winter.
9. KEEP IT CLEAR: Make sure your air registers and radiators aren’t being blocked by furniture, rugs, drapes or other objects in your home. In addition, be sure to dust or vacuum registers or radiators on a regular basis.
10. KEEP IT UP: Have your heating system serviced once a year so it runs properly and efficiently. Change your furnace filters regularly since dirty filters make the system work harder and use more energy than necessary.
MidAmerican also offers a brochure outlining all of its residential and business energy efficiency programs for someone in the process of a home repair, new equipment or appliance purchase. The brochure can be found at http://midamericanenergy.com/ee/include/pdf/ia_overview.pdf.