Energy Saving Tips

The largest electricity consumption in most homes is on lighting. Lighting a typical home uses more electricity than cooking, running a dishwasher, or using a clothes dryer. Increasing your lighting efficiency is one of the fastest ways to decrease your energy bills. If you replace 25% of your lights in high-use areas with fluorescent's, you can save about 50% of your lighting energy bill.

Indoor Lighting Tips

Compact fluorescent bulbs are four times more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs and provide the same lighting.

Turn off the lights in any room you're not using, or consider installing timers, photo cells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
Use task lighting; instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it. For example, use fluorescent under-cabinet lighting for kitchen sinks and countertops under cabinets.
Use 4-foot fluorescent fixtures with reflective backing and electronic ballasts for your workroom, garage, and laundry areas.
Consider using 4-watt mini-fluorescent or electro-luminescent night lights. Both lights are much more efficient than their incandescent counterparts. The luminescent lights are cool to the touch.
Use CFLs in all the portable table and floor lamps in your home. Consider carefully the size and fit of these systems when you select them. Some home fixtures may not accommodate some of the larger CFLs.
When shopping for new light fixtures, consider buying dedicated compact fluorescent fixtures with built-in ballasts that use pin-based replacement bulbs.
Take advantage of daylight by using light-colored, loose-weave curtains on your windows to allow daylight to penetrate the room while preserving privacy. Also, decorate with lighter colors that reflect daylight.

Heating and Cooling

Heating and cooling your home uses more energy and drains more energy dollars than any other system in your home. Typically, 44% of your utility bill goes for heating and cooling.

No matter what kind of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system you have in your house, you can save money and increase 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, weatherization, and thermostat settings, you can cut your energy bills and your pollution output in half.

Consider installing an energy-efficient heat pump. Heat pumps are the most efficient form of electric heating, providing three times more heating than the equivalent amount of energy they consume in electricity. There are three types of heat pumps: air-to-air, water source, and ground source. They collect heat from the air, water, or ground outside your home and concentrate it for use inside. Heat pumps do double duty as a central air conditioner. They can also cool your home by collecting the heat inside your house and effectively pumping it outside. A heat pump can trim the amount of electricity you use for heating as much as 30% to 40%.

You may receive tax credits for installation of energy efficient heating and cooling systems, windows, insulation, etc. Click here for more information on tax credits for 2011.

Water Heating

Water heating is the third largest energy expense in your home. It typically accounts for about 14% of your utility bill.

There are four ways to cut your water heating bills: use less hot water, turn down the thermostat on your water heater, insulate your water heater, and buy a new, more efficient water heater. A family of four, each showering for 5 minutes a day, uses 700 gallons of water a week; this is enough for a 3-year supply of drinking water for one person. You can cut that amount in half simply by using low-flow aerating showerheads and faucets.

Dakota Energy carries Marathon Water Heaters with a LIFETIME Warranty. This high-efficiency water heater has at least two inches of polyurethane foam insulation around the entire tank - top, bottom, and sides! This insulation helps store the heat and adds to the efficiency of the heater.

Some information provided by, and additional information available by contacting:

ENERGY STAR®, (888) STAR-YES (782-7937)
U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse (EREC), (800) DOE-EREC (363-3732), and Network.
Owens Corning Customer Service Hotline, (800) GET-PINK (438-7465)
Service Concepts, (877) 738-6824