With Alaska’s long cold winters, shortcuts for energy conservation can add up on savings.
We spoke with ENSTAR’s John Sims…
Sims: “There are a bunch of little things that you can do as a homeowner, and things that I’ve done myself, if you go around to your windows and find any areas where there’s some cold air, especially in the mornings now we’re starting to drop a little bit colder, below freezing but you can go around to the windows and feel if there’s any air leakage and just put some caulk in there.”
Some of ENSTAR’s other tips:
- Install programmable thermostats that lower the home’s temperature when you’re away during the day. Set it at 65 to 70 degrees during the winter, and 60 degrees when you’re away for more than a few hours. When you leave on vacation, turn down the thermostat as well.
- Check the insulation levels in the house. It may be possible to add insulation to the attic, walls and floors.
- Keep your fireplace flue closed when the fireplace is not in use, and install glass doors on the front of the fireplace to keep room heat from going up the chimney.
- Turn down your water heater’s operating temperature to 129 degrees or less.
- Change out furnace filters each month, especially if you have pets, and make sure furnaces and water heaters are properly ventilated with no blockage.
