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In today’s economy, most Americans are trying to maintain their current standards of living within our unstable economy. We have a few examples that will help you cushion yourself a little bit.
 Attic Fans
If you do have an attic fan, you probably have already noticed the cooling and energy saving benefits. However, you may not know that the lifespan of an attic fan motor ranges from 10-15 years. Now you might be wondering, why choose to install an attic fan for my home?
The biggest reason for installing an attic fan is that it will help with heating and cooling costs. Adding an energy efficient attic fan can help cool down the hot air in your attic and keep your electric bill down during the hot summer months. An attic fan accomplishes this by circulating the air in the attic.
In addition, your attic fan can help you in the winter, too. Proper ventilation can help reduce moisture build up that often happens when the temperatures are cold. Ice build up can cause mildew and mold to spread throughout your attic. Using an attic fan can help prevent this from happening.
While there are other options for ventilation such as natural ventilation (heat rises and ridge vents on the roof allow the heat to escape, and wind pressure difference (slotted or perforated or screen at the gable ends of the home), we have found power ventilation to be the most efficient. Power ventilation has the advantage of providing good ventilation even when there is no wind to circulate the air.1
 Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans bring various energy savings to a home. On average, a ceiling fan uses as much energy as a 100watt light bulb while it is on. When the fan is used properly, it will save you money in the summer months as well as the winter months.2
In the winter months, you have to remember that warm air is lighter then cool air. The warmest air will be up near the ceiling. Your ceiling fan should be running in a counter clockwise direction (clockwise looking up at it). This will push the warm air up against the ceiling and the down the walls gently re-circulating the warm air. This technique has been proven to reduce heating costs by as much as 10%.
In the summer months, again you have to remember that the warm air is lighter and thus is at the ceiling level. Your ceiling fan should be running in a clockwise direction (counter clockwise looking up at it) keeping the cool air down at floor level. It will make the room feel cooler by circulating the air. Effective circulation can make you feel up to 8 degrees cooler and reduce your air conditioning bills by 40%.2
Location tends to be one of the most important aspects of a ceiling fan. You want to have ceiling fans in all frequently used rooms, over the areas most likely to be occupied
The size of the fan is also important. In a 12’x12’ or smaller room, look for a fan that is 36” to 42” inches. In a 12’x18’ room choose a fan that is 48”-52” inches. Finally in a room that is larger then 18’, you should use two medium size fans.
When ceiling fans are operated to supplement an air conditioning system, they can lower cooling costs by 15-35%. When they are used to replace an air conditioning system, they can save as much as 60%.3
 Light Bulbs
If every household in the US replaced ONE light bulb with a GE Energy Smart bulb we would save: 1) a combined national total of $600 million a year in energy costs and 2) enough energy to light more then 3 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more then 800,000 cars.4
Electric lighting burns up to 25% of the average home energy budget. Some of the direct benefits of using energy efficient bulbs are that they last 10 times longer and provide the same light output but use lower wattages. Compact fluorescent bulbs are 4 times more efficient and last up to 10 times loner then and use 50-80% less energy.
They are less expensive over the life of the bulb. They reduce air and water pollution, by replacing 1 bulb with a compact fluorescent will keep ½ tom of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. They provide a high quality light, giving a warm inviting light and the new bulbs do not flicker when they turn on. They are also very versatile. They fit into almost any light socket – recessed lights, table lamps, track lights, and even porch lights.
When considering making the choice to switch from incandescent to compact fluorescent there are a couple thing to consider. They are not meant to be turned off and on repeatedly because it reduces their life. Not all compact fluorescent light can be used with dimmer switches. If they are used outdoors, they should be covered or shaded from the elements.
Recycling information for Compact Fluorescent bulbs in Gloucester County can be found by visiting www.gcianj.com (Gloucester county improvement authority).
 Whole House Surge Arrestors
A whole house surge arrestor is installed at the home’s electrical panel and has the capacity to protect against large surges of up to 20,000 volts (a lightning strike). It is designed to protect switches, outlets appliance motors, circuit breaker box and all the wiring in the home. Surge arrestor pick up where surge suppressor leave off. A good suppressor can reduce the voltage down to 330 volts, where as most arrestors cannot reduce the surges much below 600 volts.3
References
- Attic ventilation for homes, B.R. Stewart
- Residential Landscape Lighting and Design 2002-2008
- Servicemaster.com 2009
- General Electric Company 1997-2009
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