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There are several things you can do around your home to lower your gas bill.
Below are some tips for reducing the amount of energy used by your gas furnace and water heater:
- Set your thermostat between 65˚ F and 70˚ F
during the winter and 58˚ F when away from the
house for four or more hours. For homes with
elderly people or children, warmer temperatures
are recommended.
- Clean or change your furnace filters once a
month during heating season.
- Have your furnace or boiler tuned by a
qualified technician once a year to help improve
your systems operating efficiency. Plus, your
furnace is one-third less likely to break down.
- DO NOT restrict airflow through the heating
system by closing hot air registers or placing
furniture or other objects in front of or over
cold air returns.
- Warm air rises, so use registers to direct
warm airflow across the floor.
- On sunny days, open draperies and blinds to
let in the suns warmth
- Close draperies and blinds at night to
insulate against cold air.
- Be sure storm windows are installed during
heating season.
- Weatherize your home with caulking and
weather-stripping to seal leaks.
- Be sure attic and basement have
recommended levels of insulation.
- After you have caulked and sealed
bypasses, adding insulation can help you reduce
energy use and save on future fuel bills.
- Avoid changing the thermostat setting
frequently.
- For greater temperature control, use a
programmable or setback thermostat.
- Hot air and return ducts in the attic or
crawl space should be covered with at least two
inches of insulation and should be as airtight
as possible.
- To reduce heat loss up the chimney, install
glass doors on fireplace and close dampers when
the fireplace is not in use.
- Make sure your wood-burning fireplace is
properly vented. Wood-burning fireplaces require
a great deal of oxygen. If you do not have an
outside air intake vent, your fireplace will
draw air from inside your house, including the
air you have paid to heat.
- Set water heater temperature to 120˚ F.
Extremely hot water can lead to scalding
accidents and also higher energy costs.
- Make sure your hot water pipes are insulated
where they pass through unheated areas.
- Flushing your water heater tank every year
or so is a wise precaution which could extend
the life of your tank by preventing the build-up
of sediment. (However, if your tank hasn't been
flushed for over five years, flushing it now and
disrupting the sediment could actually expose a
leak.)

- Replace old tank water heaters with high
efficiency models when replacing. Consider
Energy Star.
- Repair leaky faucets. A leak that fills a
coffee cup in 10 minutes wastes 3,280 gallons of
water a year.
- Install water flow restrictors in
showerheads and faucets
- Run washing machines and clothes dryers with
full loads only.
- Consider washing with cold water.
- Replace old, outdated washer and dryers with
high efficiency Energy Star models.
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