Energy savings can add up fast with these simple, cost-effective projects.

Whether you live in a new house or an old one, you can do some things to reduce your energy bills. The things you do now are permanent; they pay dividends this year and every year after. And these are the easy things to do. They don’t cost a lot of money and their combined total payback can be huge–depending on the condition of your house, up to 20 percent or more. There are other things you can to, too: Seal up all the energy-wasting cracks in your house envelope by caulking around windows and doors; insulate duct work in unheated spaces; replace your old refrigerator with a new energy-efficient model (but don’t keep the old one to cool a six-pack in the garage).

Start at the top.
Insulation is your primary defense against heat loss through the house envelope. Adding insulation to an unheated attic is easier than insulating existing walls and is likely to have a greater impact on comfort and energy use. If there is no floor in the attic, simply add more insulation between the ceiling beams, either loose-fill or unfaced fiberglass batts. In Michigan, install 12 to 15 inches of fiberglass or cellulose insulation in the attic floor. If you do it yourself, make sure you read up on correct installation practices.

Materials that could be damaged by moisture, such as fiberglass batts and cellulose, should never be used to insulate a basement. Interior basement insulation should start with rigid foam installed against the basement walls. If you are considering finishing your basement and using it as a living space, seek the advice of an experienced professional.

If you have a crawl space, it should be sealed, not ventilated. To do this, use thick polyethylene sheeting (6 millimeter thickness) as a moisture barrier to cover the ground and seal tightly to walls and columns. Then use rigid foam to insulate foundation walls.

Cover the glass.
When properly installed, window shades can be one of the simplest and most effective window treatments for saving energy. Shades should be mounted as close to the glass as possible with the sides of the shade held close to the wall to establish a sealed air space. You should lower shades on sunlit windows in the summer. Shades on the south side of a house should be raised in the winter during the day, then lowered during the night.

For greater efficiency, use dual shades—highly reflective (white) on one side and heat absorbing (dark) on the other side—that can be reversed with the seasons. The reflective side should always face the warmest side: outward during the cooling season and inward during the heating season.
Quilted roller shades, and some types of Roman shades, feature several layers of fiber batting and sealed edges. These shades act as both insulation and air barrier. They control air infiltration more effectively than other soft window treatments, but even heavy drapes will help.

Several manufacturers have designed two- or three-cell pleated or cellular shades with dead air spaces, which increase their insulating value.

Re-lamp with a twist.
Incandescent lamps (or “bulbs”) are the most common lighting type in American homes, available in all shapes and sizes. The problem with incandescent lamps is that they are a very inefficient technology; only 10 percent of the electricity they use is actually converted into usable light – the rest is wasted as heat.

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are becoming increasingly popular as a highly efficient alternative to standard incandescent bulbs. A single 20-watt CFL will provide the same amount of light as a 75-watt incandescent light bulb and last up to seven times longer. Because CFLs use less energy and last longer, you will save up to several times their purchase price each year through reduced electricity bills and fewer replacement bulbs.

Models on the market today are comparable in light quality to incandescent lamps and are easily compatible with standard screw-in lamp fixtures of several common styles. ENERGY STAR® qualified CFLs ensure the highest performance and reliability. For the best compatibility with standard-size screw-in fixtures, look for the spiral-shaped mini sub-compact fluorescent lamps, which are much smaller than conventional CFLs and are available for $1-4 each.

Dial down.
You can easily save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to 68 F while you’re awake, and setting it lower while you’re asleep or away from home. By turning your thermostat back 10 to 15 degrees for 8 hours, you can save about 5 to 15 percent a year on your heating bill—a savings of as much as 1 percent for each degree of setback for each 8-hour period.

In summer, follow the same strategy with central air conditioning by keeping your house warmer than normal when you are away, and lowering the thermostat setting to 78 F (26 C) only when you are at home and need cooling. Sure, thermostats can be adjusted manually, but programmable thermostats avoid discomfort by returning temperatures to normal as you wake or return home.

It’s a misconception that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. Years of research have shown that fuel required to reheat a building to a comfortable temperature is roughly equal to the fuel saved as the building drops to the lower temperature. You save fuel between the time the temperature stabilizes at a lower level and the next time heat is needed.

Wrap your water heater.
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy recommends that, if your electric water heater was installed before 2004, you install an insulating jacket over your gas or electric water heater, especially if your water heater is in an unheated space. The insulating jacket, widely available for around $10, will reduce heat lost through the tank’s walls by 25 to 40 percent, saving 4 to 9 percent on your water heating bills. Follow directions carefully when installing one.

After you insulate the tank, move on to the pipes that carry the hot water to faucets around the house. Insulating hot water pipes will reduce losses as the hot water is flowing to your faucet and, more importantly, it will reduce standby losses when the tap is turned off and then back on within an hour or so.

Keep the water heater thermostat set at the lowest temperature that gives you sufficient hot water. For most households, 120 F water is fine (about midway between the “low” and “medium” setting). Each 10 F reduction in water temperature will generally save 3 to 5 percent on your water heating costs. When you are going away on vacation, you can turn the thermostat down to the lowest possible setting, or turn the water heater off altogether for additional savings.

Sources: American Center for an Energy Efficient Economy ; ENERGY STAR® ; Touchstone Energy ; U.S. Department of Energy/Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy