Making Cents of Energy

We are all aware of how fans work inside the rooms in our homes. But what about installing a fan in a room you don’t see much, such as the attic? Believe it or not, it has some benefits. Inside our homes, heat rises while cool air falls to the floor. A fan in the attic helps the rising hot air move out of the house. If you don’t have a fan to move the hot air elsewhere, your air conditioning unit will have to work harder to keep your home at a certain temperature. Without a fan, your attic can reach 150 degrees, and the heat in there makes up 20 percent of your cooling costs. Therefore, installing a fan in your attic for about $100 dollars makes perfect economic sense. Some attic fans only run when the attic reaches a certain temperature. These types of fans save even more on energy and money since they aren’t running all of the time. Attic fans are also helpful in reducing humidity in your home as well as eliminating fumes. Chances are, your attic already has vents. But does it have enough? You should have one vent per 300 square feet. The more vents, the better. When it comes to the fan, there are two basic types. One can be installed into the roof, while the other can be mounted into the wall. Roof fans are installed by cutting into the roof and adding shingles around it. A wall mounted fan is installed into a gable wall and protected by a shutter. For a small investment and a little work, you can reduce your energy bill now and for years to come by installing a fan in your attic.

Now that summer is on its way out, soon you'll probably start using your stove and oven more. Cooler temperatures outside are always good for eating warmer foods indoors. But is your stove and oven using up more energy than it’s worth? First, consider the type of oven and stove you’re using. A gas stove or oven uses less than half of the energy that an electric stove uses. For example, a gas oven set at 350 degrees for an hour costs about $.07. An electric oven at the same temperature for the same amount of time costs $.16. Neither of those numbers seem like a lot of money. But over a month, it can add up. An easy way to save energy and money when using the oven gas is to only open the door when necessary. Opening the oven door drops the interior degrees by at least 20 degrees, meaning your oven has to work harder to maintain the set temperature. It’s also a good idea to use glass or ceramic dishes when baking, as they hold heat better than metal. If you’re using glass or ceramic dishes, you can even lower the baking temperature by 25 degrees to save on energy. If you keep the oven door closed and use proper baking dishes, you can also turn off your oven about 10 minutes before it’s time to remove your dish. The oven will hold its temperature and continue to cook. While there’s no need to avoid using your stove or oven this fall, you can also consider other options for cooking a warm meal. These include a toaster oven, crockpot or the microwave. A toaster oven set at 425 degrees for 50 minutes only costs $.08, while a crockpot at 200 degrees for seven hours is $.06. And a microwave on high power for 15 minutes costs a mere $.03. Not bad, right?