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Heating and Cooling: Full Stories

Meet Bernhard A.

I have taken the condensation discharge from our central air conditioning unit, which was routed to a sink drain, and recovered the water, which we then use to water our garden and plants. We recover about 2-3 gallons a day, which was just going "down the drain". I changed the thermostat to a programmable thermostat so it only runs when we’re home. We set our thermostat to 76 degrees when we’re home, to save even more.

- Bernhard A.

Meet Rhona D.

I use solar powered outdoor lighting including lights on the patio which are bright enough to sit and have conversation with family and friends. I keep window coverings closed during the summer to keep the house cooler, and open in the winter to warm the house instead of heating. Also, I run the dishwasher and clothes washing equipment when full loads are ready to use less water. I make sure to replace the filters in my HVAC equipment monthly.

- Rhona D.

Meet Marty M.

I have had insulation blown into my attic and have added 4 inches of insulation underneath my home. I purchased an ENERGY STAR qualified side-by-side refrigerator and clothes washer. Any appliance we purchase is ENERGY STAR rated. I had double insulated windows installed and I have ENERGY STAR bulbs in my kitchen, den, and living rooms.

- Marty M.

Meet Jay C

I insulated my garage door with rigid foam and a reflective coating. Now the garage does not go below 40 degrees even in sub-zero days, the room above does not take as much energy to heat, and there was a reduction in sound intrusion. I also installed sun shades on the deck which reduced the temperature in the house, installed insulating curtains on southern exposure windows which reduced the radiant heat on the south side of the house during summer, and installed zoned heating on the furnace system. I’ve installed reflective film in the attic to help reduce radiant heat intrusion, and I’m waiting to see the benefits, but the attic temperature is definitely lower after installation.

- Jay C

Meet Justin

Since my fiancé and I are still renters, sealing leaks and purchasing new appliances are not options for us to help save energy. Instead we have made small, but rewarding, changes around our apartment. To keep the apartment cool without turning the air conditioning on we close the blinds during the day to block the sunlight coming in through the glass and open windows in the evening when we get home to get a breeze. Every time a light bulb has burnt out we replace it with a CFL bulb. We turn the AC off during the day and unplug lamps, TVs, and other appliances (coffee pot, toaster, computer, etc.) while they're not in use. We have a 1,200 sq. ft. apartment and we've managed to keep our utility bill between $50 and $65 for three months now.

- Justin

Meet Sarah

Our house is only 10-years-old, very well insulated, and has double pane windows. Last fall, when we had our annual air conditioning maintenance done, we found out we needed a new compressor. We had the repairs done, and around the same time we decided to readjust our programmable thermostat. We changed the daytime temperature from 78 to 80 degrees and the evening temperature from 73 to 77 degrees. We began running the ceiling fan in the bedroom at night to compensate. A couple of months later, we discovered we actually cut our electric bill by nearly half! What great savings. We are very happy!

- Sarah

Meet Orlena

One change I made to save energy was to have my utility company install a programmable thermostat. It is programmed to save energy while we are sleeping and during the day while we are away from home.

- Orlena

Meet William O.

I have switched out all of the bulbs in my home to CFLs except for my outside flood lights. So today Georgia Power reminded me that in honor of Earth Day, I should go ahead and switch those out as well. I believe that doing little things around your home are very important steps towards helping to preserve the environment. I have made recycling an activity my children and I do together to teach them the importance of being conscious of our environment. I have switched all my appliances to ENERGY STAR models and installed a programmable thermostat after I learned how much money they can save me and they make my carbon footprint a little smaller. Additional things about my home that are energy efficient are my HVAC unit that is only 5 years old and I keep it maintained. I have the recommended insulation throughout my home to act as an additional barrier for heating and cooling. I have double paned windows to help with that also. I have recently switched to green cleaning products that are biodegradable and safer for my home and children. Lastly, I bought reusable shopping bags at Kroger so I am one less person using those plastic throw away bags!

- William O.

Meet Nora B.

Last year my husband and I remodeled our living room. We opened up the living room area to allow more air flow and heat circulation. When we tore into the walls we found that there was no insulation within the outside wall, so we insulated the walls. We also replaced our bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs throughout the house. We replaced the old thermostats with programmable thermostats so that we could monitor and program the temperatures. It has all made a big difference-we have saved 30% on our heating bills.

- Nore B.

Meet Sheila T.

In 2005, my 2,050 square foot, one level ranch style home sustained 5 feet of flood water from Hurricane Katrina. My husband and I decided to rebuild our home and to make it as energy efficient as we could afford to. The home was completely gutted from floor to ceiling and treated for mold and termites. We installed new double-pane vinyl windows throughout the house, which totaled 18 windows. We installed all ENERGY STAR qualified appliances including a front-load clothes washer, dishwasher, and refrigerator. We now have a 4 ton, variable speed central air conditioning and heating system with a programmable thermostat. All of the air-ducts have been sealed and insulated in the attic. And lastly, all of our light bulbs are CFLs — it took us nearly 1 year to complete the project.

- Sheila T.

Meet Dave M.

Since purchasing our home, my wife and I have made many improvements. We have installed new dual-pane windows, a new foam roof, additional attic and crawlspace insulation. We've sealed crawl spaces, installed an outdoor tank-less water heater, installed a new furnace with 12 SEER, and installed an energy-efficient air conditioner and programmable thermostat. As for our appliances, we've purchased and installed a new ENERGY STAR qualified clothes washer, refrigerator, television, and computer. We've replaced most of our incandescent lighting with CFLs, and installed 4KW solar photovoltaic system on our garage roof. So far, we've seen a notable decrease in utility bills.

- Dave M.

Meet Glen H.

All the light bulbs in my house are CFLs and the thermostat remains set at 78 in the summer and 68 in the winter. My wife hangs our clothes out on the clothes line all year to dry them and we have a new front load washing machine. These items, except for the washer, have been done for years. I have noticed about a 20% drop in my electric bill.

- Glen H.

Meet Tina D.

When I wash clothes, I hang up the majority on a hanger to drip dry instead if using the dryer. In the summer we do as much cooking on the grill as we can to keep from heating up the house. We also use ceiling fans to help circulate the air, and have cut the air conditioning temperature to 75. We keep the shades pulled down during the day to keep the hot sun out.

- Tina D.

Meet Keith R.

I’ve recently replaced our old manual mercury switch thermostat with a state-of-the-art Honeywell 7 day fully programmable one (Honeywell RTH 8500). It’s given me the ability to completely tailor the temperature to our home use and it’s much more accurate than the old one in holding set temperatures. It’s more expensive than other thermostats on the market, but it’s one of the easiest to use, and it’s already paying for itself in saved heating and cooling costs.

- Keith R.

Meet Pat K.

We are trying to do our part in saving energy, being environmentally friendly, and also saving some money. We have installed compact fluorescent bulbs in just about every light fixture in the house which has made a noticeable difference in our electric bill. We have always used a programmable thermostat to adjust the temperature when we are not home. Our new furnace and air conditioner made another noticeable difference in our utility bills. Also, I’ve been researching tankless water heaters because ours will need to be replaced soon and energy efficient appliances for when we redo our kitchen—I want to squeeze the most I can out of our energy dollars.

- Pat K.

Meet Doug

We installed a radiant barrier in the attic. It looks just like the sun shields that people place in the windshields of their cars. It has allowed us to turn down the thermostat by 2 degrees in the winter and reduced our A/C bills by around 20%. They’re available from any major hardware store.

- Doug

Meet Brian

I installed a whole house fan. At night or in the early morning, I run it to cool the house down so as not to have to run the A/C at all during the day. Also, in the evening, just before the sun goes down, I run it to get all the hot air out of the attic and cool the house down.

- Brian

Meet Sarah

We put solar screens on all [our] windows that were struck directly by sunlight. This has made a huge difference in our un-air conditioned enclosed porch — it’s now habitable, rather than an oven, and the front bedrooms stay cool too.

I have just started baking with a solar oven, so I don’t heat up the kitchen in the summer, and the energy is free! The oven came from Path to Freedom.

Finally, we remodeled our kitchen, removing walls that blocked cross-ventilation. Now we can run the air conditioner much less, because in the cooler hours of the day a window fan clears the hot air out faster.

All of these are in addition to adding attic insulation, changing bulbs to compact fluorescents, replacing dishwasher and laundry machines with ENERGY STAR models, line-drying whenever possible, and putting TVs on power strips. We also expect to change our roof color by painting it white with ceramic heat-reflecting beads added.

- Sarah

Meet Shirley

I don’t turn on the A/C until close to noon, if weather is over 85. I use the ceiling fans to circulate the air, and keep the doors closed. By early afternoon, I put the A/C on about 82 degrees, and it’s comfortable for me. By 7 PM, I turn off the air, and go back to the fans.

- Shirley

Meet Lavon B.

All light bulbs that we could change to energy-efficient bulbs have been replaced in our home. We change our heat/ac air filters on a monthly basis, and clean the outside unit. We also have a programmable digital thermostat.

I open the door of dishwasher after the wash is over to air dry. Any time we leave the house, even if it is just for a shopping or grocery trip, the a/c or heat is adjusted. We close the blinds to keep sun out in summer and open them to let the sun help heat in the winter.

- Lavon B.

Meet Rich D.

We switched most of our light bulbs with ENERGY STAR models, installed a new Carrier high efficiency two stage gas furnace (96%), and an 18 seer Puron two stage A/C unit, also an Infinity Control programmable thermostat.

We replaced all major appliances, washer, refrigerator, and dishwasher with ENERGY STAR models.

We also replaced all windows and doors with triple pane ENERGY STAR qualified windows.

Our energy bills were cut about 50% and that feels nice.

- Rich D.

Meet Blanche M.

I’ve switched all but 5 light fixtures in my town home to compact fluorescent bulbs. I’ve raised the temperature on my central air to 79, and have lowered my heating to 65 on my programmable thermostat. I’ve installed cellular shades on the windows and open the house on cool nights to capture the cool air, then close and draw the shades during the day while I’m at work. The house is surprisingly cool when I get home.

- Blanche M.

Meet Anita P.

Prior to the winter months I had an energy efficient heating and cooling system installed in my home along with a programmable thermostat. I have seen significant savings on my electric and heating bills during the winter and this past summer. I made these improvements to help save on energy bills and it really paid off. A representative from Sears came to my home and explained how this system would really help the environment as well as save costs on my utility bills. To have the old system removed and new system installed only took 1 1/2 days.

- Anita P.

Meet Donna

We switched to a geothermal system for our heating and cooling and upgraded our appliances. We are in the process of changing all light bulbs and soon we will be installing a hot water heater that will connect to the geothermal system.

- Donna

Meet Sharon Z.

Two and one-half years ago, my husband and I had a geothermal heating/cooling system, with a programmable thermostat installed in our 3100+ square foot home. We wanted a heating/cooling system that was both environmentally-friendly and economical to operate and that is exactly what we got even though we didn’t get any tax breaks or financial incentives to make the change. Our draw from the power grid has reduced significantly! We have also replaced some of our incandescent bulbs with fluorescent ones. After we get the heating/cooling system paid off we hope to install solar panels on our roof as we have great southern exposure.

- Sharon Z.

Meet Doris A.

I decided this year that I was not going to pay high energy bills. I live in a three-year-old 2 story home, approximately 15,500 sq. feet.

I have a propane fireplace, and a heat pump for heat and A/C. I use my pump in the summer because I have a pool, and of course it is needed for A/C. But for the winter I have decided I was not going to pay high electric bills. I use my propane stove, set on 68. The fireplace has a fan so the heat circulates and I use my ceiling fan. I also use 2 ionized energy smart tower heaters. One is in the dining room area, set at 70 and the other one in my room upstairs set at 70 degrees. My house thermostat never goes below 72. The propane can be expensive but I am on the budget at $60.00 per month and at this time I only have a balance of $159.00. My electric bills from November till now have been no more then $104.00 per month. It would be much more if I were using my heat pump. My heat pump is set at 65 to come on but so far so good, as cold as it has been the temperature in the house stays at 72 to 74 with just my propane fire place and 2 heaters. I also live alone so it is very easy for me to conserve. I use only small lights and never had lights on at night except for tea lights. Now when I have company and the kids are here I tend to use more electricity, but not much.

- Doris A.

Meet Michelle M.

I have been hearing more and more about programmable thermostats. Often I would be driving away from the house and remember I forget to turn down the thermostat. Last week I installed an ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat. I love it! With four different settings for during the week and four more for the weekends, I never have to remember to adjust the thermostat. I need to show my daughter how the override works though, she was home sick from school one day, and with no or little heat at that time she was a bit chilled when she woke up.

- Michelle M.

Meet Karen R.

I put in a new furnace and air conditioner (high efficiency) for saving energy. As my light bulbs go out I am replacing with compact fluorescent bulbs. I recycle aluminum, paperboard, cardboard, plastic, and paper.

- Karen R.

Meet Luis R.

I planted four big trees at the west side of the house. After a few years, the trees now provide a nice shade to the roof top in the afternoon hours. The house is now much cooler. There are savings associated with the limited use of fans and air conditioner.

- Luis R.

Meet Audrey

We have a 1,800 sq. ft. brick ranch home. We use a programmable thermostat and keep it set at 59-60 degrees in winter months when not home and only turn it higher when home. We use a whole house fan to cool in summer months and use our central air very little. Our average gas and electric bill runs around $130 per month. We also installed an Aprilaire high efficiency air cleaner on our furnace which has improved the quality of the air in our home. Recently we installed an energy-efficient Kitchenaid dishwasher and have been replacing light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. We use vinegar, soda, salt and water for cleaning our home to help protect our environment. We raise a large organic garden and can and freeze vegetables and we are a very healthy family.

- Audrey

Meet Bill B.

I have taken several simple steps. Efficient fluorescent bulbs have replaced the conventional filament bulbs. An electronic programmable timer is in place to control the heating and air conditioning, which minimizes use especially when the house is not occupied and during sleeping hours. All glass, plastics, cans, and paper are recycled. I have also cut back my driving speed to increase mileage thereby lowering oil dependency and lowering damaging greenhouse gases.

- Bill B.

Meet Bradley B.

I have a sunroom attached to house’s southern exposure. The sunroom has four large 4 foot by 8 foot glass window panes forming a 16 foot long x 8 foot high glass wall facing the sun. Glass wall is tilted back 30 degrees to increase sun exposure. Four large skylights on the ceiling assist in solar collection.

Sunroom floor is radiant heated 6 inch thick concrete slab with dark red slate covering to form a large thermal mass and seconds as black body absorber of heat rays passing through glass wall and skylights. Radiant heat efficiently and comfortably warms objects within 6 feet of floor surface. There is no waste of hot air floating up to the ceiling.

The sunroom gets very hot in fall and spring and heats the entire bottom floor of my home, reducing heat load on boiler. Sun rays warm the radiant heating water tubes embedded within the 6 inch thick concrete slab floor due to black body collection effect of dark red slate floor covering. Collected heat is carried back to forced hot water heating system; reducing boiler heat load.

- Bradley B.

Meet Shirlene

Three years ago we moved from a brick house, 1,600 sq. ft. to a double wide, 2,250 sq. ft. The first year the electric bills were out of sight. The next year I installed a programmable thermostat that locked. I had already changed out some of my bulbs, so I changed out the rest of my 30 lights to compact fluorescent bulbs. I set my thermostat on 65 at night in the winter, 70 during the day. For summer, it is on 80 at night and 84 during the day. I have three ceiling fans and area fans in each room.

- Shirlene

Meet James

We are replacing our baseboard electric heat with a central heat and air unit that has a 13 SEER rating and has a heat pump.

- James

Meet Erin

I replaced all of the light bulbs in my house with energy-efficient bulbs. I replaced my Christmas tree lights with LED lights. I set my thermostat back to 45 degrees in the daytime when there is no one home and 55 degrees at night and set it on 68 degrees at other times in the winter. I am planning to try to phase out the use of my air conditioning in the summer (I kept it set at 80 degrees and didn’t turn it on until July last year). I open all of the drapes in the windows with southern exposure in the winter to take advantage of passive solar energy and make sure they are shuttered on sunny hot days to keep the house cooler. I recycle or re-use everything that I can but perhaps more importantly, I am very aware of what I am consuming and have stopped buying individual serving sizes of pop and other such items and have completely eliminated stops at "convenient stores". I don’t drive anywhere I don’t absolutely have to and make sure I take care of the weekly driving chores all in one trip if I can or do things like stop on the way home from work at the grocery or the recycling center instead of making an additional trip. I also participate in a "park and walk" program at work where I park one half-mile away from work which reduces the distance I have to drive to and from work as well as having the additional benefit of helping me stay in better health which will eventually reduce the use of medical resources. I use bio-degradable trash sacks and recycled newspaper for pet waste disposal. I compost all of my food waste and am in the process of "naturalizing" my yard so that I don’t have to mow. I grow some of my own food and use local farmers’ markets when they become available. I use my clothes line to dry my clothes whenever I can and wash all of my clothes in cold water and take very short showers to conserve water and cut back on hot water usage.

- Erin

Meet Charlie B.

I sold my home last July. Moved into a home my wife and I own. It’s a two-family home, and we are on the second floor. I gutted the second floor down to studs and insulated floor, walls, and ceilings. All appliances are new ENERGY STAR. All bulbs are energy efficient including LED under counter lighting in the kitchen which burn 97 percent clean. I removed an oil-fired heating system and replaced it with a natural gas furnace that is 95 percent efficient. All windows and doors are energy efficient. My heating and electric bill last year was $4,800.00. This year my wife and I are projecting heating and electric to be around $1,200.00. We cut our living space by 50 percent; however, we cut our expenses by 75 percent. I’m a former builder and fully know the value of producing an energy-efficient home. The overall renovation expense was $60,000 which was somewhat steep. If however you project what these upgrades will save over the next 20 years, WOW! I do think crude oil will only go up and personally I’m getting sick of being afraid to turn the heat up to 68 degrees when I’m cold. I’m also concerned about my carbon footprint and this is a direct way to influence its outcome in a positive way. Do good things, use less energy, and save money.

- Charlie B.

Meet Lawrence L.

When I leave for work for the day during the winter, I turn my thermostat down to 58 degrees Fahrenheit, thus assuring the furnace runs little or not at all. When I return for the evening, I set the programmable thermostat to run at 65 degrees until I go to bed when it drops off to 62 degrees. This has drastically reduced my heating costs. When I am not in a room, I turn off all electric lighting. This too has reduced my power bill.

- Lawrence L.

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