Energy-Saving Tips to Keep You (and Your Wallet) Healthy

SATURDAY, Oct. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Taking steps to improve the energy efficiency of your home will not only keep you healthier and more comfortable this winter, it will help save you money.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers the following tips:

• Sealing holes, cracks and openings in your home and adding insulation are among the most cost-effective ways of reducing home energy bills. For example, weather strip and insulate your attic hatch or door, seal holes in the attic (i.e. duct, plumbing or electrical runs) that lead into the house, and weather strip doors and windows that don''t close tightly. Also, install foam gaskets around electrical outlets (under the plates) to reduce drafts.
• Replace your furnace filter before the heating season begins. A dirty air filter reduces air flow, making your heating system work harder to deliver warm air to the registers. Cover the filter slot with a piece of wide tape. This will prevent air from getting in around the filter edges.
• Lower your thermostat when you''re asleep or away.
• Have your heating system serviced in the fall and have your duct system checked, too.
• Replace conventional light bulbs with Energy Star-labeled bulbs.
• Power down computers and electronic products when you''re not using them.
• Look for products that have earned the Energy Star, which is on more than 40 different kinds of home products, including appliances, heating and cooling equipment, lighting, and home electronics.

More information

Here''s where you can learn more about Energy Star.

SOURCE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, news release, Oct. 20, 2005

Last Updated: Oct. 29, 2005