Conscious Choice: Conserve Energy This Winter

November 2006 | Ask the Green Commish

Conserve Energy This Winter

By Sadhu A. Johnston

Dear Commish: A couple months ago you wrote about green building and energy conservation. As we head into winter, what specific things can we do to weatherize our home and be ready for winter? — Trying to Save Some Cash

Dear Trying: Anyone who’s experienced Chicago in the wintertime understands the importance of bundling up before spending time outside. It is equally important that Chicagoans protect their homes and wallets by making sure that your home or apartment is properly dressed for winter. For the typical home, at least 50 percent of the utility costs are spent on heating and cooling.

There are simple and cost-effective things you can do to reduce these costs. You can save 40 percent of your energy costs by taking five simple steps: 1) install a programmable thermostat; 2) service your appliances; 3) seal all the cracks to keep the cold air out; 4) insulate your home; and 5) use heat wisely.

• Programmable Thermostats. These devices are easy to install and cost less than $50. They allow you to pre-set when the heat comes on and off. This way you can turn the heat down when sleeping and when you’re out for extended periods of time. For every degree that you decrease the thermostat, you could save between 2 and 5 percent of your bill. Try a range between 62 and 70 degrees for optimal savings and comfort.

• Appliances. We generally take our appliances for granted until they break down. A little care and preventative maintenance can go a long way in improving their efficiency.

Remember to: change air filters regularly (every month or two); have your furnace or boiler checked by a certified professional prior to the heating season; repair and insulate duct work (particularly if it is in an unfinished/unheated space); insulate water heaters if older than the early 1990s (if newer than early ’90s, then pre-existing insulation is adequate).

• Keep the Cold Air Out. Try putting your hand close to a light switch on the exterior wall of your home or apartment. You may notice that there’s a lot of cold air coming in. To keep the cold air out, weatherstrip the doors and windows on those exterior walls, use plastic to insulate the windows, seal where pipes or wires enter your building with foam spray or insulation, and insulate outlet plates and light switch plates on exterior walls.

• Insulate. While many people think about wall insulation, attic insulation can have an even greater impact for energy saving. Lots of homes don’t have any attic insulation—it’s generally pretty easy to blow-in insulation into the attic and sidewalls. There are some interesting new types of foam insulation that can have a payback of several years. Make sure insulation has a high “thermal value.” For walls go for at least R19, and for attics go for at least R32.

• Use Heat Wisely. Do not turn your heat off to save money. It’s bad for your home and also not cost effective. You actually use more energy to “re-heat” your home than you do to keep it at a constant cooler temp when you’re not home.

To help residents take these steps, Mayor Daley is sponsoring Home Energy Assistance fairs again this winter. During November and December 2006, we’re hosting over 10 fairs across the city to help residents prepare for the winter. All Chicago residents that come to the fairs will get a free weatherization kit. The kits include weather stripping, plastic window insulation, switch-plate and outlet insulation and even compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Last winter we served over 17,000 Chicago residents. In addition to various city and state agencies there are also numerous non-profit service providers and energy utility representatives at the fairs. The first Home Energy Assistance Fair will be held on Saturday, November 4 at the YMCA in Little Village (2700 S. Western). Visit cityofchicago.org or call 311 for a full list of fairs.

I strongly encourage Chicago residents interested in conserving energy this winter to head over to one of the fairs and to take some of the steps outlined above.

These steps can be taken whether you live in a McMansion or a condo. Last winter we experienced 50 percent increases in natural gas prices. While we don’t know energy prices for this winter yet, we do know that residential electricity prices are going up by at least 25 percent in January and that natural gas prices will most likely be up this year too.

Sadhu A. Johnston is commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Environment.

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