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Health & Fitness

Saving Money but Keeping Warmer

Installing energy efficient appliances will save money and have a postitive impact on the environment while enhancing comfort.

Will County’s Resource Recovery and Energy division of Land Use has been reaching out to residents with tips on saving energy for over two years.  I have had the pleasure to submitting blogs to Patch for much of that time on a variety of energy and recycling topics. Today, I am sharing a personal experience with a home energy improvement my family made last summer.

We lost our air conditioning during the heat wave and learned that the age, 22 years, of it and the furnace, made them replacement candidates rather than repair applicants. Fortunately, we had been saving for just such a situation.  We asked to have both the central air and furnace replaced with high efficiency, energy star rated models and were given pricing by several companies. The companies all included rebates offered by our energy suppliers (Nicor and ComEd). 

While it was difficult over the remainder of the summer to determine if the energy efficient central air was saving us given our sporadic use, it wasn’t until the winter that we began to notice true financial rewards.  Last month was the most dramatic verification that purchasing a highly efficient (90% or better) furnace makes an impact on the environment and on your bank account.

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In the 30 day period, we used 17 therms of gas, while the temperatures over the time frame averaged 25 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Last year, with the old furnace and same dryer and tankless water heater, we used 22 therms of gas, but the temperature averaged a much warmer, 52 degrees Fahrenheit.

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In addition, we have a senior in our home that tends to become chilled easily and we actually adjusted the programmable thermostat up a few more degrees in the evening this year.

To sum up, we actually averaged a warmer home while using less energy in colder conditions! While the savings aren’t enough to pay for the cost of the furnace in a few short years, they do make an impact.

If you are wondering what you can do to reduce your gas therms or electric kilowatts, consider visiting these websites. They offer a variety of tips, many with far lower costs than installing a new furnace. Some will pay for themselves in the first year easily!

  • Compare your home's energy use to similar sized homes and climates across the country with the Home Energy Yardstick (home utility bills needed) to see how you measure up with your neighbors.
  • Find the recommended home improvements to make your home more energy efficient based on the climate where you live by answering a few questions about your home using the Home Energy Advisor.
  • Get practical pointers and tips on making a home more energy-efficient using the ENERGY STAR @ Home Tool. This tool presents energy saving tips to operating your home more efficiently

If you are interested in other tips from Will County, visit us at willcountygreen.com any time.

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