Summertime and the living's not so easy.From unplugging to rolling on, new technology offers cheap and easy energy savings for everyday homeowners.
Leave the toolbox in the garage, there is no need to fret for not so handy homeowners. This summer energy savings are as simple as unplugging and rolling on. In today's economic predicament, homeowners are seeking ways to save money, especially with rising energy costs and rising temperatures. Now new technology offers cheap and easy energy saving solutions to help cut down on electric bills. Whether it is a compact fluorescent light bulb or the 'green' coatings of Industrial Nanotech Inc.'s Nansulate® product line, here are six simple weekend DIY projects to help homeowners save.
1. First on the list is something as simple as changing out a light bulb, literally. Switching the type of basic lightbulb used in your home can help save. Compact fluorescent light bulbs consume 66% less energy than comparable incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. They cost about $2 a piece with payback within a few months.
2. Most homeowners do not realize air transfers in and out of cracks, crevices and holes of a home and increases energy consumption. By sealing areas where air can infiltrate, such as doors, window frames or places where pipes enter the home, a homeowner can increase their energy efficiency. For less than $10, caulking products can be purchased at your local home repair and building store to quickly seal your home.
3. One of the easiest energy saving methods that many overlook is to simply "unplug". This is not just turning off lights in rooms being unused. Check around the house to see what devices are plugged in when not necessary. Electronics such as as cell phones, television sets, iPod chargers, laptops, and even coffee makers will still draw electricity even when they are not in use. By unplugging these devices and other appliances that are not in use you can save energy. A single computer can use as much electricity as a new refrigerator when left plugged in. Turning off computers completely or setting the computer's power management settings to allow standby mode when it is not needed will reduce the electricity used.
4. Windows allow beautiful views, but they also allow heat to transfer through, increasing your energy bills. Even when window blinds are closed heat can still come through and cause the amount of energy used to cool to increase. An easy fix to reduce wasted energy is to add some insulating ability to your plastic blinds by coating them with Nansulate® HomeProtect Clear Coat insulation and mold resistant coating. The coating can be easily brushed on, and is clear with a matte finish, offering invisible thermal protection when the blinds are closed."We have a western facing sliding glass door in our master bedroom that gets full exposure to the sun, and yesterday temperatures reached over 90 degrees F. This room really heats up in the late afternoons during the summer. Last fall, I decided to coat half the blinds with Nansulate Clear Coat and leave the other half uncoated. With the sun hitting the closed blinds in the late afternoon, I could feel the difference in the amount of heat coming off of the backside of the blinds into our bedroom. It was much lower on the Nansulate covered side. Nansulate is terrific and has made our master bedroom more comfortable during the summer and reduced our cooling costs!" -Allwyn Nagel, Northern California.
5. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, adding insulation to your hot water heater tank can reduce standby heat losses by 25-45%, which saves you around 4%-9% in water heating costs. With Nansulate® GP insulation and mold resistant coating homeowners can easily coat their water heater and pipes, insulating and reducing energy used to heat water, without breaking the bank.
"I applied four coats of GP on the copper pipe coming out of our tankless water heater. Two months after the application, the pipe feels warm instead of hot to the touch when we run the water. It also cuts the time for warm water to get to a faucet if we have run it recently, because water stays warm in the pipes longer than before." - Paul Roundy, Colorado
6. Roll on insulation - One Room At A Time. Industrial Nanotech Inc. offers a solution to help homeowners spend less on monthly energy costs by increasing the energy efficiency of their home with Nansulate® HomeProtect insulation and mold resistance coatings, while fitting the purchase of the product into their budget with their "One Room At A Time" program. A little bit at a time adds up. The program allows homeowners to get a volume discount while spreading out the costs over up to 12 months and they even get the last 3 gallons free. Homeowners can start experiencing energy cost savings as they paint each room and use those savings to continue their project. While cost savings vary according to application, residential customers report on a regular basis experiencing energy savings between 20% to 40%. That is a great financial benefit that provides savings now and for years to come. Details on this program can be found at www.nansulate.com/insulate_one_room_ata_time.These six energy saving solutions are both easy on the wallet and simple to do-it-yourself. You do not have to be an expert handyman to conquer any of these tasks in no time and relax with some easily achieved energy savings. Saving money has never been so cheap and easy.
Industrial Nanotech Inc. is emerging as a global nanoscience solutions and research leader. The Company develops and commercializes new and innovative applications for nanotechnology.
