It’s been quite a year of energy efficiency.
I’m not very handy, but these projects are easy enough for anyone to do. This year, I tackled many projects that helped me think about saving energy.
I learned how to use my ceiling fan in the winter to keep my living room warmer. The trick is to find the switch that causes the blades to move in a clockwise motion. This creates an updraft motion that moves the cooler air up and the warm air down.
I then learned more about my carbon monoxide detector. Avista’s website has a very informative video about carbon monoxide that explains the symptoms of CO poisoning and what to do if there is a dangerous level of CO in your home.
I don’t have a furnace, but my sister does. I went over to her house and talked about changing her furnace filter once a month. I also told her that Avista has a Furnace Filter Replacement Program that can help her three ways. It can send her an email reminder to change her filter, send her coupons for furnace filters or she can sign up to have the filters sent to her home regularly.
I learned the benefits of washing my laundry in cold water and I learned about phantom electrical loads from items such as coffeemakers, phone chargers or other electronics.
My kitchen faucet had a small leak and I learned that if I fixed it, I could save the equivalent of a bathtub full of water every month. It was easy enough. I took a pair of pliers and twisted off the nozzle. The old gasket had broken apart, so it fell right off. Then I rolled the new gasket into place and screwed back the nozzle.
I learned how to do many of these projects on Avista’s website. Check back here next week when I talk about some more projects I completed this year.
Lisa, an Avista customer, bought her 1910 house because she loved the old-world character, some of which doesn’t make her house very energy efficient. Lisa is sharing her experience on taking some simple do-it-yourself improvements to inspire others to do the same. You’ll find her stories right here every Tuesday morning.