Making your home energy efficient

The cost of heating oil, electricity and natural gas is climbing ever higher. And you can't go a day without hearing the call to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions, or to do your part to save the world from global warming.

If you're like many people, you're looking for ways to save money, fuel and the environment in the comfort of your own home.

So if you're thinking of building a new home or sprucing up the energy-efficiency of the one you live in, you can do something about it, according to Alan Silverstein, co-director of the Center for Ecological Technology in Pittsfield.

"What we are doing is building houses that are more efficient, more durable, more comfortable, more healthy, and the owners feel better about living in them," Silverstein said.

For existing homes, he said, "CET technology can really identify where a house is leaking heat."

"There are growing numbers of people who are thinking in that direction," said Megan McDonough, builder services administrator at CET in Northampton. "And it's not just an environmentally conscious decision anymore, it's also a financial decision."

By running a more energy- efficient home, owners save money in utility bills and, in some cases, increase the value of the home.

Here are some tips from CET that will make your home run more efficiently and inexpensively:

Turn down the temperature on your water heater to the warm setting — about 120 degrees.

Use energy-saving settings on refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers.

Replace incandescent lights with compact fluorescents.

Perform regular maintenance. Oil-fired systems should be tuned and cleaned every year; gas-fired systems should be checked every two years. This increases the efficiency and lifetime of the system and reduces repair costs.

Plug leaks and holes. Another easy step is to caulk and weather strip. Seal cool air around windows, electrical receptacles and pipe and wire entry points.

Install a programmable thermostat. Turning down the heat for long periods, such as at night or while at work, can make a difference in your overall energy consumption. For every degree the temperature is set back for an eight-hour period, it saves 1 percent in energy. That adds up to significant savings.

Save money and use a cleaner home heating oil with CET's bio-heat co-op, which offers a greener blend of 5 percent highly refined soybean oil with regular No. 2 oil.

Adding insulation is often the best investment to save energy. Increasing attic insulation may be a 10 percent return on your investment.

For more information from the Center of Ecological Technology, call (413) 445-4556, ext. 21, or visit www.cetonline.org for more helpful tips.

For National Grid and Berkshire Gas Company customers, there are incentives to help save money when investing in efficiency. Call (413) 445-4556, ext. 10, to learn more.