Advice

• Maximize Furnace Efficiency

  
  
  The best thing you can do to keep your furnace running at optimum efficiency is simply to change the furnace air filter every 30 days. Changing your air filter regularly ensures proper air circulation through your house and keeps your family healthy by cleaning the air you breathe.

• Air Conditioning Savings

  
  
  Setting your thermostat to 74 instead of 72 can save you up to 20% on your cooling costs. Don't forget to keep your air filters changed regularly too, which keeps your home's air clean and circulating efficiently.

• Water Heat Money Savings

  
  
  Most water heaters allow you to easily adjust water temperature. While having very hot water from your tap may seem like a great idea, reducing the maximum temperature setting will help to save on your energy/gas bill and will actually prolong the life of your water heater. Reducing the temperature on your water heater can save you up to 5% of water heater energy consumption per 10 degrees of temperature reduction!
  
  Check the setting on your hot water heater. If you can't find the thermostat, check your hot water heater's manual. If the thermostat is set at "high", turning it to "med" will make quite a difference in the amount of electricity or gas your heater uses to heat water. The water heater temperature at the tank should be no less than 130 degrees Ferenheit to prevent bacterial growth. Most electric heaters have two thermostats. Be sure to leave the top one alone and only adjust the lower one.

• Garbage Disposal Cleaning

        
  

  
  If you notice foul odors emanating from your sink, it's likely rotting food particles stuck in your garbage disposal. This easy-fix will have your garbage disposal smelling like new!
  
  To clean your garbage disposal, simply dump two cups of ice along with two ounces of white vinegar or lemon juice into the disposal and turn it on for about 30 seconds. Performing this simple maintenance task once per month not only keeps your disposal fresh, but disinfected too!

• Winterizing Outdoor Faucets

  
  
  

  In New York State (and the rest of the northern U.S.) we deal with very low winter temperatures, which can freeze water-filled pipes. Your outdoor faucets are a common place for water to freeze in your home's pipework.
  
  As yard work slows toward mid to late autumn, it's a great time to winterize your outdoor faucets. Winterizing is easy! Simply find the faucet shutoffs in your basement and turn them completely off (to the right). Then turn on the faucets outside to fully open and let them drain. This drainage prevents any water that may have been left in the pipe from freezing and potentially causing a great deal of flood damage to your basement.