by Denton Municipal Electric

As the weather gets colder I’m using my oven more frequently. It really seems to heat up the kitchen, which makes me wonder: Should I keep my oven on more often so that my central heating system doesn’t have to work as hard?

As you mentioned, ovens can really heat up a kitchen, so it’s a good idea to use yours more in the winter than in the summer months. And while ovens and stoves are great for cooking, the best way to heat your home is with your heater.

During home energy audits we’ve seen residents using ovens and even stoves as space heaters. When asked, they tell us that it’s a way to heat up the house without turning on the heater. While we like to see customers finding innovative ways to save energy, this is one trick that is both ineffective and dangerous. Central and room heaters are designed to safely heat living spaces, and are your best option for heating your home.

Submit your question to the Energy Expert by visiting www.dmepower.com

by Denton Municipal Electric

I don’t want to waste any money by heating and cooling rooms I’m not in.
Is it a good idea to close off vents in unoccupied rooms?

We all know it’s efficient to shut off the lights and fans when we leave a room. And you probably know that you can save energy by leaving space heaters and window air conditioners off in unoccupied rooms. So, when it comes to your central heating and air conditioning, is it smart to close the vents when a room isn’t being used?  A good rule of thumb is: Don’t close off more than two vents at a time. Remember that, unlike a fan or a space heater, your central heating and air conditioning is a system that covers your whole house. Closing a vent affects the entire structure, not just a single room. And since your system is sized and designed specifically for your house, closing off multiple vents can put stress on your system, potentially causing it wear out faster.

You also want to keep in mind that rooms with supply vents but not return vents (and this is likely to be the majority of rooms in your house) should not be sealed off from the rest of the house for long periods of time. For instance, if a bathroom door stays closed most of the day while the heater or air conditioner is running, positive pressure will build up in that room, putting stress on your system.  So keep doors and vents open this winter to reduce stress on your system. These steps and a well insulated attic will help keep your home comfortable this winter.

Got a question for the energy expert? Email it to brian.daskam@cityofdenton.com.

I like to help out my air conditioner by leaving the ceiling fan on when I leave for work each morning. I know it takes some electricity to run the fan. Is this an energy-efficient habit?

A common ceiling fan uses about $.01 of electricity every hour it’s on. A penny an hour isn’t too bad, right? But remember, if you are leaving the fan on all the time it could be costing you over $80 per year. And that’s just for one fan. Of course, in your question you said that you were leaving the ceiling fan on as a way to help out the air conditioner. If the fan is making the air conditioner more efficient, it may be well worth a quarter a day. But here’s the catch: Fans cool people, not rooms. Ceiling fans make you more comfortable by evaporating moisture from your skin and moving built-up heat. But they don’t reduce the temperature in the room. So treat your ceiling fan like a light and turn it off when you leave the room. Your air conditioner won’t notice the difference.

I’ve noticed my refrigerator motor making a loud noise when it starts up. I’m worried that it’s running inefficiently. Is it time to get a new one?

An old, inefficient refrigerator could add $16 to your monthly utility bill, while a newer, more efficient model could cost you as little as $4 per month. Depending on the cost of the refrigerator, you could potentially “pay off” a new unit in energy savings in less than 7 years.Of course this assumes that your old refrigerator is still working properly. One way to test its energy consumption is with a watt meter. A watt meter can tell you exactly how much energy your refrigerator is using over time. With this information you’ll be able to accurately calculate the cost savings of getting a newer unit. Denton Municipal Electric has watt meters which we can use to test your appliances for free. And don’t forget: it’s impossible to realize the energy savings of your new refrigerator when your old one is humming away in the garage.