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Consumer Information:
Choosing
Firewood
Liner
Damages
Energy Tips
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Public and Professional Instructional Classes
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How much does
it cost to heat your
home?
Check out this
FUEL
CALCULATOR
to find out!
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Energy-Saving Tips for
Winter Heating
Heating Tips...
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Make
sure the fireplace or wood stove chimney is inspected and cleaned by a
professional, Certified chimney sweep before winter.
All wood creates creosote, even hard wood.
Creosote is very flammable and can cause chimney fires.
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Have
the furnace and/or hot water heater flue checked annually to make sure there
are no cracked tiles or missing mortar joints that can leak Carbon Monoxide
into the home, or clogs in the flue that can cause backup of flue gasses.
“Abandoned Hot Water Heater”.
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Consider
installing a high-efficiency wood or gas fireplace insert or stove to cut
down on gas fuel bills. You can
save 30% on fuel bills by heating only the rooms that you are using.
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If you are building a new home, investigate the most
efficient product available for heating—the Masonry Heater, which can heat
the entire home with only two loads of wood per day and requires no ductwork
or forced air.
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Close the
damper in the fireplace when it is not in use.
Replace damaged or rusted dampers with a more energy-saving
top-sealing damper.
On Hot Water Heaters...
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Insulate
the pipes going into and out of the tank. Add an insulated blanket around
your water heater if it's an older model.
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Drain a
gallon of water once a year through the faucet at the bottom of the water
heater. This removes sediment that decreases energy efficiency.
General Tips...
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Set the thermostat back to 55 degrees if you're gone
for a few days. That will keep the pipes from freezing.
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When you're home during the
winter, keep the thermostat at the lowest comfortable temperature.
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Keep all doors and windows closed
when the heat is on. Ask your kids to read this paragraph out loud seven
times. Doors and windows should stay closed even if you have storm windows
and doors on the outside.
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Open drapes on the sunny side of the
house. Close them at night.
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Turn off
heat and close doors to unused rooms if you have individual room heat. Close
doors and vents to unused rooms if you have a central heating system other
than a heat pump.
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