Conservation

Save Money by Taking Charge

Save money by taking charge of your energy costs. Nicor Advanced Energy and ENERGY STAR offer a variety of tips that will help you lower your energy use.

Free and easy

  • Turn off the lights when you're not in the room. While you're at it, turn off the TV, the computer and the stereo when you're not using them.
  • Keep your windows and doors closed when you are using your heating and air conditioning system.
  • In the winter, open the curtains and roll up the blinds on sunny days to help warm the room. In the summer, pull down the shades and close the curtains to keep the sun out, helping to keep the room cooler during the day.
  • Clean your refrigerator coils and make sure the temperature is set right. Fresh foods keep at 37 °  to 42 °  F; frozen foods at 0 °  to 5 °  F.
  • Only do full loads in the washer and the dryer. Wash in cold water. Keep the dryer lint trap clean. Line-dry your clothes.
  • Set the water heater temperature to 120 °  F or lower.
  • Wash only full loads in your dishwasher. Let dishes air-dry.
  • Forget pre-heating your oven. Cook complete meals in the oven or consider using the microwave.

Easy on the pocketbook

  • Install compact fluorescent light bulbs. ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use about 75% less energy, give off less heat and last up to to 10 times longer. An ENERGY STAR qualified CFL can save you about $30 or more in electricity costs over its lifetime.
  • Weatherstrip and add caulk to stop air leaks.
  • Fix that leaky faucet. It wastes water, which costs you money.
  • Clean or change your HVAC system air filter once a month.
  • Install an ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostat. With proper use, these can save you about $150 every year in energy costs.

Smart investments

Treat your HVAC equipment to a clean-and-check

  • A well-tuned heating and cooling system runs at optimum efficiency, uses less energy and delivers more comfort. Nicor Services offers a variety of maintenance and repair plans designed to keep your HVAC equipment working correctly. To learn more about our variety of maintenance and repair options, call 800-373-1100.

Stop energy waste

  • One of your home's biggest energy wasters could be lurking behind your walls and under your floors. The ducts that move air to – and from – a forced air furnace, central air conditioner or heat pump are often poorly sealed. By sealing and insulating those ducts, you may be able to improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system. Nicor Services offers the Aeroseal duct sealing process. Aeroseal seals the ductwork from the inside, and can eliminate up to 90 percent of ductwork leakage.

Go with ENERGY STAR

  • If your HVAC equipment is aging or fails to keep you as comfortable as you would like, you should consider replacing it with a unit that has earned the ENERGY STAR. Depending on where you live, replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with ENERGY STAR qualified equipment and sealing your ducts can cut your energy bill by as much as $180. One of our qualified technicians can install these high-efficiency heating and cooling units.
  • When replacing your HVAC equipment, remember that bigger isn't always better. If your unit is too big for the size of your home, you may be less comfortable and receive higher energy bills. Our qualified technicians can determine the right size equipment for your home. To learn more, call 800-373-1100.
  • Purchase a new energy-efficient refrigerator. Technology has improved the energy needs of today's refrigerators. Models purchased before 1993 use twice as much energy as today's ENERGY STAR-labeled models.

Keep air out, keep air in

  • Make sure your walls and attic have the right amount of insulation.
  • Replace your home's old, leaky windows with new high-performance windows.

More conservation tips

For more tips on energy savings, go online to www.energystar.gov.

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

Results are already adding up. Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy in 2010 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 33 million cars — all while saving $18 billion on their utility bills.

 

Nicor Advanced Energy is not the same company as Nicor Gas. It is an affiliate and its prices are not regulated by the Illinois Commerce Commission. Customers are not required to buy products or services from Nicor Advanced Energy in order to receive the same quality of service from their utility.