Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 24/01) - There's a lot you can do to save energy beyond just turning down the thermostat and making sure your tap doesn't drip.

Just for the record, however, you'll save one to two percent on your heating bill for every degree you set your thermostat back.

And one drop of hot water a second amounts to 8,664 litres of lost hot water a year. That's about $712.28 down the drain.

Keeping the heat in

On average, heating and cooling your home makes up 60 per cent of your energy bill.

You can keep the heat in by sealing the cracks around your windows and doors with compressible foam rubber. Caulking doesn't last forever, so it should be changed every so often.

Also, try putting plastic over your windows.

"It gives you another window pane and, if applied to the outside of window frames, can stop air leakage," says Mike Buchanan, of the Arctic Energy Alliance.

Buchanan doesn't recommend installing new wall insulation or upgrading windows unless you're already doing renovations.

"It's not cost-effective as a stand-alone," he said.

Lighting inside and out

Replacing incandescent lights, where possible, with compact fluorescent bulbs can cut power per fixture by 75 per cent.

These lights also last up to 10-times longer.

For outdoor lighting, he suggests using a light sensor in conjunction with a motion sensor.

That way, lights turn off automatically during the day but flick on, as you need them, at night.

Buying appliances

The next time you're in the market for a major appliance, check its Energuide rating.

"It shows how the appliance stacks up against others on the market," Buchanan explains.

Some refrigerators use twice as much energy as others, he says.

"It's how they are built," he says. "The compressors, and the quality and amount of insulation in the walls."

Horizontal-access washing machines, the type found in laundromats, use half the amount of hot water. Until several years a go, these machines were hard to find on the residential market.

"There's a price premium on them," says Buchanan. "But that's quickly recovered through energy savings used to heat water."

Buchanan's own home becomes more energy efficient with every purchase.

"When I buy my next washer, it's going to be a horizontal access one," he said.

For more information on the Alliance and to find out more about how to save power, check out their Web site at www.aea.nt.ca.