Cheaper By the Dozen: PSE&G Offers 12 Wallet-Friendly Ways to Save On Your Energy Bills

NEWARK, N.J., Oct. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- With cooler weather here, Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) offers some inexpensive (and sometimes free) ways that you can keep warm and save big on your gas and electric bills this winter.

Lower the thermostat. You can save 3 percent on your energy bill for every degree you lower the thermostat. Consider turning down your thermostat 5 to 10 degrees when you go to work, and when you go to bed.

Stop Drafts. Use weather stripping, caulk or foam to seal cracks and stop drafts in windows, doorframes and pipes running into your home. Special weather stripping is available for garage doors.

Use plastic film.  On really drafty windows, install plastic film. You can buy a 10-window shrink film insulation kit for about $15.

Seal Ducts. Twenty to 30 percent of the air that moves through duct systems is lost due to leaks, holes, and poorly connected ducts. Seal ducts using foil tape.

Close the damper. Your fireplace chimney can be the number one source of heat loss in a house. Leaving your flue open is like leaving a window wide open.

Change the filter. Clogged filters make it harder for your furnace to move air, which means it has to run longer to heat your house.

Use the sun. Open your curtains and blinds on sunny days to warm your home and close them at night to keep the warm air inside.

Wrap the water heater. Install a water heater insulation blanket. (Some cost as little as $20.) Turn down the temperature to the warm setting -- no more than 120 degrees F.

Install new bulbs. Winter's shorter days make it even more important to install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). They last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs -- and use 60 to 75 percent less electricity. 

Seal switches. Seal switches and electrical outlets with small foam gaskets available at hardware stores. Remove the cover plate, insert the gasket, and screw the cover plate back on.

Latch your windows.  If windows are not fully closed and latched, warm air can escape. 

Complete a free home energy analysis online at www.pseg.com for recommendations on how to make your home more energy efficient.

For more energy saving tips, visit www.pseg.com/saveenergy to download an Energy Savers brochure and learn about a variety of payment options to help manage energy costs.

Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is New Jersey's oldest and largest regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly three-quarters of the state's population.  PSE&G is the winner of the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system reliability.  PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a diversified energy company (www.pseg.com).

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SOURCE Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG)

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