I came across this today and found it interesting. Thought I'd share. I definitely don't agree with No. 8. No. 2 was mentioned here lately. No. 7 has been seen floating around Hearth for a while as I recall.
From: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com...r&utm_campaign=green-building-advisor-eletter
The Top Ten List of stupid energy tips
Here’s my top ten list — common tips that show up repeatedly.
1. Fill your half-empty refrigerator or freezer with plastic bottles filled with water. This stupid tip will never save you enough energy to show up on your electric bill. Nevertheless, the advice is provided by the California Energy Commission, an electric utility called NV Energy, Avista Utilities, Wisconsin Public Service, Georgia Natural Gas, an electric utility called National Grid, Connecticut Light & Power, EnergyRight Solutions, and many others.
2. Clean the dust off your refrigerator’s heat-exchange coils. As I’ve noted before, researchers haven’t been able to measure any energy savings resulting from this measure. But a lack of data hasn’t stopped the following sources from advising homeowners to get out the vacuum cleaner: NV Energy, Connecticut Light & Power, and EnergyRight Solutions.
3. Schedule an annual furnace tune-up. As Michael Blasnik has shown, there is no evidence to support the idea that the cost of an annual furnace tune-up can ever be recouped by energy savings. This tip (often referred to as the “make-work-for-HVAC-techs” tip) is trumpeted by an electric utility called WE Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, a New Mexico electric utility called PNM, EnergyRight Solutions, and a utility named Alliant Energy.
4. Change your furnace filters monthly. Monthly? Really? Yes — according to Wisconsin Public Service and EnergyRight Solutions.
5. To reduce the rate of air leakage in your home, start by caulking around windows. Actually, the big leaks are in your attic and basement, not around your windows. That doesn’t stop many sources from offering the “caulk your windows” advice. Among the guilty are the
California Energy Commission, NV Energy, WE Energies, the California Natural Resources Agency, Virginia Energy Sense, and a utility called NSTAR Electric & Gas. (The tip from NSTAR even includes a definition of the word “weatherize.” The site advises, “Weatherize your home by caulking and weather-stripping all doors and windows.”)
6. Install foam gaskets under your electrical outlet covers. There are only two problems with the advice: electrical outlets aren’t a major air leakage point, and gaskets don’t stop air leaks at this location. These two small problems don’t prevent the following sources from providing the tip: the California Energy Commission, a gas utility called PSNC Energy, Alliant Energy, and CNN.
7. Run your ceiling fans backwards during the winter. No researcher has ever been able to show that this practice saves energy. This tip may even make you uncomfortable enough to turn up the thermostat, raising your energy bills. But the advice is provided by Duke Energy, Alabama Power, an electric utility called Xcel Energy, and a Sustainability blog on the University of Illinois at Chicago web site.
8. Run your air conditioner and ceiling fans simultaneously. According to a 1996 paper (“Are Energy Savings Due to Ceiling Fans Just Hot Air?”) by P. James, Jeffrey Sonne, R. Vieira, Danny Parker, and M. Anello, “Data from 386 surveyed Central Florida households suggests that although fans are used an average of 13.4 hours per day, no statistically valid difference can be observed in thermostat settings between households using fans and those without them.” In other words, homeowners who run their ceiling fans and air conditioners simultaneously would be better off if they turned off their ceiling fans. This bad advice is provided by WE Energies and a utility called PSE&G.
9. Locate your air conditioner condenser in the shade to keep it cool. This myth was debunked many years ago by researchers at the Florida Solar Energy Center. Yet it still keeps cropping up, most recently in advice provided by PSNC Energy.
10. During the winter, close your curtains at night to save energy. When this advice is repeated, the authors usually fail to mention that you need a way to stop air from flowing between the curtain and the window — or else convection currents will sabotage your efforts to save energy. This incomplete tip is provided by many sources, including Connecticut Light & Power and the website of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors.
From: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com...r&utm_campaign=green-building-advisor-eletter
The Top Ten List of stupid energy tips
Here’s my top ten list — common tips that show up repeatedly.
1. Fill your half-empty refrigerator or freezer with plastic bottles filled with water. This stupid tip will never save you enough energy to show up on your electric bill. Nevertheless, the advice is provided by the California Energy Commission, an electric utility called NV Energy, Avista Utilities, Wisconsin Public Service, Georgia Natural Gas, an electric utility called National Grid, Connecticut Light & Power, EnergyRight Solutions, and many others.
2. Clean the dust off your refrigerator’s heat-exchange coils. As I’ve noted before, researchers haven’t been able to measure any energy savings resulting from this measure. But a lack of data hasn’t stopped the following sources from advising homeowners to get out the vacuum cleaner: NV Energy, Connecticut Light & Power, and EnergyRight Solutions.
3. Schedule an annual furnace tune-up. As Michael Blasnik has shown, there is no evidence to support the idea that the cost of an annual furnace tune-up can ever be recouped by energy savings. This tip (often referred to as the “make-work-for-HVAC-techs” tip) is trumpeted by an electric utility called WE Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, a New Mexico electric utility called PNM, EnergyRight Solutions, and a utility named Alliant Energy.
4. Change your furnace filters monthly. Monthly? Really? Yes — according to Wisconsin Public Service and EnergyRight Solutions.
5. To reduce the rate of air leakage in your home, start by caulking around windows. Actually, the big leaks are in your attic and basement, not around your windows. That doesn’t stop many sources from offering the “caulk your windows” advice. Among the guilty are the
California Energy Commission, NV Energy, WE Energies, the California Natural Resources Agency, Virginia Energy Sense, and a utility called NSTAR Electric & Gas. (The tip from NSTAR even includes a definition of the word “weatherize.” The site advises, “Weatherize your home by caulking and weather-stripping all doors and windows.”)
6. Install foam gaskets under your electrical outlet covers. There are only two problems with the advice: electrical outlets aren’t a major air leakage point, and gaskets don’t stop air leaks at this location. These two small problems don’t prevent the following sources from providing the tip: the California Energy Commission, a gas utility called PSNC Energy, Alliant Energy, and CNN.
7. Run your ceiling fans backwards during the winter. No researcher has ever been able to show that this practice saves energy. This tip may even make you uncomfortable enough to turn up the thermostat, raising your energy bills. But the advice is provided by Duke Energy, Alabama Power, an electric utility called Xcel Energy, and a Sustainability blog on the University of Illinois at Chicago web site.
8. Run your air conditioner and ceiling fans simultaneously. According to a 1996 paper (“Are Energy Savings Due to Ceiling Fans Just Hot Air?”) by P. James, Jeffrey Sonne, R. Vieira, Danny Parker, and M. Anello, “Data from 386 surveyed Central Florida households suggests that although fans are used an average of 13.4 hours per day, no statistically valid difference can be observed in thermostat settings between households using fans and those without them.” In other words, homeowners who run their ceiling fans and air conditioners simultaneously would be better off if they turned off their ceiling fans. This bad advice is provided by WE Energies and a utility called PSE&G.
9. Locate your air conditioner condenser in the shade to keep it cool. This myth was debunked many years ago by researchers at the Florida Solar Energy Center. Yet it still keeps cropping up, most recently in advice provided by PSNC Energy.
10. During the winter, close your curtains at night to save energy. When this advice is repeated, the authors usually fail to mention that you need a way to stop air from flowing between the curtain and the window — or else convection currents will sabotage your efforts to save energy. This incomplete tip is provided by many sources, including Connecticut Light & Power and the website of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors.