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A few major electrical appliances are significantly responsible for the surge in energy consumption, and a user can save by buying the standard model instead of the deluxe model. He can also save by properly handling the furnace and the insulation in his house: REFRIGERATORS: A standard 14-cu.-ft. fridge uses 1,137 kwh. per year, while a 17-cu.-ft. "frost-free" model uses 2,008 kw-h., or $45.98 worth. New "efficiency" units, which are also frost-free and have an energy-sparing design and insulation distribution, use only 1,155 kwh. per year for a 17-cu.-ft. model. If a dollar bill will not fit tightly when a refrigerator door is closed on it, the door gasket is loose, the appliance is losing its cool, and a trip to the hardware store is in order. Price of a new gasket: $10 to $15. Long, languorous contemplation before an open refrigerator is especially wasteful.
TELEVISION: A color TV set, played 3.6 hours a day, uses 440 kwh. of electricity per year, or $10.08 worth; a black and white set needs only 120 kwh.
AIR CONDITIONERS: Some units give a lot of cooling power for a dime's worth of electricity; others give less than half as much. The trick to separating the gluttons from the economizers lies in dividing a model's advertised cooling power, usually expressed in B.T.U.s (British thermal units), by its wattage. If a unit requires 2,000 watts to produce 10,000 B.T.U.s of cooling power, it has an efficiency rating of 5, and that means it is a dog. Running it on "high" for 24 hours a day, every day for a month, uses 1,440 kw-h., or $33 worth of power. A unit with a better rating of 8 would cost five-eighths as much in terms of kilowatts and money.
WASHERS AND HEATERS: An automatic clothes washer uses only 103 kwh. of energy a year, but a dryer needs almost ten times as much. A standard hot water heater burns 4,219 kwh. annually, v. 4,811 kw-h., or $110.17 worth for a deluxe, quick-recovery model. Opening the tap at the base of most water heaters at least monthly drains out heat-robbing sediment.
FURNACES: Cleaning a furnace once a year costs about $50 and is well worth it. A layer of soot just one-fiftieth of an inch thick can reduce an oil burner's efficiency by 50%. Radiators should be dusted regularly.
INSULATION: Most houses have no more than four inches of insulation in the attic, the most critical area in preventing heat-loss. Another two inches of fibers costs about $2 for, every 20 sq. ft., and pays off the investment within a .few years. Keeping the storm windows up all year long will save 15% of a house's heating energy and, if it is air conditioned, 7.5% of its cooling energy.
FIREPLACES: Wood-burning fireplaces are no bargain. For one thing, the price of a dozen logs is now as much as $6. This charming but primitive heating method is grossly inefficient and can cause stiff necks. If a homeowner is lucky enough to have a hearth with a good draft, the chimney will draw off as much as 20% of the heated air in the house.