Maine State Conservation Center
Resources for the Citizens of Maine
Dedicated to William Curran

Energy-wise tips to help you get through the coming winter.



  1. Start using less fuel now to make your supply last longer:
    • Run your washer full, and use only cold water.
    • Use your dryer less, or not at all. Hang clothes to dry (hang them in bedrooms to humidify the air during cold, dry months).

  2. Keep heated air inside your home:
    • Make or buy "draft dodgers", or simply stuff towels or rags under drafty external doors or doors to unused rooms.
    • Seal windows and doors with weather stripping.
    • Be sure storm windows are fully closed on combination windows.
    • Get your furnace inspected and cleaned. A clean furnace burns more efficiently and can save as much as 10 percent of fuel that would otherwise be wasted up the chimney.
    • Beef up your home's insulation, or put hay bales around its foundation.
    • Seal electric receptacles and switch boxes with foam gaskets or fiberglass insulation. This, alone, can save 25 to 30 gallons per year, or roughly three percent of your fuel costs.

  3. Heat only where your body is:
    • Close off any rooms or sections of your house that you don't need to use for the winter (drain pipes to make sure they don't freeze).
    • Close off bedrooms during the day and seal them with draft dodgers.
    • Wear warm clothes.
    • Use space heaters, rather than heating large, mostly empty space.

  4. Heat only when you're at home and during waking hours:
    • Turn the heat down when you're at work.
    • Turn the heat down while you sleep; pile up extra blankets on your beds.
    • Set thermostats to the lowest comfortable temperature. When unoccupied, 55 degrees is a good setting. For night, keep thermostats to 60 degrees or below; during the day, when you're home, 68 degrees is a good setting. A one-degree drop in your thermostat setting may save 25-30 gallons per year, or roughly three percent of your fuel cost.
    • Replace your manual thermostat with a programmable one (about $40), and program it to reduce heat at your usual bedtime and bring it back up shortly before you wakeup. Programmable thermostats also maintain temperature more reliably than the manual thermostats.
    • Use electric blankets safely: pre-heat beds for a half hour before bedtime, then turn off the electric blanket whey you get into bed. You'll stay warm all night, even in a very cool room.

  5. Get advice about how your home, specifically, can be made more fuel efficient:

  6. Keep your fuel costs as low as possible:
    • Watch your tank - don't let it go empty - emergency deliveries are expensive!
    • Set up a budget plan with your supplier to spread your payments out throughout the year.

  7. Have your safety nets in place, if you think you'll need fuel assistance:
    • Act now to finid out what emergency services you qualify for. Get help before your tank is emptied.

  8. Save on electricity to help meet fuel bills:
    • Wrap heating ducts and hot-water pipes with insulation, so heat is not lost.
    • If you're using a space heater, use a newer model, which will have important safety features.

  9. If you plan to burn wood, be safe and avoid home fires:
    • Make sure your stove is installed properly. Contact your local fire department to ask for guidelines, or visit the Maine State Fire Marshal's website http://maine.gov/dps/fmo/index.htm
    • Keep flammable objects away from the stove or fireplace and chimney opening, and use a fireplace screen.
    • Have your chimney inspected and cleaned every year.
    • Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
    • Never leave a fire burning unattended.

  10. Save on auto fuel:
    • Carpool or vanpool.
    • Streamline your errands and shopping to minimize miles.
    • Pool your errands with a neighbor.
    • For short errands, walk rather than drive!
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