New York State Division of Consumer Protection
The
New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection is providing
tips for New Yorkers to save on energy costs this winter.
“As
we continue to adjust to the colder temperatures, New Yorkers will be spending
more time indoors, which brings an increase in energy usage,” said Secretary of State Robert J.
Rodriguez. “The Department of State’s Division of Consumer
Protection Utility Intervention Unit (UIU) is providing helpful tips for
homeowners and renters to save money on energy bills this winter without
sacrificing comfort.”
NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “New York
is committed to helping New Yorkers make their homes as energy efficient as
possible while helping reduce heating bills. There are a number of measures
that can be taken – from using a smart thermostat or adding more insulation to
your home to replacing old, outdated appliances with more efficient ones –
every little bit helps, and I encourage homeowners to assess what makes the
most sense for them and act now as winter is fast approaching.”
The
Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) works to educate
and empower consumers in the utility market year-round through the Utility
Intervention Unit (UIU). DCP is also sharing money-saving energy usage tips for
all New Yorkers and DCP offers a Guide to
Home Heating with Oil and Propane to
provide shopping guidance and help heating oil and propane fuel consumers
reduce their heating bills.
HEATING/COOLING:
- Check your thermostat: Each degree you lower your thermostat can
cut your fuel consumption by approximately 3%. Installing a programmable
thermostat can automatically adjust the temperature based on your home,
work and sleep schedule and provide an estimated cost savings of 10-20% on
your monthly heating and cooling bills.
- Weatherize and insulate your home: Help your home to retain heat during cold
weather by insulating your attic and outside walls, sealing and insulating
heating ducts, removing window air conditioners, wrapping or covering wall
air conditioners and sealing any cracks around walls and windows.
- Get your heating system tested and tuned: Conduct annual checkups to help ensure the
efficiency of your system. Replace your furnace filters at least every
three months to keep your equipment running efficiently and consider
replacing the filters once a month during heavy use months such as the summer
and winter. A dirty filter slows down airflow and makes your system work
harder to keep you comfortable.
- Use ceiling or floor fans: Avoid heating or cooling an entire house
when only using one or two rooms by shutting off heat in any unused areas
and closing vents in unused bedrooms. Use ceiling or portable floor fans
in the rooms you are using to assist with heating and cooling.
- Use radiators efficiently: Move rugs and furniture away from heating
vents and radiators. Blocked vents can disrupt air circulation and cause
an imbalance in a home’s heating system. Placing heat resistant reflector
panels between radiators and walls can help heat the room instead of the
wall.
- Contact your heating provider: Ask your home heating provider if they have
any available bill assistance programs, pricing plans or other
opportunities to better manage your bill. If considering switching to a
different pricing plan, take care to consider the full terms, benefits and
risks of each pricing plan. Your heating provider may also be able to
provide information on external heating bill assistance programs and
resources. Check out DCP’s Guide
to Home Heating with Oil and Propane for more guidance.
READ MORE: 6 ways to weatherize your home
HOUSEHOLD:
- Improve your water heater’s efficiency: Water heating accounts for about 14% of
consumer energy bills. Wrapping your water heater in insulation, lowering
water temperatures, insulating hot water pipes and limiting hot water use
can all decrease your energy bill.
- Buy energy efficient appliances: Appliances with the ENERGY STAR® label are
designed to use at least 20% less energy than their standard counterparts
and can save you money on your energy bills. Find options at energystar.gov.
- Use appliances wisely: Conserve energy with larger appliances by
setting your refrigerator no lower than 38-40 degrees. Load your washing
machine to full capacity to minimize energy use and save water and
detergent. Using your dishwasher is more energy efficient than washing your
dishes by hand (even if your dishwasher is not quite full) and it saves
more than 8,000 gallons of water each year!
- Dry clothes efficiently: Avoid the cost of running your dryer by
drying your clothes on a clothesline when weather permits or by using an
indoor drying rack. If using a clothes dryer, avoid overfilling it which
can cause longer drying cycles. Clean the lint trap in your dryer before
every load – it is one of the easiest things you can do to ensure proper
air circulation and increase the efficiency of your dryer.
- Switch to modern light bulbs: Replace conventional light bulbs (such as
incandescent or halogen) with energy-efficient light bulb options (such as
led bulbs, led fixtures and smart light bulbs). Energy-efficient lighting
uses less energy and lasts longer.
ELECTRONICS:
- Shut down your computer: When you shut down your computer, don’t
forget to turn off the monitor—it can use twice as much energy as the
computer. Use an advanced power strip for convenience so that all computer
accessories can be turned off with one switch. Even in sleep mode, your
computer may cost you $105 a year!
- Use rechargeable batteries and charging
units: Rechargeable
batteries are more cost-effective in the long term. Plug your battery
charging system or power adapter into a power strip to enable you to shut
off power with the flick of a switch. For even more savings, use a power
strip with a timer or a programmable power strip.
- Disconnect digital media players: Turn off DVD and Blu-ray players, audio
players and video game consoles when not in use to avoid wasting energy.
Even when powered off, most electronics continue to draw power, often
referred to as ghost electricity, vampire power or phantom power. To save
energy and time, plug entertainment products into an advanced power strip
to centrally turn off all components at once.
- Stream your content smartly: Streaming through a game console uses up to
10 times as much energy as streaming on a laptop or tablet. Consider using
another kind of device to stream—like a Blu-ray player, set-top box or
Smart TV that has earned an ENERGY STAR® label.
How does the Utility Intervention Unit work for consumers?
DCP’s
UIU is committed to protecting consumers from economic harm. UIU advocates for
energy affordability in electric, natural gas, water, and telecommunications
matters by seeking to secure the lowest possible utility cost while maintaining
reliable service with adequate customer service for consumers.
UIU meets these goals by:
- Representing consumers when
utilities seek to change customer rates by assessing:
1.
Whether new investments
are necessary;
2.
How costs are allocated
among the various customer classes; and
3.
Whether customer service
performances metrics and corresponding penalties are aligned such that
customers collectively receive reliable service at reasonable costs with
necessary consumer protections.
- Advocating for consumers at the local, state, and federal level at
administrative and regulatory proceedings by emphasizing the potential
costs of policy and market rule changes.
- Responding to consumer inquiries and collaborating with DCP’s Consumer
Assistance Program to mediate complaints for unregulated utilities, like
home heating oil and propane, wireless telephone services, and cable.
In
addition to the Home Heating with Oil and Propane Guide, DCP offers the
following tips to help consumers reduce energy costs and heating bills:
NYSERDA
offers more tips for saving energy in your home or apartment.
- Get a home energy audit. Conduct an energy audit of your home or
apartment to learn about recommended efficiency improvements to save money
on your energy bill. An audit can provide information on low-cost
improvements as well as large-scale investments and available financial
resources. You can get an audit yourself or contact the New York State
Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for assistance at nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Residential-Energy-Assessment-Programs.
- See if you qualify for State heating
assistance programs: New Yorkers have access to numerous heating cost
assistance programs for qualifying applicants. Programs include direct
assistance to pay bills, low-interest loans for home energy efficiency
projects, and assessments for energy efficiency upgrades for both
homeowners and renters.
For
more information on New York State home heating assistance and energy
efficiency programs, visit NYSERDA at www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Home-Energy-Efficiency-Upgrades, or NYS
Homes and Community Renewal at www.hcr.ny.gov/weatherization. For the
Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) visit the Office of Temporary and
Disability Assistance at www.otda.ny.gov/programs/heap/.
About the New York State Division of Consumer Protection
The New York State Division of Consumer Protection provides
resources and education materials to consumers on product safety, as well as
voluntary mediation services between consumers and businesses. The Consumer
Assistance Helpline 1-800-697-1220 is available Monday to Friday from 8:30am to
4:30pm, excluding State Holidays, and consumer complaints can be filed at any
time at www.dos.ny.gov/consumer-protection.
For more consumer
protection tips, follow the Division on social media at X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Sign up to receive consumer alerts directly to your email or phone here.
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