A new year means new resolutions! This year, consider taking steps to save energy as part of your resolution. All Westinghouse Water Heating products are highly efficient, saving you energy and money. There are various ways you can save energy this coming year. Here are a few tips from Energy.gov to help you get started: 

1. Install and set a programmable thermostat. You could save an estimated 10 percent per year on heating and cooling costs by using a programmable thermostat, and by resetting it when you are asleep or away from home, you won’t have to sacrifice comfort.

2. Use sunlight to your advantage. The sun’s rays can contribute heat in the winter but force air conditioners and fans to work harder -- and use more energy -- in the summer. During winter months, you can take advantage of sunlight by opening your curtains during the day to allow the sun to naturally heat your home. During warmer months, use light-colored window shades or blinds to reflect heat back outside, keeping your home cooler and more efficient. Using natural lighting effectively will also reduce the need to use artificial light.

3. When replacing appliances or purchasing electronics, look for ENERGY STAR appliances, fans and electronics. Your home’s appliances and electronics account for close to 20 percent of your energy bills. Using ENERGY STAR® certified products -- which incorporate advanced technologies that use 10-15 percent less energy and water than standard models -- throughout your home could save nearly $750 over the lifetime of the products. For example, ENERGY STAR clothes washers use about 40 percent less energy than conventional clothes washers while reducing water bills. ENERGY STAR washers also require less detergent and are gentler on clothes, saving you money on clothing expenses.

4. Choose energy-saving lighting. About 10 percent of the energy your home uses goes to lighting costs. By just replacing five of your home's most frequently used lights with energy-efficient ENERGY STAR bulbs, you could save $75 a year in energy costs. Compared to traditional incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs can yield as much as 75 percent energy savings and last six-times longer. You can get even more energy savings, longer life span and less wasted heat by switching to ENERGY STAR LEDs.

5. Use an electronic power strip for your electronic equipment. Many electronic devices and equipment continue to consume unnecessary energy even when not in use. Often called energy vampires, these devices cost families about $100 a year. Use a power strip for electronic devices and turn it off when not in use to eliminate energy vampires. And be sure to unplug your chargers -- they draw energy even when they aren’t connected to a device.

6. Reduce energy for water heating. Water heating is a large energy expense in your home, accounting for about 14-18 percent of your utility bills. By taking low-cost steps, you can reduce your water heating bills. Make sure your water heater is set to no higher than 120 degrees. Install low-flow showerheads or temperature-sensitive shower valves. Newer water heaters have more insulation than older ones. If your water heater is more than five years old, you should wrap a water heater jacket around it to stop heat loss from the tank.

7. Hire a professional to maintain your heating and cooling system. Arrange for annual maintenance with a qualified technician. This includes checking the airflow over the coil, testing for the correct fluid (refrigerant) level, checking the combustion process and heat exchanger are operating safely, and ensuring proper air-flow to each room. In addition, you should clean the air filters in your heating and cooling system once a month, and replace them regularly.

8. Consult a home performance contractor to achieve large savings. There is a growing industry of professionals who are qualified to make recommendations to homeowners on how to improve the overall energy efficiency of their homes. These professional energy assessors will do a comprehensive energy audit of your whole house using special tools -- such as a blower door test and an infrared camera to locate air leaks -- to measure home energy efficiency.

A professional energy audit gives you a thorough picture of where your home is losing energy and what you can do to save money. By making upgrades (especially sealing air leaks and properly insulating your home), you can expect to save 15-30 percent or more in energy costs, while also improving your home’s comfort and air quality. Visit the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR website to learn more about this approach and to locate home performance contractors near you. 

(Original article: http://energy.gov/articles/resolve-save-energy-year) 

Be prepared this winter! Look our for these four winter heating issues, posted by NextStepLiving:

Energy consumption from home appliances increases greatly in the kitchen around this time of year. At Westinghouse Water Heating, we love gathering helpful tips on how to save energy, especially during the holidays! We stumbled upon this article on how to save energy in the kitchen! -- 

Tip: Find Holiday Energy Savings in the Kitchen

Each year, from Thanksgiving to Christmas and through New Year’s, friends and family gather to celebrate and enjoy the spirit of the season. While almost everyone knows they can save electric energy during the holidays by decorating with LED lights, most people do not consider the great energy-saving opportunities they have with another seasonal tradition: EATING! There are several ways to avert unnecessary energy use in the kitchen.

Consider a few of these tips:

Refrigerators
Refrigerators and freezers get a real workout over the holidays. They are some of the larger energy consumers in your house, and they often account for as much as 15 percent of your home's total energy usage. Help your refrigerator and freezer to operate efficiently by keeping the doors closed as much as possible. Note, however, that leaving the door open while you take out the items is more efficient than opening and closing the door several times.

Keeping your refrigerator and freezer full during the holidays is easy and energy efficient. The mass of cold items inside the refrigerator reduces the appliance’s temperature recovery time after the door is closed. Be careful not to cram them so full that cool air cannot properly circulate around the food.

Ovens
Typically, the holiday turkey, or whatever your favorite meat may be, will roast for hours. Since it is a long, slow cook, there is no need to preheat your oven. As a general rule, unless you are baking breads or pastries, you usually do not need to preheat.

Do not open the oven door to take a peek! Instead, turn on the oven light and check on the cooking through the window. Slightly opening the oven door lowers the temperature inside by as much as 25 degrees. That increases cooking time and wastes energy.

Self-cleaning ovens use less energy for normal cooking because of the higher insulation levels built into them. Consider using the self-cleaning feature right after using your oven, to take advantage of the residual heat.

Stovetops
When cooking on the range top, match the size of the pan to the heating element. More heat will go into the pan and less will be lost in the surrounding air. Clean burners and reflectors provide better heating while saving energy. If you need new reflectors, buy quality ones. The best on the market can save as much as one-third of the energy when compared to dull, non-reflective pans.

Other Ways to Cook
Do not overlook alternative cooking appliances during the holidays. Fast and efficient microwave ovens use around 50 percent less energy than conventional ovens, and they do not heat up your kitchen. They are especially handy and energy efficient when heating leftovers.

Slow cookers (crock-pots) are perfect for many dishes. On average, they will cook a whole meal for about a dime’s worth of electricity. Also, electric skillets can efficiently steam, fry, sauté, stew, bake or roast a variety of food items, and some can double as serving dishes. If you are baking or broiling small food items, a toaster oven is ideal because they use, on average, one-third the energy of a bigger oven.

To get the most from the energy you use during the holidays, give these EnergyWiseSM tips a try. You can save a little on your utility bill, and you will have plenty to talk about over dinner.

(Original article: https://www.nnppd.com/Energy_Saving_Tips/holiday_savings_in_kitchen/Holiday_Energy_Savings_in_the_Kitchen.pdf )

Want to monitor your electric or gas energy use? Energy.gov has provided an article on how to read residential electric and natural gas meters -- 

You can read your own meters to help monitor your electric or gas energy use. During the heating season, your energy use should be compared to the number of heating degree days for the same time period; during the cooling season, compare your energy use to the number of cooling degree days.

Heating and cooling degree days are a simple measure of the effect of weather on your energy needs: using the average temperature for each day, each degree Fahrenheit below 65°F is counted as one heating degree day, and each degree Fahrenheit above 65°F is counted as one cooling degree day. Your heating and cooling use should be proportional to the number of heating and cooling degree days for the time period in question.

You may also wish to contact your local utility companies for more information about reading your meter. If monthly information is good enough, your utility bills could have all the information you need. Just be sure the bills are based on actual, not estimated, meter readings, and be aware of when the meter was read, because the time period between readings can vary. Contact your local utility if you are uncertain about this.

Electric Meters

The basic unit of measure of electric power is the watt. One thousand watts are called a kilowatt. If you use one thousand watts of power in one hour you have used a kilowatt-hour (kWh). Your electric utility bills you by the kWh.

The standard electric power meter is a clock-like device driven by the electricity moving through it. As the home draws current from the power lines, a set of small gears inside the meter move. The number of revolutions is recorded by the dials that you can see on the face of the meter. The speed of the revolutions depends on the amount of current drawn -- the more power consumed at any one instant, the faster the gears will rotate.

When reading an electric meter, read and write down the numbers as shown on the dials from right to left. When the pointer is directly on a number, look at the dial to the right. If it has passed zero, use the next higher number. If it has not passed zero, use the lower number. Record the numbers shown by writing down the value of the dial to your extreme right first and the rest as you come to them. Should the hand of a dial fall between two numbers, use the smaller of the two numbers.

Natural Gas Meters

Natural gas is commonly measured by the cubic foot, and you are billed by the thousands of cubic feet (MCF) or hundreds of cubic feet (CCF). You may also be billed by the therm, which is about the same as a CCF or 100 cubic feet. To measure the amount of electricity or gas that you use, the utility installs a meter between the incoming electric power or gas lines and the point of distribution at the house.

A gas meter is driven by the force of the moving gas in the pipe, and also turns faster as the flow increases. Each time the dial with the lower value makes one complete revolution, the pointer on the next higher value dial moves ahead one digit.

When reading a gas meter, read and write down the numbers as shown on the dials from left to right (opposite of an electric meter). It is important to note that on both types of meters, the hands of adjacent dials turn in opposite directions to each other.

Digital Meters

Note that some newer electric and gas meters use digital displays instead of dials. The difference between one month's reading and the next is the amount of energy units that have been used for that billing period.

(Original article: http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/how-read-residential-electric-and-natural-gas-meters )

As you know, Westinghouse is proud to sell high efficiency water heaters! We stumbled upon this article on WWLP.com and thought it'd be perfect to share. 

BOSTON (WWLP) – Massachusetts is the most energy efficient state in the nation. The state was recognized for one of Governor Patrick’s top priorities: creating policies and programs that promote clean energy.

For the fourth consecutive year, Massachusetts ranked first in the nation when it comes to energy efficiency.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy applauded the state for lowering energy costs for residents, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and enforcing policies that promote a clean energy future.

These initiatives have saved taxpayers more than 93 million dollars in energy costs and has created thousands of jobs in the Commonwealth.

Meg Lusardi, Mass. Dept. of Energy Resources said, “It is also an economic driver for job growth. We’ve seen 65-thousand workers in the energy efficiency sector, and then it also improves our impact on the climate.”

The Department of Energy Resources told me that something as simple as using energy-saving light bulbs can lower costs on a daily basis.