” The Home Energy Score is like a miles per gallon rating – but for your home. It summarizes a home’s energy performance on a simple 10-point scale – with a 10 for the top performers, or those that keep the home comfortable with the least amount of energy. The score also comes with a report that recommends customized home energy upgrades and estimates the savings possible from those improvements. Over the next several months, cities like Omaha, Nebraska and Minneapolis, Minnesota will run pilot tests of the Home Energy Score, helping participating homeowners save money by cutting energy costs. After the pilots wrap up, we will refine the program before it rolls out across the nation later in 2011. Then, in one simple, short visit from a qualified specialist, you’ll be able to get custom advice on how you can cut your energy bills – in many cases by hundreds of dollars each year.

But don’t wait to start saving. Visit energysavers.gov for tips on upgrading your home, lighting, or appliances – things you can do now.”

Consumers who heat with oil will see the biggest hike in expenditures up an average of 11.5% to $1,906… Thats followed by propane (up 7.5% to $1,830) and natural gas (up 3.6% to $751)

Consumers who heat with electricity will actually see their bills go down 1.9% to an average of $959

Take a look at our previous post for easy weekend winterization projects to reduce your heating expenditures this season.

Thanks to the Recurve Blog for this article.

1. Dodge the Drafts: Drafts can waste 5% to 30% of your energy use. Employ an old Great Depression fixture, the draft snake. These can easily be made yourself, just place a rolled bath towel underneath a drafty door.

2. Change Furnace Filters: Replace or Clean furnace filters once a month during the heating season. Dirty Filters restrict airflow and increase energy demand.

3. Run Fans in Reverse: A lesser known trick, many ceiling fans come with a handy switch to reverse the direction of the fan blades. This will gather warm air pooled near the ceiling and recirculate it back into the living space.

4.Turn Down Your Water Heater: Many conventional water heaters are set to 140 degrees F when installed. Most homes do not need that much steam, and end up paying for it. Lower the temperature to 120 degrees F and you can reduce your water heating costs by 6%-10%

5. Give Your Heating System a Tune Up: Just like an automobile, heating equipment need periodical tune-ups. Keeping your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted will reduce energy use, and thus save you money.

6. Mind that Thermostat: It’s easy to forget to turn down the heat when you leave the building but doing so is the surest way to save yourself money.

Take a look at the full article for more detail.

Despite the promise of heat-pump equipped water heaters, only a fraction of home water heaters shipped this year will employ this technology. The United States seems to be slightly behind on this trend, as heat-pump water heaters have been available for almost a decade in Japan. Europe is also beginning to embrace this technology, and further more, in France and Sweden, the market for heat pump systems that heat the entire house, not just the water, topped 100,000 in 2009.

Read the full article here.