Energy Efficient Claremore was created as a resource to provide residents with tips and conservation methods to aid in conserving energy and lowering costs this winter.
Below are a few easy measures to help practice simple energy conservation and reduce electric bills over the winter months:
Apply weather-stripping or caulk to seal gaps and cracks around windows and doors to stop air leaks and prevent energy loss. If that is not an option, you can also cover windows with towels, sheets or plastic to help keep the warm air in your house.
Set the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or put it on the “warm” setting.
This helps keep warm air inside, especially if the sun is not shining. When the sun is shining, open drapes on the south-side windows to take advantage of free heat from the sun.
Hot air rises, so reverse your ceiling fans to a clockwise rotation to push that warmth back downward.
Consider investing in a programmable thermostat that can help save energy. You can program the heat to be lower when you are away or sleeping, then right before you get home you can program it to warm the house.
Dirty filters can cause a home’s furnace to work harder than necessary, which drives up energy costs.
For more helpful information on how to efficiently cool your home this winter and other energy conservation tips, visit our partners at Oklahoma Natural Gas.
Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
What is LIHEAP?
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a federally funded program that provides financial assistance to low-income Oklahoma households each year to help meet the cost of home energy.
Below are a few helpful tips to help you and your family conserve water during summer and hot months, lowering utility costs and aiding in protecting valuable environmental resources.
The average faucet releases 2 gallons of water per minute. Just turning off the tap when brushing your teeth can save up to 8 gallons of water every day.
A small leak can waste hundreds of gallons of water each day, and a running toilet can easily waste 200 gallons of water each day. At one drip per second, a faucet can leak 3,000 gallons of water in a year.
Use your water meter to check for hidden water leaks. Read the house water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.
Every time you flush a small bit of trash, five to seven gallons of water is wasted.
Urban lawn watering is the single largest water demand on most municipal supplies. However, there are many ways to conserve water on the home landscape.
The City of Claremore asks its business and industry partners to join its efforts in preventing stormwater pollution and stay in compliance with laws and local ordinances. To aid in this effort the City has created a Conservation Resources Poral with helpful information for commercial hazardous waste disposal.
These resources include the State issued construction and industry permits for businesses regarding stormwater compliance.
To support these efforts, the City of Claremore also performs business inspections and educates the public on methods to prevent pollution. The Conversation Resource Portal contains examples of inspection forms and best management practice examples used by organizations to prevent pollution for entering the stormwater and sanitary sewer system. We encourage all local businesses to utilized the inspection example sheets to perform regular self-evaluations.
Recycling and properly disposing of chemicals are not the only ways you can help protect our environment and water supply. Responsible land and lawn care are also important practices to reduce impact on our water quality.
Below are a few easy steps you can implement today.
