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Curious about what you can do to improve your home’s efficiency without spending a dime? Thinking about investing in energy- or water-efficient upgrades to your home or business? Either way, JEA can help. We’ve prepared several fact sheets to help you make the smartest choices, and we’ve also included brochures from ENERGY STAR and the St. Johns River Water Management District. Just look for the categories you’re interested in. If you’d like to know more about a topic, click on the link to see the full fact sheet.
General Energy and Water Conservation
Energy
- Understanding Home Energy Use
Making sense of how your home uses energy is vital to getting a handle on how much you spend each month on your utility bill.
- Selecting a Room Air Conditioner
Room air conditioners only cool the room you are in; not your entire house making them less costly to operate than central air conditioning however they aren’t generally as efficient. Find out how to choose a Room AC.
- How to Save Energy and Money
To manage your home’s energy and water consumption wisely, use the various check lists, tables, instructions and record-keeping logs provided in this brochure.
- Consumer Beware
Some devices may not live up to their energy-saving claims. Find out how to ensure you get what you’re paying for when you purchase an energy-efficient product.
- Quick Tips – Save Water, Energy & Money at Home
Here is a one-page tip sheet that covers all the no/low-cost products and actions that you can do to save energy and water in your home.
Quick Tips – Save Water, Energy & Money at Home, Spanish Version
¡Ahorre energía, agua y dinero en la casa!
- Diagnosing a High Bill
JEA energy and water auditors have identified some commonly encountered problem areas that account for most spikes in the consumption of electricity and water, and how to avoid them.
- Maintenance Check List for Residential Owners
Use this check list to record completion dates of your home maintenance tasks. Regularly scheduled maintenance helps ensure optimum appliance performance, maximum comfort and fewer unscheduled repairs.
- Quick List of Energy Star Resources for Homes
Find tips, advice and energy-efficient home improvement ideas to help you stay comfortable in your home.
- Top 10 Energy Saving Tips for Renters
Even if you don’t own your home or appliances you can save money on the energy and water they use. Here are 10 no/low-cost, portable and easy changes you can make to save money immediately on your utility bill while also helping the environment.
- Bring Your Green to Work
Learn how you can make many of the same green choices at work as you make at home to save energy and fight global warming with help from EPA’s ENERGY STAR program.
- Energy Star Guide – (Available in Spanish)
Protecting our environment starts at home. Five steps you can make to reduce air pollution.
- EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse: Principles of Heat Transfer
Many products claim to save energy by controlling radiation heat transfer, including reflective roof coatings and low-emissivity (low-e) coatings on windows. In reality, there are many factors that impact how effective these products are.
- US Department of Energy: Small Wind Electric Systems – A Consumer’s Guide
Have you ever wondered if you can use wind energy to power your home? Find out if wind energy is practical for you.
- US Department of Energy: A Consumer Guide to Solar Electricity
From types of solar panels and solar electric systems to purchasing considerations, this fact sheet covers it all.
- EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse – Holiday Lighting
Decorating your home with LED lights will allow you to celebrate the season while you save energy and money
- EnergyIdeas Clearninghouse – Energy Saving Tips for Hot Tubs and Pools
Great energy-saving tips that adhere to safety guidelines for a healthy hot tub and pool.
Water
- WaterSense: What the Water Sense Label Means
Products that bear the WaterSense label meet all the criteria in EPA’s specifications for water efficiency and performance.
- WaterSense: Questions and Answers about the WaterSense Program
Why does the United States need a water-efficiency program? Answers to that question and more.
- WaterSense: Simple Steps to Save Water
Saving water around the home is simple and smart. This fact sheet tells you how.
- The WaterSense Label for New Homes
Find out more about the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to label new homes as water efficient when builders produce water-efficient single-family homes.
- Winterizing Your Pipes and Plumbing
Preparing for those winter cold snaps could save you a last minute trip outdoors on a very chilly night. Here’s a checklist of things to do.
- Water Conservation Guide
More than 90 percent of the water we use comes from groundwater drawn from underground aquifers. This source will not be able to meet all future demands, which makes water conservation a key strategy to sustaining this source for as long as possible.
- Quick Tips – Save Water, Energy & Money at Home
Here is a one-page tip sheet that covers all the no/low-cost products and actions that you can do to save energy and water in your home.
Quick Tips – Save Water, Energy & Money at Home, Spanish Version
¡Ahorre energía, agua y dinero en la casa!
Irrigation
- The Irrigation Controller and Rain Sensor Shutoff Devices
Effective management of your irrigation system requires some knowledge of your irrigation controller. Become familiar with it to eliminate your chances of over watering.
- St. Johns River Water Management District: Watering Restrictions
Know the rules. Find out when you are allowed to irrigate your lawn and how many days per week.
Bathroom Conservation Tips
- WaterSense: Bathroom Sink Faucets
The benefits of installing or replacing old fixtures with new WaterSense bathroom faucets.
- WaterSense: High Efficiency Toilets
What are WaterSense toilets and how much money can they save homeowners?
- High Performance Toilets
Replacing your older toilet with a high performance toilet can save you $100 per year, on average, in water costs.
Water Heating
- Cutting Your Water Heating Bill
The typical family of four will consume about 450 kWh per month (or about $41) of electricity to heat water. Most energy and water saving recommendations are easy to implement and can be done by do-it-yourselfers. The savings start immediately and continue throughout the year.
- Water Heater Thermostat Setting
The higher the set point on your water heater’s thermostat, the more it will cost. A typical family of four can save around $100 annually by reducing the setting from 140° to 120°.
- Water Heater Replacement Options
Learn about water heater options before you have to rush to replace yours. It is the second-largest energy user in most homes, so it’s worth choosing a water heater carefully.
- Tankless Water Heaters
A tankless water heater provides hot water “on demand” instead of storing and heating it in a tank, even during low-demand times such as when you are asleep or at work. Learn the advantages and disadvantages of this technology.
- Solar Water Heating
With JEA’s solar incentive program, JEA pays its customers an incentive for investing in a solar water heating system because such systems reduce electricity usage and are good for the environment.
Building Shell
- Home Sealing and Insulating
Sealing and insulating the "envelope" or "shell" of your home—its outer walls, ceiling, windows, doors, and floors—is often the most cost effective way to improve energy efficiency and comfort.
- Attic Insulation Upgrade
JEA researchers have determined that attic insulation is a critical component of energy efficiency. Increasing attic insulation can help you control your energy bills.
- Do-It-Yourself Guide to Home Sealing
Sealing and insulating your home is one of the most cost-effective ways to make a home more comfortable and energy efficient—and you can do it yourself.
- US Department of Energy: Attic Access and Insulation
Don’t leave a hole in your attic insulation efforts. Learn about adequately insulating forgotten attic areas to save home energy use.
- US Department of Energy: Sealing Your Home
Air leakage, or infiltration, is outside air that enters a house uncontrollably through cracks and openings. In addition to allowing in outside air, leaks can let in mold and dust from your crawlspace or attic.
- US Department of Energy: Advanced Wall Framing
Both builders and home owners can benefit from advanced framing. These techniques create a structurally sound, energy-efficient home that has lower material and labor costs than a conventionally framed house.
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
- Selecting a Room Air Conditioner
Room air conditioners only cool the room you are in; not your entire house making them less costly to operate than central air conditioning however they aren’t generally as efficient. Find out how to choose a Room AC.
- HVAC Guide – (Available in Spanish)
The Environmental Protection Agency provides important recommendations for energy-efficient equipment, including proper sizing, quality installation and maintenance, and other home improvement considerations to help you get the most out of the heating and cooling products you purchase.
- Heating and Cooling
While some ENERGY STAR qualified heating and cooling products may cost more initially, they can yield annual returns of 15–30 percent in lower energy bills.
- Purchasing a Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) System
Since the HVAC system is the largest energy expense for most homes, it is important to emphasize its proper application and sizing. A more efficient system results in lower bills and fewer emissions into the atmosphere.
- Keep Your HVAC System Clean – Minimal Effort for Maximum Gain
Routine maintenance on your heating and air conditioning equipment will help it work more efficiently at a lower cost, last longer and produce a healthier environment.
- Duct Leakage – The Silent Killer
In Florida, studies have shown that about 20-30 percent of the air that moves through a duct system is lost due to leaks, holes and poorly connected ducts. There are four main reasons a homeowner should be concerned with duct leakage.
- Duct Sealing
High utility bills? Stuffy rooms? Dusty house? It could be your ducts. A duct system that is well-designed and properly sealed can make your home more comfortable, energy efficient, and safer.
- Heat Pump Strip Heat Management
Air-source heat pumps contain two separate heating systems: the heat pump and heat strips. The heat pump is energy efficient and will heat the home at little expense. The heat strips, however, will consume about three times as much energy as a heat pump while producing the same amount of heat.
- Programmable Thermostat
On average, a programmable thermostat can save the homeowner 10 percent on the residential heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) energy costs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Programmable thermostats provide convenience and comfort by automatically adjusting the temperature of a home according to the schedule you determine. Click here to watch an ENERGY STAR video on how to select, install and program thermostats at home.
- US Department of Energy: Better Duct Systems for Home Heating and Cooling
Typical duct systems with ducts in attics or crawl spaces lose from 25 to 40 percent of the heating or cooling energy that passes through them. Find out what the professionals know about upgrading the efficiency of your home’s heating and cooling system.
Appliances
- ENERGY STAR Appliances
When buying appliances, remember there are TWO price tags: the actual price of the appliance and the energy and water costs you incur monthly to operate them.
Lighting
- ENERGY STAR Lighting
Choosing ENERGY STAR-qualified lighting helps save both energy and money on utility bills.
- Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
If every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes and to prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 800,000 cars annually.
- Switch to T8s
For a small business, lighting retrofits are a great way to start saving immediately: Convert your standard 4-lamp T12 fluorescents to more efficient 3-lamp T8s with reflectors and improve your facility lighting.
Home Electronics
- ENERGY STAR Home Electronics
Home electronics that have earned the government’s ENERGY STAR use up to 50 percent less energy to perform the same functions as standard models — saving consumers money on electricity bills and reducing global warming.
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