Eco-Friendly Tactics and Product Suggestions Designed to Reduce Energy Costs

Mr. Handyman, the national home repair and maintenance franchise and the nation's No. 1 employer of handymen, is leveraging its access to hundreds of local households with practical energy-savings solutions that could effectively decrease water usage by millions of gallons each month and significantly reduce the region's energy consumption overall.

As part of the campaign, Mr. Handyman has developed a checklist of simple, eco-friendly tactics and product suggestions designed to reduce energy costs, which will be provided to the hundreds of homeowners that regularly hire Mr. Handyman for maintenance and repair services. Mr. Handyman has also contracted with TV celebrity Richard Karn (Al Borland from the 1990s ABC sitcom, Home Improvement) as its company spokesperson to assist in the energy-savings effort.

Below are some of the tips Mr. Handyman offers homeowners. All statistics were provided by the U.S. Department of Energy:

• Installing ceiling fans could cut air conditioning costs by as much as 40 percent in the summer and will save on heating costs in the winter, by circulating warm air down from the ceiling.
• Fixing a single drippy faucet could save up to 212 gallons of water per month.
• Installing low flow toilets could save up to 3.5 gallons per flush.
• Replacing old light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs will save on the lighting bill and the bulbs last 8 to 12 times longer. Changing only five bulbs could save 50 percent on annual lighting costs.
• Sealing cooling and heating ducts with duct wrap or mastic sealant could save as much as 25 percent on the energy bill.
• Replace shower heads with low-flow shower heads could reduce your water usage by 20,000 gallons per year.
• Insulating hot water pipes will save money on water heating costs, and will conserve water since it will take less time to receive warm water at the faucets and showers.
• Installing shades and drapes will block light on hot sunny days and keep cooling costs down.
• Insulating the hot water heater can reduce CO2 emissions and save around 4 percent to 9 percent in water heating costs.