供暖季开始记账：能源部秋冬节能清单公布，恒温器调低与炉滤网更换决定账单高低
随着秋季气温走低、供暖季开始，美国能源部（DOE）「节能者」（Energy Saver）栏目公布的秋冬节能清单显示，家庭供暖账单的高低主要由几个日常动作决定。其中排在首位的是恒温器：能源部建议在家清醒时把恒温器设在舒适范围内的最低温度，睡觉或外出时调低 10 至 15 华氏度、持续 8 小时，全年冷暖费用可省约 10%；可编程恒温器可以自动完成这一调节，使用热泵的家庭则应保持适中设定，或使用热泵专用可编程恒温器。威斯康星州自然资源部引用的能源部数据也显示，恒温器每调低 1 度，供暖账单大约下降 1% 至 3%。
第二项是供暖系统保养。能源部建议在供暖季安排专业人员检修供暖系统；燃气炉的滤网应每月更换一次或按需更换，脏滤网会拖慢气流、让系统更费力运转。烧木柴与颗粒燃料的壁炉则要定期清理烟道与炉膛内部，保证加热效率。
第三项是堵住漏风。能源部清单包括：密封管道穿孔周围、烟囱与嵌入式灯具周边的缝隙，以及橱柜、壁橱后未完成空间的漏气点；给漏风的门窗加填缝剂或密封条。壁炉不用时应关闭风门，能源部形容敞开的壁炉风门如同冬天里一扇大开的窗户，暖气会直接从烟囱跑掉。
取暖季的日照也可以利用：白天打开朝南窗户的窗帘让阳光进屋，夜间关上以减少冷窗带来的寒意。这些措施被能源部列入其「秋冬节能提示」，供家庭在供暖账单到来之前逐项对照执行。
Heating Season Begins: The Energy Department's Fall and Winter Saving Tips Put the Thermostat and Furnace Filter at the Center of the Bill
As autumn temperatures fall and the heating season begins, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Saver fall and winter tips show that a household's heating bill is largely decided by a few routine actions. First is the thermostat: the DOE advises setting it as low as is comfortable while home and awake, and turning it back 10 to 15 degrees for eight hours while asleep or away, which can save around 10% a year on heating and cooling bills. A programmable thermostat can automate the setback; households with heat pumps should maintain a moderate setting or use a programmable thermostat designed for heat pumps. Data cited by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources from the DOE put the saving at roughly 1% to 3% of the heating bill for every degree the thermostat is lowered.
Second is heating-system maintenance. The DOE recommends scheduling service for the heating system as the season starts, and replacing a furnace filter once a month or as needed, since a dirty filter slows airflow and makes the system work harder. Wood- and pellet-burning heaters should have their flue vents cleaned regularly and their interiors cleaned periodically to keep heating efficiently.
Third is sealing leaks: around utility cut-throughs for pipes, gaps around chimneys and recessed lights, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets, plus caulk or weatherstripping around leaky doors and windows. The DOE also advises keeping the fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning, comparing an open damper to a wide-open window in winter that lets warm air escape straight up the chimney.
Sunlight is the final item on the list: open curtains on south-facing windows during the day to let the sun's heat in, and close them at night to reduce the chill from cold windows. The measures appear in the Energy Department's published fall and winter energy-saving tips for households to work through before heating bills arrive.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：住户用遥控器调节家中恒温器温度（资料图）。照片：Shixart1985 摄，CC BY 2.0，经维基共享资源。 / File photo: a resident adjusting a home thermostat by remote control. Photo by Shixart1985, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
GSM Global · 本篇英文版 English edition of this story
