Misinformation, Bad advice and Falsehoods for Fools

In anticipation of April Fool’s Day, we are providing 10 pieces of bad advice you would be a fool to use.

1. Turn your water heater up to the highest setting to make sure your shower is HOT -or- turn your water heater ALL THE WAY down to save money.
   In reality: Your hot water heater should be set to 125⁰ Fahrenheit to ensure you don’t get sick from using the water, the risk of scalding is reduced, and it doesn't use too much energy.
2. If your next door neighbor has a low result on their radon test, go ahead and assume you'll have the same result.
   In reality: Radon test results can vary even between next door neighbors. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, so don’t guess! Pick up your free radon test from 4CORE today.
3. Leave your cell phone, laptop, wireless router, and tablet chargers plugged in because they don't suck electricity when your device isn't on or plugged in.
   In reality: Even when your devices are powered off or not plugged, your charger is pulling electricity, or phantom watts, from the outlet. Unplug, or use a power strip to turn everything off except when you are charging.

4. Don’t bother with low-flow shower heads. They don’t give you the pressure you need to get clean.
   In reality: Don’t fear the low flow! These have come a long way in the last few years, and often are adjustable for the type of “massaging effect” you’d prefer for your scrub time. Besides, they save you an average of $150 per year!
5. Don't worry about changing your furnace filter- it is such a pain anyway. Same goes for the lint trap in the dryer. In reality: Changing your forced air furnace filter every two months ensures your furnace is working effectively and efficiently, and reduces particles in the air that can irritate your respiratory system. Likewise, your dryer runs better with a clean lint trap. Put a reminder on your calendar so you can breath easy!
6. Use as many space heaters as you need to throughout your house to keep each room warm.
   In reality: Even the new energy efficient space heaters use energy and are not meant to be used in quantity to heat multiple rooms. Make sure your main heating system is up to snuff and add insulation and air sealing before you use any space heaters- it will save you in the long run!
7. If you get solar panels, you are going to be spending a lot of time on weekends to maintain them.
   In reality: Solar panels require little maintenance, and it doesn't take rocket science to understand that they are doing their job. Once they are set up, you may have to brush of the snow, if it is a particularly sticky storm, but they are meant to melt snow and work on their own so that you can rest easy, rain or shine.

8. Keep the heat tape on your roof plugged in all summer.
   In reality: We live in the Southwest, where there is no snow to melt in the summer. Put a reminder on your calendar to unplug it so you don’t spend all summer warming the feet of little birds that perch there.
9. Air sealing your home is super expensive and time consuming.
   In reality: Air sealing is THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE thing you can do to save energy in your home. Rolls of foam tape are inexpensive, a tube of caulk costs only a few dollars, and if you just don’t have time to do it yourself, here is a list of reasonably priced contractors.
10. Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulbs contain mercury, so you might as well use incandescent to avoid it. In reality: Yes, it is true, they contain about as much mercury as the ball on a ball point pen. However, the amount of mercury you prevent entering the air from coal-fired power plants by using CFLs is much more! Better yet, buy LEDs. They contain no mercury, and our local electric utilities have rockin’ rebates for them right now!