1 - Heating is the single biggest
energy use in homes. A well-maintained heating system will hold down
fuel costs and provide reliable comfort. Check the filters in your
warm air heating system monthly and replace or clean them when they
become dirty. Have your heating system checked periodically by a
licensed professional.
2 - Proper insulation in walls,
ceilings and floors also significantly reduces the loss of heat to
the outdoors. Insulation will pay for itself in fuel cost savings
and home comfort.
3 - Storm windows and doors are big
energy and money savers. They can reduce heating costs by as much as
15% by preventing warm air from escaping to the outside. Double
glazed and thermopane windows or even clear plastic across windows
can minimize heat escape.
4 - The many small openings in a
home can add up to big heat losses. Caulking and weatherstripping
cracks in walls and floors, windows and doors will save fuel and
money. Keeping the fireplace damper closed tightly when not in use
will also result in heating cost savings.
5 - Letting sunlight in by opening
curtains, blinds and shades over windows facing the sun helps keep
your home warm and reduces heating needs. At night or when the sky
is overcast, keeping drapes and curtains closed will help keep the
warmth indoors.
6 - Dry air makes you feel colder
than moist air at the same temperature. Maintaining home humidity
will produce personal comfort at a lower thermostat setting and save
money. Shallow pans of water near radiator tops or near warm air
vents, or a room humidifier, will help raise humidity levels.
7 - Keeping your heating thermostat
at the lowest temperature comfortable for you will save on heating
costs.
8 - Insulate heating hot air ducts
and hot water pipes that provide heat to the rooms in your home.
This will reduce heat loss in areas that are not insulated and will
help your heating system work more efficiently.
9 - Make sure your air conditioner
is the proper size for the area you are cooling. The wrong size air
conditioner will use more electricity and increase your energy
bills. A unit that is too large for a given area will cool the area
too quickly, causing the air conditioner to frequently turn itself
on and off. If a unit shuts off quickly, chances are it hasn't been
running long enough to reduce the room's humidity and you'll be
uncomfortable. If your air conditioner is too small, it will run
constantly on hot days without ever achieving good results.
10 - The location of your air
conditioner has a lot to do with how efficient it will be. If you
have a choice, locate your units on the north, east or the
best-shaded side of your home. If the unit is exposed to direct
sunlight, it has to work much harder and use more energy to cool
your home. Keep shrubbery away from your air conditioner since it
blocks vents and reduces the unit's ability to exhaust air.
11 - Regular maintenance will
insure that your air conditioner operates efficiently throughout the
summer. Check the filter once a month by holding it up to a bright
light. If you can't see through it, it's time to clean or replace
the filter. You can also check your owner's guide to find out how to
safely clean the condenser coils and fins on the outside of the
unit.
12 - On very hot days, you can save
energy by closing the fresh air intake on your unit. Cooling fresh,
warm outside air requires more electricity than re-cooling the air
that is already circulating in your home.
13 - You can save on cooling costs
by avoiding cooling rooms that are not occupied. If you like your
home to be cool when you come home at the end of the day, special
automatic timers for air conditioners are available that will turn
the unit on before you arrive home.
14 - On hot summer days, the
temperature in your attic can reach 150 degrees. Improving the
ventilation or increasing the insulation in your attic will lower
the temperature of the entire house and make your air conditioner's
job a lot easier. Installing an attic fan that is controlled by a
thermostat to exhaust the hot air or increasing the insulation
factor in your attic can greatly improve the comfort of your home.
15 - Depending on the size of your
home, you can save 3% on your cooling costs for every degree you
raise your thermostat in the summer. Raising the thermostat from 73
to 78 degrees can mean savings of up to 15% in cooling costs.
16 - Fans can make your air
conditioner's job easier while saving you money. Pedestal and
ceiling fans improve the air circulation in your home, allowing you
to raise the air conditioner's thermostat. In moderate heat, fans
can sometimes completely replace air conditioners. Ceiling fans use
only about one tenth the electricity of a typical home air
conditioner.
17 - To stay most comfortable
during the hottest hours of the day, do your cooking, laundry and
bathing in the early morning or late evenings. These activities all
increase the level of humidity in your home, making it less
comfortable and forcing the air conditioner to work even harder. If
other heat generating appliances, such as irons, ovens and blow
dryers are used only in the early morning or late evening, your home
will stay cooler.
18 - Drapes, shades and awnings
shield windows from the hot sun, keeping your home cooler. Your
storm windows also come in handy during the summer since they keep
cool air in and hot air out. Weatherstripping and caulking windows
and door frames will also keep cool air from leaking out. Certain
reflective films can be used on windows to screen out the hot rays
of the sun without reducing the amount of light you receive. And,
when doors and windows are shut, your air conditioner will operate
more efficiently.
19 - Like other appliances that
heat and cool, refrigerators are big energy users. If your
refrigerator door does not shut tightly, check the door seal to see
if it needs to be cleaned or replaced. A door leak allows cool air
to escape, forcing your refrigerator to use more energy to keep food
cold.
20 - Cleaning the condenser coils
found in the back or bottom of the refrigerator will maximize its
efficiency. A brush or vacuum can be used. Be sure to unplug the
refrigerator before you start cleaning.
21 - Keep the refrigerator away
from heating appliances (ovens and dishwashers), windows, and
heating ducts. Direct exposure to heat forces the unit to work
harder and use more energy. If you have a freezer or refrigerator in
your garage, remember that the garage is not cooled and it will run
more to keep cool.
22 - When purchasing a new
refrigerator consider a high efficiency model. Compare
yellow Energy Guide labels and choose the unit that uses the
least amount of electricity.
23 - A freezer's efficiency is
increased by keeping its compartment full. Be careful not to block
the fan that allows cold air to circulate.
24 - Although automatic defrost
refrigerators are convenient, their defrosting features use a lot of
electricity. A manual defrost refrigerator typically uses 36% less
energy.
25 - Check temperature settings for
the most efficient appliance operation. Refrigerator temperature
should be 36-38 degrees and freezer temperature should be 0-5
degrees.
26 - Ninety percent of the energy
your washer uses goes toward heating water. You can save energy
dollars by using hot water only for heavily soiled laundry. Most
laundry can be washed in warm water and lightly soiled loads can be
washed in cold water. You can also save by using cold water rinses
for each load, because the temperature of the water used during the
rinse cycle will not make your clothes any cleaner.
27 - Run the washer only when you
have a full load of laundry to save energy and water.
28 - If you have more than one load
of clothes to dry, try to do each load immediately after the one
before to use the heat left over from the previous cycle and
increase the efficiency of the dryer.
29 - If you're in the market for a
new clothes dryer, consider purchasing one with a "moisture sensing"
device that shuts off automatically when your clothes are dry so the
dryer doesn't run longer than needed.
30 - You can reduce drying time and
energy use by setting your timer carefully. Over-drying your clothes
uses more energy than necessary, and shortens the life of the
fabric. Other side effects include shrinkage and static cling.
31 - Drying heavy and light fabrics
separately will also keep drying time to a minimum. Mixing different
weight fabrics causes the dryer to run longer than necessary.
32 - Remember to check the lint
filter before each load. Lint buildup blocks air flow and lengthens
drying time, costing you energy dollars.
33 - The water heater is the second
largest energy consumer in the home and using it efficiently can add
up to big savings. For families with an automatic dishwasher, the
hot water heater setting can safely be lowered to 130-140 degrees.
If the automatic dishwasher has a water temperature booster, the
water heater temperature can be set to 110-120 degrees. If your
house will be vacant for two or more days, you can lower the
temperature of your water heater even more until you return. If you
have a new water heater, drain a few gallons from your tank every
six months to remove sediment that accumulates and reduces the
heater's efficiency. If you only use your hot water once or twice a
day, you may consider installing a timer on your hot water heater
and set it up to run two hours in the morning and the evening.
34 - Wrapping a fiberglass blanket
around your water heater and securing it with duct tape, or
installing a ready-made insulation kit can save up to 10% on water
heating costs. Most new water heaters are already insulated, so this
tip is most effective for heaters that are more than five years old.
Also, insulate hot water pipes to reduce heat loss as the hot water
is flowing to your faucets.
35 - Leaky faucets can add to your
hot water bill so repair them as soon as possible. The constant drip
wastes water, energy and money. You can also save by installing an
inexpensive "flow control" device in shower heads and faucets.
36 - It pays to operate appliances
that use hot water wisely. Running the clothes washer with a full
load and using cold water whenever possible can lead to big energy
savings. Use detergents that clean clothes effectively in cold
water. Rinsing dishes with cold water before loading them into the
dishwasher and running the dishwasher only when it's completely full
will also save money.
37 - Eighty percent of the energy
used in automatic dishwashers goes toward heating water. Significant
savings take place by running the dishwasher only when it is full.
Running a half-filled dishwasher twice uses two times as much energy
as running a full load once.
38 - Washing dishes by hand may not
save energy or money. In fact, you can probably save energy using
the dishwasher since hand-washing usually requires more hot water.
39 - When shopping for a new
dishwasher, look for models that require less hot water. Dishwashers
differ in the number of gallons of hot water used in the wash cycle.
The manufacturer's specifications or the
Energy Guide label should list this information.
40 - Many new dishwashers have an
internal water heater that raises the temperature of the incoming
water to 140 degrees. This device allows you to turn down the
temperature on the water heater in your home and still have your
dishes washed thoroughly.
41 - Take advantage of the energy
saving control on many dishwashers. It turns off the heat during the
drying cycle. Opening the dishwasher after the rinse cycle and
letting the dishes air dry is another way to save energy.
42 - A microwave oven is an energy
efficient alternative to a conventional oven. It cooks food more
quickly and it uses 70-80% less electricity than a regular oven.
43 - When you're cooking on top of
the range, use pots and pans that are properly sized to "fit" the
burners. Using a small pan on a large burner wastes energy and can
be a safety hazard. Cookware with flat bottoms and tight covers are
your best choice. Always cook with lids on your pans, as this keeps
the heat inside and speeds up cooking time.
44 - If you do use a conventional
oven, try to avoid "peeking" by opening the oven door. Each "peek"
can lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees. Use a toaster oven to
cook small items.
45 - Although often recommended,
it's not really necessary to preheat the oven for foods with a
cooking time of over one hour. Using glass pans allows you to set
the oven 25 degrees lower because glass retains heat.
46 - When preparing a meal in your
oven, try to use foods that are cooked at about the same
temperature. That way your oven can cook several dishes at the same
time.
47 - Lighting accounts for about
15% of a home's electric use. New screw-in fluorescent bulbs can
replace the incandescent ones most of us use. Fluorescent bulbs are
more expensive, but they last 10 times longer and use 75% less
electricity.
48 - If you prefer incandescent
bulbs, try to use "energy saver" bulbs. These bulbs use halogen
gases that allow the filament to burn brighter while consuming less
electricity.
49 - A lot of energy can be saved
by matching as closely as possible light bulb wattage to lighting
needs. For example, a high wattage reading light in a hallway or
alcove is not energy efficient.
50 - You can save by turning off
incandescent lights when you leave the room. If you use fluorescent
lighting, however, turn them off only if you'll be gone longer than
15 minutes. Fluorescent lights use as much energy in starting as
they use during 15 minutes of operation, so it's not worthwhile to
turn them off for brief periods.
51 - Lighting controls or "timers"
can help save energy dollars, too. Timers can be set to turn lights
on or off at predetermined times while photocell controls are
sensitive to light and turn lamps on and off at sundown and sunrise.
Dimmers can vary the level of illumination according to how much
light you may want in a given situation.
52 - Consider using task lighting
(lighting directed at a specific area) instead of overhead or
general lighting, which may light unused areas of the room. By
limiting lighting only to areas where it is needed, savings in the
cost of bulbs and energy can be made.
53 - Keeping lights and fixtures
clean can improve efficiency as much as 20%. Take advantage of
reflected light by keeping portable fixtures as close as possible to
light colored walls or other surfaces. These easy steps may reduce
the number and wattage of bulbs you need and help you save on your
energy bills.
