Energy Saving Tips

Cooling:

1. Set your thermostat as high as is comfortable.


2. Keep curtain and draperies closed during the day to decrease solar gains.


3. Turn off the exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathrooms twenty minutes after you finish bathing or cooking.


4. Replace or clean your air conditioning filter every month or as needed. As debris collects, less of the cool air is entering your home.


5. Utilize fans to remain cool instead of lowering your thermostat.


6. Set thermostats on automatic rather than running it continuously.


7. Make sure the weather stripping around your windows and doors is in good condition.


8. Setting your thermostat at a lower temperature than desired does not make your home cooler faster.


9. Check your ducts for air leaks.


10. Don’t place lamps or televisions near your thermostat. The heat emitted from them can keep your air conditioner running longer than is necessary.


11. Install white blinds and/or draperies to reflect the sun light from your windows.


12. Keep the dampers on your fireplace closed when you are not using it.


13. Whole-house fans help keep your home cooler by pulling cool air through your home and exhausting warm air through the attic.

Heating:

1. Replace or clean your radiator filters every month or as needed. As debris collects, less of the hot air is entering you home.


2. Make sure radiators, baseboard heaters, and warm-air registers aren’t blocked by furniture or curtains.


3. Open south and west facing window blinds/draperies during the day to let solar heat enter you home and closed at night to keep out the chill.


4. Place heat resistant reflectors between your radiator and exterior wall.


5. Utilize heat approved tapes rather than cloth-backed duct tape to seal your ducts.


6. Keep the dampers on your fireplace closed when you are not using it.

Appliances:

1. Turn your hot water heater down to 120 degrees.


2. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.


3. Turn your computer and monitor off when you are not using it.


4. Take short showers instead of baths.


5. Wash only full loads of cloths and dishes.


6. Turn off lights in rooms you are not using.


7. Don’t use the “rinse hold” option on your dish washer. It uses 3 to 7 gallons of hot water each time you use it.


8. Let your dishes air dry.


9. Make sure your dishwasher is full but not overloaded.


10. Look for a refrigerator with automatic moisture control. These have been manufactures to prevent moisture accumulation on the cabinet exterior eliminating the need for the addition of a heater.


11. Don’t set refrigerator and freezer temperatures too low. The recommended temperatures are 37 to 40 degrees for your refrigerator and 5 degrees for your freezer.


12. Don’t allow frost to build up in your freezer. Frost build-up reduces the efficiency of your freezer.
13. Maker sure your refrigerator doors seal airtight.


14. Cover liquids and wrap foods in your refrigerator. Uncovered foods emit moisture into the refrigerator and make the compressor work harder.


15. Wash your clothes in cold water whenever possible.


16. Dry towels and other heavy materials in separate loads from lighter clothing.


17. Don’t over dry your clothing.


18. Clean the lint filter in the dryer before you dry your cloths.


19. Use the cool-down cycle to allow the clothes to finish drying with the residual heat in the dryer.


20. Consider air drying your clothing on clothes racks or lines.


21. Turn off monitors, copiers, fax machines, etc. in your office when you are not using them.


22. Computers do not last longer if you leave them on. This misconception was only applicable on the old mainframe computers.


23. Screensavers do not save energy. It is better to turn them off or set them up to go into sleep mode.