SaveEnergy

TIPS FOR SAVING ON YOUR UTILITIES COSTS

CONSERVATION: Cut back on Energy Usage

Cooling and Heating

Leave A/C or heat on during the day. It takes more energy to restore your home to the desired temperature. Instead, adjust the temperature a few degrees accordingly when you leave.
Repair and weather strip air leaks in the home; about 10-25% of energy used to cool homes escapes via leaks.
Change furnace filters every month. During air conditioning season this simple measure can reduce cooling costs by up to 10%.
Be consistent with your thermostat settings
It’s both green and smart to keep your thermostat at 65 to 68 degrees during the heating season and 78 to 80 degrees during cooling season.
If you use a programmable thermostat, lower the thermostat during the day when no one is home and even lower overnight while you are sleeping.
Limit the amount of time you run kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans. Only run them for as long as it takes to get rid of any odors to minimize losing warm or cool air.
Close blinds or angle them upwards in the summer to deflect direct sunlight and keep your home cool.
Open your blinds and drapes on sunny winter days to help warm up your home naturally. Close them in the evening to lock in the warmth and keep cold air out.
During the air conditioning season you can adjust your thermostat up for every degree above 72 you can save 3% more.
Install window tint, there are some brands that can reduce the radiated heat by up to 70%.

Appliances

Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when they are full you will save 1,000 gallons a month.
Unplug electronic appliances when not in use
Use cold water when you do laundry
Use the air dry cycle on your dishwasher
Use appropriate sized pots and pans on the burners can save you $36 for electric ranges. Using lids when cooking also saves 25% on fuel use as well as decreasing cooking time.
Use the oven less. Use microwaves, toaster ovens, and crockpots more often.
Keep the oven door shut while cooking. Each time you open the oven the temperature decreases 25-75 degrees and requires additional energy to bring the temperature back up.
Clean the lint filter in your dyer after every load to improve air circulation and to be sure the dyer is running efficiently.
Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. For each 10 degrees reduction in water temperature, you can save between 3%-5% in energy costs.
Run cold water for disposal. Hot water requires energy to warm the water. Cold water saves energy and solidifies grease, moving it more easily through the garbage disposal.

Electronics

Unplug electronic devices when they're not in use. Some electronics, such as televisions, use up to 10 watts of energy when they're off and still plugged in.
Unplug devices that use standby power, such as DVD players, video games, printers, scanners and set-top cable boxes. Most new electronics use electricity even when shut off.
Use a power strip to plug in electronics and turn power strip off when not in use.
Shut down your computer if you're going to be away 2 hours or more.
When you are ready to buy a new computer, buy a laptop which uses 1/5th the energy of a desktop.

Lighting

Save energy by turning off lights when you leave the room.
Use compact fluorescent lamp bulbs. CFL’s uses as little as ¼ the energy of regular incandescent light bulbs and can last 10 times as long.
Make the most of any natural light in your home

Water

Take shorter cooler showers.
Take a shower versus a bath a typical shower uses nearly 20 gallons less hot water than a bath.
Install low-flow shower heads to reduce your hot water usage.
Turn shower off while shampooing or conditioning your hair.
Put bricks or water filled plastic bottles in your toilet tanks to reduce the water used per flush.
Repair Leaking faucets, showers and tubs.
Keep the faucet turned off while brushing your teeth, shaving, and washing your hands.