ENERGY
SAVING TIPS

Electronic Devices – Spending a large portion of time in low-power mode not only saves energy but helps the equipment run cooler and last longer.

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• Caulk and weather-strip doors and windows that leak air.
• Decorate for a cooler home by hanging light-colored curtains that allow light to enter a room while blocking some of the sun’s rays, and light-colored paint to reflect heat.
• Roofing – reduce the strain on your air conditioner by applying the reflective coating. This will help you save by decreasing the amount of heat coming into your home.
• Block the sun from overheating your home. Inside, use shades, blinds, and drapes. Outside, use awnings, trees, and shrubs.
• Caulk and weather-strip doors and windows that leak air.
• Eliminate “hot spots” in your home by using high-performance windows, solar window screens, and qualified window films.
• Install awnings on south- and west-facing windows.
• Use higher R-value insulation, such as spray foam, on exterior walls and in cathedral ceilings to get more insulation with less thickness.
• Apply sun-control or other reflective films on south-facing windows to reduce solar heat gain.

• You can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by simply turning your thermostat back 7°-10° for 8 hours a day from where you would normally set.
• Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make sure they’re not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.
• Clean or replace filters on furnaces and air conditioners once a month or as recommended

• Keep range-top burners and reflectors clean; they will reflect the heat better and you will save energy.

Buy LED lights – LED Christmas lights use up to 90 percent less electricity than incandescent.

• Using the power management settings on computers and monitors can cause significant savings.
• Using an “ENERGY STAR” labeled computer can save 30%-65% more energy than computers without this designation, depending on usage.
• Putting your laptop AC adapter on a power strip that can be turned off can maximize savings.
• Unplug appliances, or use a power strip and use the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance, to avoid “vampire” loads.
• Avoid placing appliances that give off heat such as lamps or TVs near a thermostat.

• Many side dishes can be cooked in a microwave instead of the oven. Microwaves use just a fraction of the electricity that ovens do. A slow cooker can help ease the oven’s burden as well.
• Use small electric pans, toaster ovens, or convection ovens for small meals rather than your large stove or oven.

• Consider air-drying clothes on clotheslines or drying racks. Air drying is recommended by clothing manufacturers for some fabrics.
• Clean the lint screen in the dryer after every load to improve air circulation and prevent fire hazards.
• Check your dryer vent to be sure it is not blocked. This will save energy and may prevent a fire.
• Wash your clothes in cold water using cold-water detergents whenever possible.
• Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle.
• Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.

• Shorten Showers. Simply reducing that lingering time by a few minutes can save hundreds of gallons of hot water per month for a family of four. Showers account for 2/3 of your water heating costs.
• Insulate your electric hot-water storage tank but be careful not to cover the thermostat.
• Drain a quart of water from your water tank every 3 months to remove sediment that impedes heat transfer and lowers the efficiency of your heater.
• Install heat traps on the hot and cold pipes at the water heater to prevent heat loss. Most new water heaters have built-in heat traps.
• Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120°F.

• Regularly defrost manual-defrost freezers and refrigerators; frost buildup decreases the energy efficiency of the unit.
• Don’t keep your refrigerator or freezer too cold. Recommended temperatures are 37° to 40°F for the fresh food compartment and 5°F for the freezer section.
• Cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder