Becoming energy efficient can save families about a third on their energy bill and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To learn more about energy efficiency in the home please visit www.energystar.gov. To learn about saving money on your local electricity bill please visit www.powertochoose.org.

Tips for Saving Energy at Home

CLIMATE CONTROL

A typical household uses 44% of its energy for heating and cooling.

ADJUST TEMPERATURE: If you have to use the air conditioner, set the thermostat to the highest comfortable setting. 78 degrees (F) works for most people. Replace air conditioner filters. The dirtier they are, the harder the appliance works. Plant shrubs or bushes around your central AC unit. They’ll provide shade and keep it cool. The hotter the unit gets, the harder it has to work – more energy, more money. Be careful not to obstruct airflow through coils and maintain at least 3 feet of clearance on all sides.

SHADE: Close blinds, drapes or window coverings on the south facing windows. This reduces the amount of heat build-up in the home. Properly adjust window awnings for optimal shading. Add do-it-yourself insulated (quilted) window covers (minimum R-3 and costing less than $5/sq.ft.) or install blinds, drapes, awnings or other window coverings to block the sun. Install do-it-yourself window tinting for south facing windows. Plant deciduous trees on the south side of your house, especially if you have a lot of windows. This will prevent overheating your home in the summer, but allowing plenty of sun (AND HEAT) in the winter, when the leaves fall.

INSULATE: Increase attic insulation to R-38 (the current requirement for new homes). Insulate floors over unheated spaces to R-19 and to R-30 in colder climates. Insulate and seal ducts in attics, crawl spaces, garages and other unheated or conditioned areas. Wall insulation should be added when the space is made accessible during home remodeling.

PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTATS: Install an automatic setback thermostat that adjusts temperature according to your daily schedule. Programmable thermostats can reduce energy wasted heating or cooling a house when no one is home or everyone's asleep. Energy Star programmable thermostats can save as much as 20% to 30% on your heating or cooling costs by allowing for multiple daily settings and automatically adjusting when the outside temperature changes. Look for thermostats that have temperature recovery systems, two programs and four temperature settings.

CEILING FANS: Use window or ceiling fans instead of the air conditioner. They use less energy. Moving air tends to feel cooler, allowing for higher summertime thermostat settings. The effect is equivalent to lowering the air temperature by about 4 degrees F, and using less energy than air conditioners in doing so.

EFFICIENCY MODELS: Air Conditioners, heat pumps, and water heaters all have high efficiency models available and should be considered when replacing these appliances.

LIGHTING, COOKING AND OTHER APPLIANCES

The next-biggest household energy use is for lighting and appliances. Not counting refrigerators, this is about 33% of a typical utility bill.

SWITCH TO COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHTS (CFL'S): CFL's use up to 1/4 less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. They can also be recycled, www.lamprecycle.org. Users can save up to $59 on energy costs over the life of the bulb. Pay attention to how many lights you are using. Be more energy efficient and move furniture to take advantage of natural light. Use motion sensors for outdoor lighting. You'll still have security and save energy. Replace the halogen floor lamps with CFL’s. CFL’s are much safer, use 70 percent less electricity and produce as much, if not more, light.

BUY ENERGY-EFFICIENT APPLIANCES: Look for and purchase Energy Star® labeled electronic goods, light bulbs and fixtures that are rated for energy efficiency. When it is time to replace a home appliance, purchase an energy-efficient model. These appliances may cost more initially, but you will save both money and energy over its entire life. An appliance that is cheaper to purchase will have higher operating costs, and the savings you'll accumulate from using an EnergyStar® appliance will be substantial. See the Energy Star® website at www.energystar.gov for more information on home products. Among household appliances, the refrigerator is likely your biggest energy consumer, especially if it's more than 15 years old. It can account for up to 9% of your energy costs alone.

USE POWER STRIPS:  Shut off or unplug lights, computers and other electronic appliances when you're not using them. Even after turning off a computer, power continues to flow to computer peripherals like printers and scanners. Many appliances are “ghost” energy users. This means that even when they are not on they are still using power. Plug all of your audio, video and computer equipment into power strips that are easily accessible. When not in use one switch can shut off all of your “silent” energy users.

GENERAL: Wash only full loads of dishes and air dry them. Clean your coils on the refrigerator, the exhaust/lint from the dryer, the dust on the lights, the debris in/on the air conditioning unit, the filter on your AC unit, the frost in your freezer. Your equipment will last longer and you’ll save energy and spend less money. By cleaning the lint out of the dryer after every use you can reduce your energy use by up to 30 percent per load! Set refrigerator temperatures between 37 and 40 degrees (F) (Use a thermometer to verify temperatures). Keep the refrigerator stocked; it takesmore energy to cool an empty fridge.

WATER HEATING
Heating water is the third-biggest home-energy cost – about 14%-20% of your energy bill.

LOWER THE TEMPERATURE: Lower the temperature on your electric water heater to 120 degrees (F). Turn it off when leaving for extended periods of time. Gas water heaters must be set to the "vacation" setting.

HOT WATER JACKETS: Insulate your water heater tank for energy savings with a hot water jacket. Unless your water heater's storage tank already has a high R-value of insulation (at least R-24), adding insulation to it can reduce standby heat losses by 25%–45%. This will save you around 4%–9% in water heating costs. If you don't know your water heater tank's R-value, touch it. A tank that's warm to the touch needs additional insulation. Insulating your storage water heater tank is fairly simple and inexpensive, and it will pay for itself in about a year. You can find pre-cut jackets or blankets available from around $10–$20. Choose one with an insulating value of at least R-8. Add water heater tank and hot water pipe insulation especially if in an unheated or conditioned space. Don't cover the thermostat or, for natural gas models, the air inlets.

INSTALL A SOLAR WATER HEATER: Solar water heating systems usually cost more to purchase and install than conventional water heating systems. However, a solar water heater can usually save you money in the long run. How much money you save depends on the following: The amount of hot water you use, your system's performance, your geographic location and solar resource, available financing and incentives, the cost of conventional fuels (natural gas, oil, and electricity), and the cost of the fuel you use for your backup water heating system, if you have one. On average, if you install a solar water heater, your water heating bills should drop 50%–80%. Also, because the sun is free, you're protected from future fuel shortages and price hikes. If you're building a new home or refinancing, the economics are even more attractive. Including the price of a solar water heater in a new 30-year mortgage usually amounts to between $13 and $20 per month. The federal income tax deduction for mortgage interest attributable to the solar system reduces that by about $3–$5 per month. So if your fuel savings are more than $15 per month, the solar investment is profitable immediately. On a monthly basis, you're saving more than you're paying.

 

COMPUTER ENERGY SAVING TIPS

Set the Power settings on your computer to automatically go into Sleep/Standby mode after 15 minutes (or less) or so of inactivity, and your hard drive to turn off after 30 minutes of inactivity.

If you use a desktop computer, consider using a flat panel/LCD monitor. They use only 1/3 of the energy or a CRT, some as little as 30W or 1W on standby.

If you buy a new computer, consider a laptop if possible. They use less energy than desktops and are suitable for most people, unless you do a lot of typing.

Turn your computer off when you're done for the day. Use a power strip so you can easily turn off all your computer accessories at once.

Shut down your computer, monitor and printer or set them to standby mode when you leave the office for more than two hours. Screensavers are not energy savers; they continually use the monitor at full power.

Windows ME and Windows 2000 have a system hibernate feature, which performs a save before it shuts down. When reactivated, everything is restored exactly. In Windows XP go to Control Panel and then Power Option Properties to set preferences.

 

Water Conservation

Indoor Water Saving Tips

• Check your pipes, faucets or toilets for leaks
• Do not use your toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket  
• Install water-saving shower heads or low restrictors  
• Install low flow (2.2 gals/minute) aerators on bathroom and kitchen
    faucets and an ultra-low flow (1.6 gals/flush) toilet
• Take shorter showers or take baths (partially filled tubs). 
• Turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush
• Rinse your razor in the sink
• Put a plastic bottle in your toilet tank (be sure not to lock the flushing
   mechanism)
• Run the dishwasher and washing machine only with full loads
• If you wash dishes by hand, don't leave the water running for
   rinsing.            
• Don't let the faucet run while you clean your vegetables

Outdoor Water Saving Tips

1. Water your lawn only when it needs it 
2. Deep soak your lawn  
3. Water during the cool part of the day
4. Plant drought-resistant trees and plants
5. Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants
6. Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways and walkways
7. Tell your children not to play with the hose and sprinkler
8. Check for leaks in pipes, hoses, faucets and couplings
9. Don't water the gutters, streets or sidewalks
10. Don't run the hose while washing the car

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."
          --St. Francis of Assisi


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