Here are a few energy conservation tips to help you save money in energy costs while enjoying your home appliances:
Cooling & Heating Energy Conservation
- In colder seasons, turn down your thermostat slightly; every degree can save up to 5% in heating costs.
- During hot sunny weather, close curtains and blinds to keep the house cool and reduce the need for fans or air conditioning. The same applies during cold weather to reduce drafts and save on heating costs.
- Clean or replace furnace air filters once a month. Not only will this improve efficiency, but it will also help allergy sufferers.
- Ensure floor registers and baseboard heaters are not blocked by furniture, carpets or drapes, limiting effectiveness.
- Turn off bathroom and kitchen fans when no longer required; they are pulling the heat or coolness from the house.
- Guest room not in use? Adjust the thermostat until needed.
- Plug and seal the chimney flue of a fireplace that is never used; keeps heat from going up the chimney.
- Installing tempered glass doors on a fireplace can also reduce heat loss and improve efficiency.
- Trees can help shade exterior air-conditioning units; they'll use less energy. They also provide shade cooling and protect from drafts and winds.
- Small portable heaters are great for short-term use, but for long-term needs, consider installing a baseboard heater which draws less energy.
- Choose cooling and heating appliances suited to your room size. A larger unit may be wasting energy.
- Reduce drafts by insulating electrical outlet and switch cover plates
- To save on air conditioning, raise the setting by a couple of degrees; you will not notice the change, only the energy savings.
- Older thermostats are less efficient than newer ones, and you'll recover the cost quickly.
- Programmable thermostats allow you to customize temperature settings according to when you use the room.
- Portable Air Conditioners may be sufficient to keep the bedroom cool, saving on more expensive cooling appliances.
- Consider all your cooling options. See Cool Comfort - Ways to Beat the Heat and 5 Ways to Keep Your Kitchen Cool
- If you have bare floors, an area rug can 'cozy' your feet.
- Change your air conditioner filters as recommended - your unit will work more efficiently.
- Ceiling fans will often provide sufficient cooling, and may reduce the need for air conditioning.
- Is your ceiling fan on the correct setting for winter warm air circulation or summer cooling? See Which Way Should the Ceiling Fan Rotate?
- For the best energy savings, buy Energy Star qualified cooling and heating products.
- Check out efficiency features of Cooling and Heating Products before buying.
- Dishwashers
- Dishwasher Buying Tips for energy conservation features.
- Dishwashers can be set on economy mode, or the door opened to 'air dry' dishes economically.
- New models have delayed start features - you can set them to operate when energy prices are lower later in the day.
- Laundry Appliance Energy Conservation
- Before You Buy a Dryer for helpful dryer energy-saving features.
- Smaller loads dry faster.
- Dry clothes only as long as required; you could be using 30 minutes to dry a load that really only needs 15 minutes.
- Certain dryer models have damp/dry sensors and will shut off when the load is dry.
- Hang dress clothing to air dry on Portable Laundry Racks, they will also look better.
- Laundry Basics for more energy conservation tips.
- Front-load washers use less energy and water than top-loaders.
- Use cold water for rinsing and most other washing cycles.
- Clean the dryer lint filter before every load.
- Energy Conservation Tips from Procter & Gamble
- Refrigerators, Freezers & Energy Conservation
- Before You Buy a Refrigerator for energy conservation features
- For best efficiency, temperature should be set per manufacturer guidelines.
- Defrost freezers and manual-defrost refrigerators regularly - they'll work better.
- Before You Buy a Freezer for energy-saving features.
- Freezer Care & Maintenance - Keep your appliances operating more efficiently.
- Standby Refrigerators How to save energy on the older spare refrigerator.
- Cooking Ranges & Microwaves
- Range Buying Tips
- When stove top cooking, use lids on pots to reduce heating time.
- On the stove, use a pot sized for the food, and not a larger one. Example: Boiling eggs - you may be using more energy to boil more water, when a small pot would be sufficient.
- Microwave ovens use 75% less energy than range ovens.
- Compact Appliances - Energy Savers
- Hot Water Tanks
- Turn off the breaker to the hot water tank when going on vacation.
- Take showers more often than baths, they typically use half the energy a hot bath uses.
- Replacing your hot water tank? Would a smaller one do?
- Consider a tankless or 'on demand hot water unit.
- Wrap your hot water tank with an insulated tank 'blanket', they can reduce heat loss by 18%. Note: These are not recommended for oil or gas fired tanks, and should only be used on electric hot water tanks.
- If your tank has a temperature setting, lower it slightly.
