Energy Saving Tips

Saving energy starts with being an informed consumer. Estimate an appliance's annual energy cost using this guide. Then use the tips below to save energy and reduce your utility bills.

Appliances & Electronics

Many appliances continue to draw small amounts of power when switched off. These "phantom" loads occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as VCRs, TVs, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance.
Look for the Energy Star® and EnergyGuide labels when shopping for appliances. The Energy Star® label is the government's seal of energy efficiency. The EnergyGuide label estimates an appliance's energy consumption. Energy Star® computers and monitors save energy only when the power management features are activated, so make sure power management is activated on your computer.
Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes. If washing a small load, use the appropriate water-level setting.
Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying cycle and consider air-drying clothes on clothes lines or drying racks. Air-drying is recommended by clothing manufacturers for some fabrics.
Clean the lint filter in the dryer after every load to improve air circulation.
Periodically inspect your dryer vent to ensure it is not blocked. This will save energy and may prevent a fire. Use rigid venting material, since plastic vents may collapse and cause blockages.
Use the cool-down cycle to allow the clothes to finish drying with the residual heat in the dryer and dry towels and heavier cottons in a separate load from lighter-weight clothes.
Consider a laptop for your next computer upgrade; they use much less energy than desktop computers.
Plug laptop AC adapters into power strips that can be turned off; the transformer in the AC adapter draws power continuously, even when the laptop is not plugged into the adapter.
Turn off your computer when you're away for 20 minutes or more, and both the CPU and the monitor if you will be away for two hours or more. Screen savers do not reduce energy use by monitors. Automatic switching to sleep mode or manually turning monitors off is always the better energy-saving strategy.
Rechargeable batteries for products like cordless phones and PDAs are more cost effective than throwaway batteries. Unplug battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use.

Heating & Cooling

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 once a month or as needed.
Use fans during the summer to create a wind chill effect that will make your home more comfortable. If you use air conditioning, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting about 4°F with no reduction in comfort.
Install a programmable thermostat that can be adjust the temperature according to your schedule. Energy Star® labeled products can cut your energy bills by up to 30 percent. Find retailers near you at http://www.energystar.gov/ when you're ready to replace your heating and cooling systems – as well as appliances, lighting, windows, office equipment, and home electronics.
Turn off kitchen, bath, and other ventilating fans within 20 minutes after you are done cooking or bathing to retain heated air.
Insulate heating ducts in unheated areas such as attics and crawlspaces and keep them in good repair to prevent heat loss of up to 60 percent at the registers.

Water Heating

Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater. Water heaters sometimes come from the factory with high temperature settings, but a setting of 120°F provides comfortable hot water for most uses. Lowering the thermostat on your water heater by 10ºF can save you between 3%–5% in energy costs.
Install a drain-water heat recovery system to pre-heat new water using the heat from drained water to save 85-90% of the energy from hot water.
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. Follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Insulate your electric, natural gas or oil hot-water storage tank, being careful not to cover the water heater's top, bottom, thermostat or burner compartment (as applicable). Follow manufacturer instructions or, when in doubt, get professional help.
Install heat traps on the hot and cold pipes at your water heater to prevent heat loss (some have built-in heat traps) and insulate the first 6 feet of the hot and cold pipes connected to the water heater.
Visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy web site to see if you qualify for tax credits or rebates for buying a solar water heater.
Take short showers rather than baths. Bathing uses the most hot water in the average household.
Install aerating, low-flow faucets and showerheads and select a shower head with a flow rate of less than 2.5 gpm (gallons per minute) for maximum water efficiency. Before 1992, some showerheads had flow rates of 5.5 gpm, so you might want to replace them if you're not sure of their flow rates.
Repair leaky faucets promptly; a leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a short period of time.
If heating a swimming pool, consider a swimming pool cover. Evaporation is by far the largest source of energy loss in swimming pools.

Insulation & Air Sealing

Conduct an energy audit of your home to find air leaks and to check for the proper level of insulation. Common sources of air leaks include cracks around windows and doors, gaps along baseboard, mail chutes, cracks in brick, siding, stucco or foundation, or where any external lines (phone, cable, electric, and gas) enter the home. Adequate insulation can save you up to 30 percent on home energy bills.
Plug air leaks with caulking, sealing, or weather stripping to save 10 percent or more on your energy bill.
Close fireplace dampers when not in use. Warm or cool air escapes when the damper is open.
Install new, high-performance windows to improve home energy performance. While it may take years to see energy savings, the benefits of added comfort and improved aesthetics and functionality may make the investment worthwhile. Proper installation is necessary to avoid air leaks around the frame.
Select windows with air leakage ratings of 0.3 cubic feet per minute or less. The lower the U-value, the better the insulation.
In cold climates, EnergyY Star® windows can reduce your heating bills by 30 to 40 percent compared to uncoated, single-pane windows, according to the Efficient Windows Collaborative.
In temperate climates with both heating and cooling seasons, select windows with both low U-values and low solar heat gain coefficiency (SHGC) to maximize energy benefits.
Repair and weatherize existing storm windows, if necessary.
Install exterior or interior storm windows. Storm windows can reduce heat loss through windows by 25% to 50% by reducing air leakage and reflecting heat back into the room during winter months.
To keep your home cooler: install white window shades, drapes, or blinds to reflect heat away from the house; apply sun-control or other reflective films on south-facing windows; close curtains on south and west-facing windows during the day; and install awnings on south and west-facing windows.
To keep your home warmer: close curtains and shades at night and open them during the day; install tight-fitting, insulating window shades on windows that feel drafty after weatherizing.

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