Ways To Save Energy
Save money by conserving energy. Read the following tips and learn how to save money while helping the environment:
Sealing Your Home
• Seal any air leaks in your home. Air leaks are commonly found around plumbing and wiring, windows and doors, and where walls meet ceilings. Keep the cool air inside in the summer, and keep the frigid cold out in the winter.
• Weather-strip all doors and windows or install storm windows and doors to prevent drafts. Lack of adequate weather-stripping can cost you $50 or more per year in lost energy.
Heating and Cooling
• Monitor your thermostat setting in the winter and summer. At a setting of on 68 degrees, you can see a difference of up to 3 percent in energy costs for every degree you raise or lower the setting.
• Lower the water temperature setting of your water heater to 120 degrees for significant savings.
• Keep shades shut in the summer to keep out heat from sun. Keep them open in the winter to provide extra heat.
• Do not place furniture over heating and cooling vents. This can block or restrict air flow, making your heating and air conditioning systems work harder.
• Install a setback thermostat. This will lower the temperature while you sleep, and will raise it automatically just before you wake up. It takes far less energy to lower the thermostat and then raise it later than to keep it set at the same setting at all times.
• Maintain your furnace regularly to keep it running efficient.
• Run your air conditioner as little as possible to save money and conserve energy. Open the windows on those warm spring days.
Appliances and Water Usage
• Use the automatic cycle on your clothes dryer. Drying more than needed wastes energy and wears out clothes.
• Check and clean your dryer exhaust vent regularly and remove lint after each load.
• Your hot water tank is usually the second greatest energy user in your home. Avoid using the dishwashers and washer machine until full loads are acquired.
• Wash clothes in cold water to reduce your energy bill and prevent shrinking and fading.
• Minimize your time taking long showers, and take showers over baths. A seven minute or less shower under a two gallon per minute low-flow shower head is more water and energy efficient than taking a bath in a bathtub full of water.