Ways to
Save on Energy Costs
Summer Bills
If You Can't Stand the Heat...
- Close draperies on the sunny side of the house to block the sun’s rays.
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Use light colors to reflect heat and reduce cooling costs, when painting your home or replacing the roof.
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Plant deciduous trees to add shade in summer and let the sun through in the winter
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Plant small shrubbery near the foundation of your home to shade the lower half of outer walls. Plant three feet from the wall to prevent water damage.
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Use fans to circulate air and make you feel cooler at a higher thermostat setting.
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Do moisture-producing chores in the early morning or at night when it’s cooler. This includes washing clothes or dishes, mopping floors, watering indoor indoor plants, etc.
plants, etc.
- Insulate
electric switch plates and outlet covers located on outside walls.
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Check to see that your attic is well ventilated. Rooms under poorly vented attics are much hotter.
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Buy a programmable thermostat, especially if your home is vacant most of the day. Set it to turn on a half hour before anyone arrives home
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Install aerators on your kitchen and bathroom faucets.
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Use the exhaust fan to remove moisture and heat from your kitchen, but turn it off when you’re finished cooking.
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Vent the dryer to the outside to reduce heat and moisture in your home.
Refrigerator
& Appliance Savings
- Check the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer. The refrigerator should be between 38 and 42 degrees; the freezer 0 to 5 degrees. Ten degrees colder than necessary can increase energy consumption up to 25 percent.
- Defrost your refrigerator/freezer whenever 1/4 inch of frost develops and clean the condenser coils every two months.
- Don’t keep a second refrigerator going all the time just to use it once in a while. If you do have a second refrigerator or freezer, don’t use it in a garage or other space that is not air conditioned.
- Cover liquids before placing them in the refrigerator. The liquids give off vapors that add to the
frig’s workload.
- Defrost foods in the refrigerator rather than in the microwave.
- Set your water heater temperature to 120 degrees.
- Put lids on pans to hold the heat in while cooking.
- Cook one-pot meals in the crockpot.
- Cook with an outdoor barbecue to keep the heat out of the kitchen.
- Use a toaster oven to heat or bake small quantities of food.
- Use a microwave oven to reheat leftovers, cook vegetables and casseroles.
- Run full dishwasher loads and use the "air dry" setting or turn the dishwasher off after the final rinse.
- Use only cold water in your food waste disposal and to rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.
- Clean the lint filter after every dryer load.
- Consider a front-loading washing machine. They use 50 percent less energy and one-third less water. Plus, they remove far
more water in the rinse cycle, and that translates into big savings in dryer time.
- Try washing clothes on a "delicate" setting instead of "regular". The motor won’t have to work as hard.
- Use cold water for wash and rinse cycles when possible.
- Put clothes through an extra washer spin cycle before putting them in the dryer or line dry clothes outside.
- Turn off items such as computers, printers, copiers, etc. when they are not in use.
- Buy major appliances that sport the "Energy Star"
sticker. That shows the appliance meets or exceeds standards
set by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency
- Check with your utility company for rebates whenever you install energy-saving equipment
(Energy Star )
- Try to do all ironing at one time to prevent having to heat the iron several times.
- If your home has a fireplace, close the damper tightly when the fireplace is not in use.
- Caulk your home’s doors and windows.
- Weather strip doors to unheated/uncooled areas of your home such as the garage, crawl space and attic.
- Wrap the air conditioning ducts with R-8 insulation and seal the seams with mastic. You can reduce your cooling cost by as much as 10 percent by insulating and tightening up ducts.
- Take short showers (six minutes or less) instead of baths. A short shower uses
one-third the amount of water of a tub bath. Run the exhaust fan or open the bathroom window an inch or two while bathing to remove humidity.
- Repair leaky faucets. This is especially important for hot water faucets.
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Preparing your Home for Cold Winter Weather
- Weatherstrip doors to unheated areas of your home, such as the garage, crawl space and attic.
- Seal leaks around electric switches and outlets located on outside walls.
- Keep windows and doors shut when the heat is on. Check caulking around door and windows.
- Tightly caulk around windows, doorframes, sill plates and wherever else air might leak through exterior walls, floors or ceilings. If you have central heating, wrap the heating ducts with insulation and seal the seams with mastic. This can save up to 10% of your heating costs.
- Have your heating unit serviced annually by a Qualified Contractor (APS). Check the thermostat for accuracy and have it adjusted or replaced if necessary.
- Install tempered glass fireplace doors to reduce heat loss.
- Consider automatic door closers for entry and sliding glass doors.
- Put your water heater under wraps with a water heater insulation jacket. This can reduce your water heater's energy use by 10 to 12 percent.
- Insulate hot water pipes.
- Set the heating thermostat at 68 degrees or lower.
- Keep your furnace’s filter clean.
- Use the best insulation of all - warm clothing. A 68-degree room will feel like 72 if you wear layers of lightweight, loose fitting clothing.
- Never use the range oven or surface units to heat your home.
- Open draperies in the daytime for free solar heat. Close them at night to help keep the cold out and heat in.
- Never use a portable electric heater to do full-time heating jobs.
- If your home has a fireplace, keep the damper closed tightly when there is no fire burning.
- Use an extra blanket to keep warm while you’re sleeping.
- Keep outside doors and windows closed when the heat is on.
- While you're on Vacation, set the heating thermostat at 60 degrees or lower.
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How to Help to preserve the Earth's climate
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