Ideas for living more energy efficiently

And saving on utility bills!

Turn it down! – In the winter use your programmable thermostat to lower the heat when you’re asleep or away from home. When you’re in the house set the thermostat to a lower temperature and put on a sweater, a pair of warm slippers,  and some more bed covers.

Use your blinds! – In winter keep the blinds and drapes of sun-exposed windows open in the daytime and closed at night to conserve heat. In the summer open windows and blinds at night to cool the house and close them in the daytime to keep it cool. If you don’t have good blinds consider installing insulating window coverings. They can be a great way to affordably reduce heat loss and gain through windows as well as adding privacy and beauty to your home.

Use your fans! – Ceiling fans are a much more energy efficient way to stay cool than air-conditioning. PLUS they can help to keep you comfortable in the winter too. Reversing the direction of the blades in winter pushes warm air up to the ceiling then brings it down the walls. This evens out the temperature without creating a cooling breeze. If you don’t have ceiling fans consider installing Energy Star models in your bedrooms and living room.

Fill it up! It takes almost as much energy and water to wash a small load as a big one so hang on to those dirty socks!

Wash ‘em cold! - unless clothes are badly stained, wash in cold water; always rinse clothes in cold water.

Hang ‘em up! (or on drying racks inside but watch out for too much humidity causing condensation inside your home). Clothes dryers use an enormous amount of energy and, most of the time, are not essential when clothes will dry perfectly well outside.

Cut the power! Turn off office equipment (TVs, radios, computers) and other appliances (the toaster, DVD, coffee maker, stereo, microwave) when not needed, at night or on the weekends. Home electronic products use energy when they’re off to power features like clock displays and remote controls. (In the average home, 40% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off.) At the very least pull the plug on these appliances if you go on vacation.

(Tip: If you put several appliances—your TV, DVD, VCR and stereo, for example—on a surge protector, you can turn them all off at once with the flip of a switch)

Don’t blow it! Use your exhaust fans sparingly; in just one hour they can remove a houseful of warmed or cooled air. BUT you do need to remove stale air, odors, and excess humidity from the house and bring in fresh air so consider installing a Heat Recovery Ventilation system. CLICK HERE to learn more.

Micro it!Use your microwave to reheat food; it uses 60% less energy than reheating on the stovetop.

Keep your cool! refrigerator coils—usually located on the back of the refrigerator—are used to expel heat, and if they are dusty it makes your fridge use more energy. Vacuum the coils once a year, especially if you have dogs and cats. Animal hair can really inhibit heat loss.