Energy Conservation

Tips for Energy Conservation:

1. Cleaning or replacing air filters as recommended can save 5% of the energy used or up to 175 pounds of CO₂. Energy is usually lost when air conditioners and hot-air furnaces have to work harder to draw air through dirty filters.

2. Setting the thermostat to 68 degrees during the day and 55 degrees at night during the winter. Keeping the thermostat set to 78 during the summer can result in serious energy savings. Lowering the thermostat just two degrees during winter can save 6% of heating-related CO₂ emissions. That is roughly 420 pounds of CO₂ per year in a typical home.

3. When replacing outdated or old models look into the Energy Star Label. Only buy products that are sized to one’s needs. Typically front loading washing machines will cut hot water use by 60-70%. Replacing a 1973 refrigerator with a new energy-efficient model saves 1.4 tons of CO₂ per year. Investing in a solar water heater can save up to 4.9 tons of CO₂ annually.

4. Setting the clothes washer to the warm or cold setting can save nearly 500 pounds of CO₂ per year for an electric water heater or 150 pounds for a gas heater.

5. Not running the dishwasher until it is absolutely full as well as using the energy saving setting can save about 20% of the dishwasher’s total electricity use.

6. Refrigerators account for about 20% of household electricity use. Turning the refrigerator down and assuring that the energy saver switch is turned on can help conserve energy in the home.

7. Turning down the water heater thermostat to 120. Each degree reduction saves 600 pounds of CO₂ per year for an electric heater, or 440 pounds for a gas heater. This can help prevent more than 45 million tons of annual CO₂ emissions.

8. Service your unit regularly. Over time, units can reduce in energy efficiency, making it so they have to work harder to perform, thus raising the cost of your energy bill. Getting routine maintenance done on your existing until can ensure that it is as energy efficient as possible.

9. Check your Ducts. Ducts in your home that run through areas without air conditioning that are not properly insulated may keep the air from coming in as cool as it could be. Make you aren’t paying for ‘half cool’ air.

10. If you have long periods of time during the day when you’re not home (maybe at work), turn off your AC unit. Turning the AC up to 85 and closing the windows and drapes will help decrease your energy bill significantly. Although it will be hot for a few minutes when you come home, the blinds will help keep the sun out.

11. Turn on your fans more often. Although fans do not create cold air, they just circulate it, making use of them can make it so you don’t need QUITE as much cool air. Thus, you may feel comfortable turning up your AC unit a few degrees.