Conservation
Now is a great time to start saving energy! You can save on power use, save money on your electric bill, and still keep your home comfortable.
- Set your thermostat as low or high as comfortably possible. The less difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the less your air conditioner has to work and the lower your overall electric bill will be.
- Clean or change your heater / air conditioner filter once a month or as needed. Also, these appliances should be serviced annually.
- Shade your air conditioner with a tree or a shrub to ease the strain.
- Make sure that the temperature next to your thermostat is similar to the rest of your home. Lamps and / or TV’s placed next to a thermostat can produce heat that is sensed by the thermostat causing the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
- Adjust your thermostat at night or when your home is unoccupied. It is cheaper to re-heat or cool your house than to leave them running all day.
- Insulate your home to prevent loss of heating / cooling.
- Use window coverings to help regulate the temperature in your home. Open them in the winter and close them in the summer.
- Install an insulating jacket around your water heater.
- Turn the temperature of your water heater down to 110 to 120 degrees.
- Buy energy efficient appliances with the Energy Star sticker.
- Remember to turn off appliances and lights when not in use. Lights produce heat and unnecessary heat makes your air conditioning work harder than it has to.
- Use ceiling fans to increase air circulation in the rooms of your home and check to make sure the blade rotation is pulling the air in the right direction-up for summer, down for winter.
- Avoid overloading your refrigerator.
- Wash and dry full loads of laundry, and use only the cold or warm setting.
- Vent your clothes-dryer to the outside.
- Clean your refrigerator condenser regularly.
- Set your thermostat at 68 F in the winter and at 78 F in the summer.
- Check weather stripping around doors and windows.
- Do not run kitchen or bathroom vent fans longer than necessary.
- Use energy-saving light bulbs wherever possible
Electric Conservation Links
- U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Savers (http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumerinfo/energy_savers/)
- Energy Star Program (http://www.energystar.gov/)
- Home Energy (http://www.homeenergy.org/)
- Energy Outlet (http://www.energyoutlet.com/)
