Take a bite out of energy costs, and your impact on the environment, with these no-cost and low-cost strategies.
Change Your Bulbs: Replace standard incandescent bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs. CFLs use 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer. Choose brands with the blue ENERGY STAR label.- Make an Adjustment: In heating season, set your thermostat to 65-68 degrees during the day and 58-60 degrees at night. If you have a heat pump, turn the thermostat down no more than 10 degrees at night. Install an ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat to adjust the settings automatically.
- Check the Setting: Reduce your water heater thermostat setting to 120 degrees.
- Wash Smart: (Laundry) Wash and rinse clothes with cold water, and clean lint filters after each load. To save more energy and water, run full loads. (Dishes) Use the water-saver washing and energy-saving drying options on your washer.
- Pull the Plug: If you have an old refrigerator or freezer in your garage or basement, it’s time to retire the energy hot.
- Keep it Clean: Check your furnace filter monthly and clean or replace dirty filters to help your furnace work at peak efficiency.
- Cook Wise: If you don’t need to use a full-size oven, use a countertop convection oven, microwave or smaller electric appliance. On the stove, use pots and pans with flat bottoms for the most efficient cooking.
- Waste No Water: If you don’t already have them, install high-performing showerheads and faucet aerators in your bath and kitchen. We sell two water efficient showerheads in our shop: the Oxygenics 5-Star Spa 2.0 GPM Shower Head or the ShowerStart Roadrunner 1.5 GPM Shower Head.
- Turn ‘Em Off: Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Turn off televisions, computers or appliances when they’re not in use.
- Power Down: Unplug power strips, battery chargers and small appliances when they’re not in use. The power used when plugged in really adds up. If you have a strip that’s outdated or in a hard to reach location, opt for a new strip with a handy on/off remote control, such as the Belkin Conserve Energy-Saving Power Strip with Remote sold in our online shop.
- Lose the Leak: Stop air leaks by installing gaskets behind switch plates and outlets on exterior walls.
- Just Caulk It: Caulk small holes and cracks under countertops and around plumbing pipes, exhaust fans, dryer vents, sink and bathtub drains and fireplaces.
- Damp It Down: Close fireplace and wood stove dampers when not in use, but wait until several hours after the fire is completely out.
Change Your Bulbs: Replace standard incandescent bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs. CFLs use 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer. Choose brands with the blue ENERGY STAR label.
