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Energy Saving Tips
Change your habits, and save money!
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16
Free or Low Cost Tips
- Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and save 75% of lighting costs.
- Unplug electronics, battery chargers and other equipment when not in use. Taken together, these small items can use as much power as your refrigerator.
- Take steps to cut water use such as installing faucet aerators, low-flow showerheads, and low-flush toilets. As much as 19% of California electricity is used to pump, transport and treat water.
- A 5° higher setting on your air conditioning thermostat will save about 10% on cooling costs.
- Always buy ENERGY STAR qualified appliances and equipment - they're up to 40% more efficient.
- Find rebates and incentives in your area using our rebate finder.
- Turn your water heater down to 120° or the "Normal" setting when home, and to the lowest setting when away.
- Water heating accounts for about 13% of home energy costs.
- Reduce air conditioning costs by using fans, keeping windows and doors shut and closing shades during the day.
- Turn off unnecessary lighting and use task or desktop lamps with CFLs instead of overhead lights.
- Enable "power management" on all computers and make sure to turn them off at night. A laptop computer uses up to 90% less energy than bigger desktop models.
- When possible, wash clothes in cold water. About 90% of the energy use in a clothes washer goes to water heating.
- Run your dishwasher and clothes washer only when fully loaded. Fewer loads reduce energy and water use.
- Make sure your dryer's outside vent is clear and clean the lint filter after every load.
- When shopping for a new dryer look for one with a moisture sensor that automatically shuts off when clothes are dry.
- Test for air leaks by holding a lit incense stick next to
windows, doors, electrical boxes, plumbing fixtures, electrical
outlets, ceiling fixtures, attic hatches and other locations where
there is a possible air path to the outside. If the smoke stream
travels horizontally, you have located an air leak that may need
caulking, sealing or weather stripping.
Good
Investment Tips
- Install an ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat away from natural cool and hot spots. An ENERGY STAR thermostat can save as much as $115 per year, provide more flexibility than standard models.
- Seal your home's envelope – walls, floor, ceiling and roof – to save up to 10% on your annual energy bill:
- Add weather stripping around windows and doors to reduce drafts.
- Use caulking to seal around ducts, plumbing and any other openings in walls, floors and ceilings to reduce air leakage. Begin in the attic, a common place for warm air to escape.
- Seal larger gaps that cannot be covered with caulk with expanding foam.
- After air sealing, determine the current level of insulation. In the attic, measure the depth of existing insulation using a ruler. If there is less than R-22 (7 inches of fiber glass or rock wool or 6 inches of cellulose) you could probably benefit by adding more. Most U.S. homes should have between R-22 and R-49 insulation in the attic. Insulating ceilings, walls, attics, floors, crawl spaces and basements to recommended standards can reduce heating and cooling costs by 5% to 25%.
- Install fireplace inserts or wood stoves into an existing fireplace. The inserts are equipped with glass or metal doors, outside combustion air vents and heat circulation blowers.
- Fireplace inserts dramatically improve fireplace efficiency by blowing heat from the fire into the room and limiting the amount of heat and conditioned air lost up the chimney.
- Fireplace inserts are recommended for fireplaces that are regularly used. Before installing a fireplace insert, be sure to check the manufacturer's safety specifications and make sure the fireplace insert is compatible with the existing chimney or vent flue.
- Replace heating equipment more than 15 years old with new ENERGY STAR qualified models. Equipment must be sized and installed properly.
- Old furnaces cost more to operate per year than new, ENERGY STAR qualified models that are 15% more efficient than standard models.
- An ENERGY STAR qualified geothermal heat pump is 30% more efficient than comparable new equipment and can save you as much as $200 annually. A qualified electric heat pump is 20% more efficient and can save you about $130 annually.
- An ENERGY STAR qualified boiler uses features like electric ignition and new combustion technologies that extract more heat from the same amount of fuel, to be 10% more efficient than a new, standard model.
- Install high efficiency windows, which are 40% more efficient than standard windows. Consider replacing single-pane windows with double-pane windows that are gas-filled with high performance glass (e.g., low emissivity or "low-e" glass). ENERGY STAR windows may help reduce your heating and cooling costs by up to 15%. The windows must be sized and installed properly. Note: Some measures may not be relevant depending on climate, the age of your home and appliances and past improvements made to your home.
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