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SAVING ENERGY IN THE HOME
When shopping for any new appliances for the home look for the ENERGY STAR® label and compare efficiency ratings.
Saving Energy in the Kitchen
- If you have a dishwasher, let your dishes air dry.
- When you buy a dishwasher, look for energy-saving features. Short washing cycles with fewer rinses save water-heating energy.
- Use your dishwasher only when it's full, but be sure not to overload it. This can result in poorly cleaned dishes that will need rewashing.
- Adjust your refrigerator's temperature setting to 37-40°F, and your freezer's setting to 0-5°F.
- If your refrigerator has one, use the Power Miser setting.
- Clean your refrigerator's condenser coils twice each year. If they accumulate dust and dirt, you'll use up to 25% more energy.
- Install your dishwasher away from the refrigerator. The dishwasher's heat and moisture will make the refrigerator work harder.
- Install the refrigerator away from heat sources, such as direct sunlight.
- Select a refrigerator with a freezer on top or bottom. A side-by-side unit uses up to 20% more energy.
Saving Energy while Cooking
- Cover pots and pans with tight-fitting lids. Trapped steam lets foods cook faster.
- Use pots with flat bottoms, and match pan sizes to burner size. Pans that are too big won't cook food evenly.
- Use microwave or convection ovens whenever possible. They use up to 60% less energy than conventional ovens.
- Use portable appliances when you can. Slow cookers and toaster ovens use less energy.
- Don't preheat the oven, except when cooking at high temperatures or for short times.
- When cooking, avoid opening the oven door. This drops the temperature by 25-30°F.
- Use your self-cleaning oven feature only when necessary, and right after cooking while the oven is still hot.
- Avoid using your kitchen exhaust fan during summer months, as it pumps out cooler air along with kitchen heat.
Saving Energy while doing the Laundry
- Wash full loads only. It takes as much energy to wash a small load as it does a full one.
- Always measure detergent. Over sudsing makes the washer work harder.
- Sort clothes by thickness and dry them together, to avoid running additional cycles for a few slow-drying items.
- Dry consecutive loads. You'll save the energy used to bring the dryer up to operating temperature.
- To save energy (and avoid heating the house), dry clothes outside on sunny days.
- Remove clothes from the dryer as soon as tumbling stops. Otherwise, you'll use more energy ironing them.
- Partially line-dry bulky or heavy items, such as rugs and bedspreads.
- Clean the lint filter after each dryer load. A clogged filter slows drying and uses more energy, and has to potential to start fires.
Saving Energy while Heating and Cooling
- Set the thermostat on your water heater to 120°F. This is adequate for home use and will save a considerable amount of energy. Placing an insulated blanket around the hot water tank will also save you money.
- Set your thermostats at 68°F or lower for heating, and 78°F or higher for cooling.
- Add insulation to your home. Wall, ceiling, floor and attic insulation will add warmth in the winter and cooling during the summer.
- To prevent heat escape, weather-strip entrances leading from heated to unheated areas.
- Seal off all unused rooms. Turn the thermostats off and close vents in these rooms to save energy.
- Close blinds and draps at night to keep out colder night air, and let sun light in during day.
- Replace furnace filters as recommended, which may be every two to three months.
- Clean or replace air-conditioner filters regularly.
- Install your air conditioner on a wall receiving the least direct sunlight (usually a northern wall).
- If using your air conditioner often, keep your storm windows down; they help insulate your home, keeping the air inside cooler longer.
- Make sure window air conditioners and central air registers are not blocked by drapes or furniture.
- Pull down shades and blinds to keep your home cool when it's hot outside.
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