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Tips to Save Electricity
No-cost and low-cost ways to reduce energy use and cost.
- The easiest thing to do is shut thing off when not in use; a light, the computer, monitor, and printers, TV’s, radios and so on. Even if you are leaving a room for a few minutes, is it a good habit to always shut lights off.
- Plug home electronics, such as computers, TVs and DVD players, into power strips; turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use especially the end of each day (Computers, TVs and DVDs in standby mode still uses equal to a 75 watt light bulb running continuously).
- Use compact fluorescent light bulbs—saving ¾ of the kWh usage for each bulb. Even better start introducing LED lighting into the home.
- Set your thermostat comfortably high in the summer. Install a programmable thermostat that is compatible with your heating and cooling system.
- Use circulating fan to move the cool air in the house and keep it cooler longer.
- On the not so hot days, use circulating fans instead of air conditioners.
- Air-dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying cycle—always run full loads.
- Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120° F. Insulate hot water heater (refer to manufacturer’s recommendation on what not to cover when insulating hot water heaters—gas and electric units are different) and pipes.
- Going on vacation? Make sure the heat or A/C is turned down, and the water heater is turned off before leaving.
- Take 10-minute showers instead of baths.
- Install low flow (1.5 gpm or gallons-per-minute) devices on faucets and showerhead.
- Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes—wash clothes in cold water.
- When weather permits, use solar to dry clothes (outside clothes line).
In depth recommendations for saving electric energy and costs
Hot Water Heating
Electric Hot water heating uses
- Install aerating, low-flow faucets and showerheads.
- Turn off the water while you're brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing your face.
- Repair leaky faucets promptly; a leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a short period of time.
- Lower the thermostat on your water heater to120°F, which provides comfortable hot water for most uses. Remember, most dishwashers preheat water to 140°F or more.
- Take more showers (10 minutes or less) than baths. Bathing uses the most hot water in the average household.
- Insulate your electric hot-water storage tank, but be careful not to cover the thermostat. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations.
- Insulate your natural gas or oil hot-water storage tank, but be careful not to cover the water heater's top, bottom, thermostat, or burner compartment. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations; when in doubt, get professional help.
- Insulate exposed hot and cold water pipes within 18 inches of water heater in an unfinished basement.
- Install heat traps on the hot and cold pipes at the water heater to prevent heat loss. Some new water heaters have built-in heat traps.
- Drain a quart of water from your water tank every 3 months to remove sediment that impedes heat transfer and lowers the efficiency of your heater. The type of water tank you have determines the steps to take, so follow the manufacturer's advice.
- Although most water heaters last 10-15 years, it's best to start shopping for a new one if yours is more than 7 years old. Doing some research before your heater fails will enable you to select one that most appropriately meets your needs.
- If you are in the market for a new dishwasher or clothes washer, consider buying an efficient, water-saving ENERGY STAR® model to reduce hot water use. And don’t forget to look for rebates from the Reading DPW and RMLD.
- $ Long-Term Savings Tip: Buy a new energy-efficient water heater. While it may cost more initially than a standard water heater, the energy savings will continue during the lifetime of the appliance. Look for the EnergyGuide label.
- $ Long-Term Savings Tip: Consider installing a drain water waste heat recovery system. A recent DOE study showed energy savings of 25% to about 30% for water heating using such a system.
- $ Long-Term Savings Tip: Consider natural-gas on-demand or tankless water heaters. Researchers have found savings can be up to 30% compared with a standard natural-gas storage tank water heater.
- $ Long-Term Savings Tip: Heat pump water heaters are very economical in some areas.
Checking your home's insulation is one of the fastest and most cost-efficient ways to use a whole house approach to reduce energy waste and make the most of your energy dollars.
Typically, 45% of your utility bill goes for heating and cooling. What's more, heating and cooling systems in the United States together emit 150 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, adding to global climate change. They also generate about 12% of the nation's sulfur dioxide and 4% of the nitrogen oxides, the chief ingredients in acid rain.
Air Conditioning
- Whole-house fans help cool your home by pulling cool air through the house and exhausting warm air through the attic. They are effective when operated at night and when the outside air is cooler than the inside.
- Sizing the room or central unit is most important. Over sizing is as inefficient as under sizing.
- Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer. The less difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.
- Don't set your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and, therefore, unnecessary expense.
- Consider using an interior fan in conjunction with your window air conditioner to spread the cooled air more effectively through your home without greatly increasing your power use.
- Don't place lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
- Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units but not to block the airflow. Place your room air conditioner on the north side of the house. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity than the same one operating in the sun.
- Keep in mind that insulation and sealing air leaks will help your energy performance in the summertime by keeping the cool air inside.
- $ Long-Term Savings Tip: If your air conditioner is old, consider purchasing a new, energy-efficient model. You could save up to 50% on your utility bill for cooling. Look for the ENERGY STAR® and EnergyGuide labels. The shopping guide
in the back of this booklet will help you find the right size unit for your needs.
- $ Long-Term Savings Tip: Consider installing a whole house fan or evaporative cooler if appropriate for your climate. Check out the Consumer's Guide for more information on efficient cooling.
Look for the ENERGY STAR label when purchasing these products.
Indoor Lighting Tips
- Turn off the lights in any room you're not using, or consider installing timers, photo cells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
- Use task lighting; instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it. For example, use fluorescent under-cabinet lighting for kitchen sinks and countertops under cabinets.
- Consider compact fluorescent light (CFL) three-way lamps; they make it easier to keep lighting levels low when brighter light is not necessary.
- Use high efficiency T8, 4-foot fluorescent fixtures with reflective backing and electronic ballasts for your workroom, garage, and laundry areas.
- Consider using LED, 4-watt mini-fluorescent or electro-luminescent night-lights. The lights are much more efficient than their incandescent counterparts and if on photocells, all the better. The luminescent lights are cool to the touch.
- Use CFLs in all appropriate applications in your home. Consider carefully the size and fit of these bulbs when you select them. Some home fixtures may not accommodate some of the larger CFLs.
- Recessed downlights (also called recessed cans) are now available that are rated for contact with insulation (IC rated), are designed specifically for pin-based CFLs, and can be used in retrofits or new construction.
- Take advantage of daylight by using light-colored, loose-weave curtains on your windows to allow daylight to penetrate the room while preserving privacy. Also, decorate with lighter colors that reflect daylight.
- If you have torchiere fixtures with halogen lamps, consider replacing them with compact fluorescent torchieres. Compact fluorescent torchieres use 60% to 80% less energy, can produce more light (lumens), and do not get as hot as the halogen torchieres. Halogen torchieres are a fire risk because of the high temperature of the halogen bulb.
- Frequently asked questions about CFL use, disposal and clean up ENERGY STAR
- For fluorescent bulb disposal in your town Town Hazardous Disposal
Outdoor Lighting
Many homeowners use outdoor lighting for decoration and security. When shopping for outdoor lights, you will find a variety of products, from low-voltage pathway lighting to motion-detector floodlights. Some stores also carry
- Use outdoor lights with a photocell unit or a motion sensor so they will turn on only at night or when someone is present. A combined photocell and motion sensor will increase your energy savings even more.
- Exterior lighting is one of the best places to use CFLs because of their long life. If you live in a cold climate, be sure to buy a lamp with a cold weather ballast since standard CFLs may not work well below 40°F.
- Consider lights powered by small photovoltaic (PV) modules that convert sunlight directly into electricity; consider PV-powered lights for areas that are not close to an existing power supply line.
- Turn off decorative outdoor natural gas lamps; just eight such lamps burning year-round use as much natural gas as it takes to heat an average-size home during an entire winter.
Home Appliances
Appliances account for about 20% of your household's energy consumption with electric water heating, refrigerators, dehumidifiers, clothes dryers, and stove/oven at the top of the consumption list.
Every appliance has two price tags—the purchase price and the operating cost. Consider both when buying a new appliance, and always look for the ENERGY STAR rating.
To help you figure out whether an appliance is energy efficient, the federal government requires most appliances to display the bright yellow and black EnergyGuide label. Although these labels will not tell you which appliance is the most efficient, they will tell you the annual energy consumption and operating cost for each appliance so you can compare them yourself. For example: bottom and top freezer refrigerators use less than side-by-sides, and LCD TV’s use less energy than Plasma.
Working from home saves energy and time by cutting out the commute, but it may increase your home energy bills a lot unless you use energy-saving office equipment.
Home Office Tips
- Selecting energy-efficient office equipment—personal computers (PCs), monitors, copiers, printers, and fax machines—and turning off machines when they are not in use can result in enormous energy savings.
- An ENERGY STAR computer uses 70% less electricity than computers without this designation. If left inactive, ENERGY STAR computers enter a low-power mode and use 15 watts or less. Spending a large portion of time in low-power mode not only saves energy, but helps equipment run cooler and last longer.
- To maximize savings with a laptop, put the AC adapter on a power strip that can be turned off (or will turn off automatically); the transformer in the AC adapter draws power continuously, even when the laptop is not plugged into the adapter.
- Common misconceptions sometimes account for the failure to turn off equipment. Many people believe that equipment lasts longer if it is never turned off. This incorrect perception carries over from the days of older mainframe computers.
- ENERGY STAR computers and monitors save energy only when the power management features are activated, so make sure power management is activated on your computer.
- There is a common misconception that screen savers reduce energy use by monitors; they do not. Automatic switching to sleep mode or manually turning monitors off is always the better energy-saving strategy.
- $ Long-Term Savings Tip: Consider buying a laptop for your next computer upgrade; they use much less energy than desktop computers.
Home Electronics Tips
- Look for energy-saving ENERGY STAR home electronics.
- Many appliances continue to draw a small amount of power when they are switched off. These "phantom" loads occur in most appliances that use electricity, such as VCRs, televisions, stereos, computers, and kitchen appliances. In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance.
- Unplug battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use.
- Studies have shown that using rechargeable batteries for products like cordless phones and PDAs is more cost effective than throwaway batteries. If you must use throwaways, check with your trash removal company about safe disposal options.
Look up these helpfully websites for energy conservation tips and actions. The RMLD only gives these sites as reference, and does not take responsibility for their content or accuracy.
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