Green Energy - Energy Saving Tips

1. Close curtains and shades at night; open them during the day.
2. Install storm windows over single-pane windows or replace them with double-pane windows.
3. Caulk, seal and weather strip around doors, windows, places where plumbing, ducting or electrical wiring penetrates through exterior walls, floors, and ceilings.
4. Insulate your hot water heater and hot water pipes.
5. One of the most cost effective ways to make your home more comfortable year round is to add insulation in the attic.
6. Lower your thermostat from 72 degrees to 65 degrees for eight hours a day and save on your heating bill.
7. Regularly clean or replace furnace air filters and don’t block the registers.
8. Check your ducts for air leaks. First look for obvious holes.
9. Insulating ducts in unconditioned spaces is usually very cost effective. You can lose up to 60% of you heated air before it reached the register if your ducts aren’t insulated and they travel through unheated spaces such as the attic or crawlspace.
10. Leaks in hot water lines will waste heat, thus causing your gas bill to be higher.
11. Preheat ovens only when necessary. Unless you are baking breads or pastries, you may not need to preheat the oven at all. With conventional ovens, keep the preheating time to a minimum.
12. Food cooks more quickly and efficiently in ovens when air can circulate freely. Don’t lay foil on racks. If possible, stagger pans on upper and lower racks to improve air flow.
13. Always operate your dishwasher with a full load and select an energy saving cycle whenever possible. The dishwasher uses the same amount of water whether it is half full or completely full.
14. Don’t use the “rinse hold” cycle on your machine for just a few soiled dishes. It uses 3 to 7 gallons of hot water each time you use it.
15. If your dishwasher has a booster heater, turn down your water heater thermostat setting to 120 degrees F.
16. Select the air-dry option if your machine has it. If not, stop the machine before the drying cycle begins and open the door to let the dishes air-dry.
17. Locate your clothes dryer in a heated space. Putting your dryer in a cold room or a damp basement will make the dryer work harder and less efficiently.
18. Clean the lint filter in the dryer after every load to improve air circulation.
19. Dry only full loads, as small loads are less economical; but do not overload the dryer..
20. Keep the doors closed as much as possible and make sure they are closed tightly.