Saving energy at home

Energy Saving Tip #1
Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle. Just open the door after the rinse cycle and let Mother Nature do the rest. If you run your dishes in the evening, you can wake up to dry dishes without a single kilowatt being used. Doing this can cut dishwasher energy use 15-50%, depending on the machine.

Energy Saving Tip #2
Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 48°C. Potential annual savings of $12-$30 for every 1ºC you reduce the temperature.

Energy Saving Tip #3
Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.

Energy Saving Tip #4
Plug home electronics into power strips; turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use. Phantom energy does exist.

Energy Saving Tip #5
Insulate heating ducts. In a typical house 20-30% of the air moving through the duct system is lost due to leaks.

Energy Saving Tip #6
Install low-flow shower heads. For maximum water efficiency, select a shower head with a flow rate of less than 2.5 gpm.

Energy Saving Tip #7
Use Energy Star-qualified CFL and LED bulbs. These LEDs and CFLs use 20-25% of the energy of traditional incandescent bulbs.

Energy Saving Tip #8
Want to change an energy habit? Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg says you need to identify the cue that prompts the behavior and then create a reward to make a permanent change.

Energy Saving Tip #9
Turn off incandescent lights when you are not in the room. 90% of the energy they use is given off as heat, and only about 10% results in light.

Energy Saving Tip #10
Install a programmable thermostat to lower utility bills and manage your heating and cooling systems efficiently. Turning your thermostat back 1° to 5° for 8 hours can save 5%-15% a year on your heating bill.

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