Energy Saving

Consumer News & Resources

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Follow these energy saving tips for your home to reduce home ownership costs, extend the useful life of products and ensure safe operation.

You may also conduct a home energy audit to further increase energy savings and comfort.

Heating and Cooling

Set your thermostat as low as is comfortable in the winter and as high as is comfortable in the summer.
- 78F in summer and 68F in winter are suggested.
Clean and replace filters regularly.
Keep registers free of obstructions.
Close drapes, blinds and shades over large windows and glass doors to form a barrier against heat loss during the winter and heat gain during the summer.
Consider installing energy-efficient ceiling fans to move cooled air at lower cost.
Timely professional maintenance will help maximize efficiency and product life.

Turn off your lights when leaving a room.
Switch to EnergyStar Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs), which use up to 75% less energy.
CFLs provide the greatest savings in fixtures that are on for a long time each day.
CFLs can be recycled at home improvement stores.
Avoid “phantom loads”: electronics and A/C adapters that continue to draw power even when they appear off.
To cut all power to a charger or adapter, unplug battery chargers or power adaptors when not in use, or use the switch on a power strip to cut all power to the charger or adapter.
Activate power management features on computers and laptops.

Make sure your refrigerator door seals are airtight.
Cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator – uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder.
Avoid using the “rinse hold” feature on your dishwasher for just a few soiled dishes: it uses 3 to 7 gallons of hot water each time you use it.
Wash your clothes in cold water using cold-water detergents whenever possible.
Use the cool-down cycle to allow the clothes to finish drying with the residual heat in the dryer.
Clean the lint filter in the dryer after every load to improve air circulation.

Apply caulking around door frames and weather-stripping around doors that do not close tightly.
Seal holes around outlets with an inexpensive outlet gasket.
Install door sweeps on your doors to seal the gap between the bottom of the door and the threshold.
If you have a fireplace, keep the damper closed when not in use.

Select properly-sized EnergyStar appliances and electronics when possible.
An automatic ice maker is the biggest energy hog for the freezer. Find an energy star label without an ice tray option and save even more energy.
Compare efficiency ratings when it’s time to replace heating and cooling equipment.
- Furnaces: look for high Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratings.
- Air conditioners: look for a high Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER).