Energy Saving Tips

Follow these simple energy-saving tips to reduce your dependency on energy and help reduce your energy bills.

For more information on saving energy, visit the Energy Star website, the U.S. Department of Energy’s website or download the Department of Energy’s Energy Savers publication.

Take our home energy audit by clicking here.

Wintertime tips:

• Set your thermostat as low as is comfortable. The optimal setting is 68 degrees when you’re awake and lower when you’re sleeping or out of the house.
• Consider a programmable thermostat that will adjust your home’s temperature automatically.
• Seal air leaks around windows and door frames with caulk or weather stripping. This is one of the most cost-effective ways to save energy.
  o Watch this short video on home sealing.
• Maintain your heating equipment by having an annual furnace check-up.
• Change your furnace filters regularly.
• Check for air duct leaks. Duct leaks in the attic or under the house cost you money.
• Clean heat registers and make sure they’re not blocked by furniture, drapes or other items.
• Use exhaust fans only when needed. Fans venting outside waste energy dollars.
• Open your south-facing curtains during the day to allow sunlight to warm the room.
• Turn ceiling fans to the reverse setting so they push warm air down and even out the heat in a room. This is especially helpful in rooms with high ceilings.
• Make sure the insulation in your attic, ceilings, exterior walls, floors and crawl space are adequate
• Turn lights off when you leave a room. Change your light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL’s) to cut your lighting costs in half or more.

Summertime tips:

• Close shades, drapes and blinds during the day (all directions).
• Set the air conditioning thermostat at 78 degrees or higher. Raise it a few degrees higher when away in the day. A lower air conditioning temperature makes your costs much higher. Setting your air conditioner at 70 degrees instead of 78 can almost double your operating cost!
• Don’t choose a lower air conditioning temperature when you first turn it on. It won’t cool faster –- whenever it’s running it’s cooling as fast as it can. Set low, it cools longer, not faster.
• When weather is mild, use fans instead of the air conditioner. Your central air conditioner will use about 100 times more energy than a fan at medium speed.
• If you have ceiling fans, run the fans and the air conditioner at the same time but set the air conditioner a few degrees higher, to 80 or 81 degrees. With the breeze from a fan, you should feel as cool as you would at 78 degrees with no fans – but you’ll reduce your costs by about 15%-25%.
• Use a microwave instead of the range/oven. The microwave doesn’t heat the kitchen.
• Keep windows and doors closed while air conditioning.
• Change the air conditioner’s air filter monthly during heavy use. When it’s clogged, air flow is restricted — cooling costs rise, and your system may eventually suffer a compressor failure with a $1,000+ repair bill!
• Arrange items in your refrigerator for quick removal and return. Your refrigerator cools the food but heats the kitchen! The longer the door is open, the longer it runs, heating the kitchen and raising your air conditioning costs.
• Clean the dryer lint filter frequently and check the outdoor vent opening. When lint slows the airflow, the dryer runs longer. When the vent is clogged, the clothes get a long hot damp costly tumbling.
• Plant shade trees. Outside shade can reduce air conditioning costs 30%. Shade on the east and west is most important.
• Seal air leaks around doors and windows. Use caulk and weather-stripping.
• With central AC or heat pump, keep all air conditioning supply registers open, don’t close off rooms or registers. That doesn’t save money, and it may lead to costly problems.
• Check for air duct leaks. Duct leaks in the attic or under the house cost you money.
• Run the AC thermostat set on “AUTO”, never on FAN.
• Keep up the habit of turning off lights as you leave a room, especially in summer. Lights add a lot of heat to the room. 99% of a light’s energy use is converted to heat, 1% to light. Use only as much light as you need.

When purchasing new heating and cooling equipment or appliances for your home, look for the ENERGY STAR label. ENERGY STAR products meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Click here to view a list of weatherization improvements, as well as general tips that can help make your home more energy efficient.