As temperatures heat up this summer, remember that energy efficiency can keep you cool while saving money and preserving Earth’s precious energy resources.
Here are a dozen easy tips for homeowners to consider.
- Use your window shades. Close blinds on the sunny side in a summer to keep out the hot sun, and reduce energy use from air-conditioners.
- Turn off all lights, appliances and electronics when not in use. (Sometimes the simplest things are the most effective!)
- Wash clothes in cold water. This will save on water heater (gas) usage.
- Change to new and improved light bulbs. Reduce energy use by about a third to as much as 80% with today’s increasing number of energy-efficient halogen, incandescent, or LED lightbulbs.
- Look for the Energy Star label, the government’s symbol of energy efficiency, on a wide range of electronics to save up to 30% on related electricity bills.
- Use low-flow faucets and shower heads to save on water bills.
- Clean or change air conditioner filters regularly. A dirty furnace or A/C filter will slow down airflow and make the system unnecessarily use more power and work harder to keep your house cool.
- Reduce water heater temperature a few degrees to save energy and money for heating water. Another option is to wrap your water storage tank in a specially-designed “blanket” to retain the heat without any power usage.
- Seal air leaks and properly insulate to save big on heating and cooling bills, while also increasing home comfort.
- After power interruptions (blackouts or brownouts), avoid turning on all devices too quickly. Allow your home electronics and power load to stabilize first. This will minimize power spikes.
- Cut the cord. Detach from your phone, social media, your computer, etc. Especially at night when you’re more likely to zombie-surf the internet unproductively. This will use less power and could save a few bucks on energy expenses.
- Cut out TV, too. Did you know most Americans watch at least 2 hours of television a day? That’s a lot of power that adds up (and wasted time).
Did you see a tip or two that you can take advantage of? Do you have more to add to our list?
