Energy Efficiency Tips for Your Home

Tips to save energy while spending more time at home.

Home Office:

  • Adjust your power management setting so that your computer goes into "sleep mode" when it's not being used.
  • A study by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that about 25% of home energy consumption is used on idling devices. These "vampire loads" equate to about $200 annually in energy costs. Using a power strip allows you to quickly and easily shut down power to products that aren't being used.
  • If you do not have a power strip, unplug computers, printers, and other office devices when you're done with them. 

 

Kitchen:

  • Instead of using the oven or stove, use your microwave or toaster oven for cooking small amounts of food, or fire up the outdoor grill. 
  • You could save about $1,300 worth of energy over the lifetime of your dishwasher, and nearly 230 hours per year of personal time by using a dishwasher instead of handwashing.
  • Check/replace door seals on the refrigerator if they are torn or missing. A broken seal can waste as much energy as leaving the door open. 
  • Your refrigerator shouldn’t be overloaded. Cool air should be allowed to circulate each container. 
  • Avoid lining oven racks with foil. It blocks heat flow and makes the oven work harder to cook food.
  • Allow frozen meats to thaw completely before cooking. A frozen roast placed directly into the oven without thawing will require one-third more cooking time

 

Heating and Cooling:

  • If you have a fireplace, make sure the damper is closed when it is not being used. A chimney can draw out as much as 25 percent of the heated or cooled air in your house if the damper is left open.
  • Set the thermostat as low as comfort permits. Each degree above 68º F can add 3 percent to the amount of energy needed for heating. If using a heat pump, make sure that the thermostat is designed to operate the heat pump efficiently when raising the temperature after it has been lowered.

 

Bathroom:

  • Take showers instead of baths. A three-minute shower uses about half the water of a bath.
  • Set your water heater at 120 degrees. By lowering your water temperature to 120 degrees or less, you can save up to $25 annually if you use an electric water heater or $18 annually if you use a gas water heater.
          

 

Lighting:

  • Use task lighting over desks, tables and workbenches rather than lighting the whole area.
  • Take advantage of natural light whenever possible. Keep windows clean and unobstructed. 
  • Keep light fixtures clean. Dirty lamps reduce the amount of light, so you end up turning on more than you actually need.

 

Washer and Dryer:

  • Wash clothes in cold or warm water rather than hot, and rinse in cold water. The temperature of the rinse water has no effect on cleaning.
  • Follow detergent instructions carefully. Over-sudsing makes the washing machine motor work harder than necessary.
  • Keep the outside vent of your clothes dryer clean. A clogged vent lengthens the drying time and increases the amount of energy used.
  • Turn off exterior signage, lighting and parking lot lights if not needed. Make sure you are in code compliance for any safety and security lighting. 
  • Dry two or more loads in a row to take advantage of the heat from your dryer.

 

Additionally, Program Administrators have COVID-19 pages on their company websites listed below.  PA’s also have tips pages and product offerings in greater detail: