How to Reduce Energy Consumption

With the soaring costs of energy, it's more important than ever to conserve power whenever possible. There are simple steps anyone can take to cut energy consumption, save money on power bills and help to protect the planet's natural resources.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Power strips
• Insulation
• Thermostats
• Clothesline

1. Invest in power strips to use with your home electronics. Instead of turning off individual electronic devices, use a power strip to cut all the power. When electronics are allowed to run in "standby" mode, they're still consuming electricity.

2. Set your computer to enter hibernation mode after a period of inactivity. The process of restarting a computer with each use consumes more power than the hibernation mode. Additionally, you'll save time that would have been spent waiting for a computer to reboot before each use.

3. Install a central-heating and air-conditioning system with a thermostat instead of using space heaters and window-mounted air conditioners. To conserve power, set your thermostat to 68 degrees F during winter. Set a thermostat to 78 degrees F during summer.

4. Relieve the strain on your air conditioner by insulating your home. Replace old windows with new energy-efficient versions. Add insulation to your walls, and use an attic fan to blow stagnant hot air from your home.

5. Adjust the settings on your water heater to reduce energy consumption. Keep temperatures between 120 and 130 degrees F.

6. Make an effort to conserve hot water by limiting the length of your showers.

7. Reduce energy consumption by keeping your refrigerator's thermostat set between 38 and 42 degrees F. Refrigerators are among the biggest wasters of power in the average home. Set your freezer's thermostat to between 0 and 5 degrees F.

8. Fill your dishwasher to capacity before running a wash cycle. Avoid pre-washing your dishes in the sink before putting them in the dishwasher, as doing so only wastes power and hot water. Use your dishwasher's air-dry cycle to further reduce energy consumption.

9. Conserve energy by washing your laundry in cold water whenever possible. Run all your rinse cycles in cold water, and change the water-level settings when washing a small load of laundry.

10. Dry clothes made with heavy and light fabrics in separate dryer cycles. Make sure to clean your dryer's lint trap before each use. For maximum energy conservation, consider drying your clothes on a clothesline instead of in a drying machine.

Tips & Warnings

• Look at the monetary benefits of conserving. Not only can energy conservation reduce your power bill, but it can also help you qualify for tax breaks from the government.