How to Conserve Energy at Home

There are many ways to practice energy conservation in our homes. It is important for cutting our energy costs individually and it is important effort to conserve energy globally.

Take an energy inventory in your home by following the steps outlined below:

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Check to see what areas might be letting cold air come in, or allowing heat to escape, such as outer windows, doors, outside vents, etc. Put in weather-stripping around these windows and doorways and this will cut down on your use of fuel.

2. Look carefully around plumbing pipes, telephone wires, dryer vents, and under counter tops.

3. Close the fireplace damper.

4. Reduce the temperature on the hot water heater to around 110 degrees F, and insulate the hot water heater to save 25 kilowatt hours a month.

5. Put in energy-efficient insulation in your attic. Determine the correct R-value or
   
   resistance to heat flow for the the kind of heating you have and the climate you live in.

6. Turn down your home thermostat two degrees and save 24 kilowatt hours a month. Buy a programmable thermostat, especially if your home is vacant most of the day. You can set it to turn on 30 minutes before someone gets home.

7. Avoid turning your thermostat up or down dramatically because that wastes energy and increases your heating costs.

8. Arrange for a professional to come out and clean your furnace. It will work more efficiently.

9. Fix and Replace leaky faucets - Even one drip a second is 20 kilowatts a month.

10. Replace standard incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. They are more energy-efficient, last for years instead of months, and generate little heat

11. Buy major appliances that display the "Energy Star" sticker which shows the appliance meets or exceeds standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.

12. Consider a front-loading washing machine. Front-loaders use 50% less energy and one-third less water. They remove much more water in the rinse cycle, resulting in far less dryer time.

13. When it comes time to replace your dryer, look for a model with a drying sensor feature that will automatically turn off when the clothes are dried. The dryer won't run any longer than necessary

14. Set your Air Conditioning unit to 76 degrees F. Keep the air conditioning filter clean, so it will run more efficiently.

15. Install the air conditioning unit on the shady side of your house rather than in direct sun, the A.C. will operate more efficiently

16. Install an attic fan and it will handle much of the hot air that can put a strain on an air conditioning system during the hot summer months.

17. Plant shade trees, outside a window, help shield your house and help save power.

18. Use heavier drapes. In the winter, it will help prevent heat from escaping and in the summer, they will keep the cool air from your air conditioner inside.

19. When it comes time to replace your roof, select a roof based more on energy efficiency than on appearance. Light-colored roofs, such as white, galvanized metal or cement tile, do the best job of reflecting the sun and cool quickly at night.

20. Always turn off lights when leaving a room.
    
    One of the best things you can do is to contact your Power Company:
    * Arrange with them to get a home energy audit every couple of years to find ways to cut costs.
    * Ask them about rebates whenever you install energy-saving equipment.
    * Participate in their energy-saving programs.

Tips & Warnings

• By taking the above energy saving preventive measures will not only help cut down energy costs, but will also help keep the environment cleaner. This takes a little time and effort, but it is well worth it in terms of yearly savings.