What You Can Do To Save Energy

Here's a simple checklist of actions you can take to reduce your energy use at home. Some of these tips were compiled by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, and by Rocky Mountain Institute. The list gives you an idea of the things you can learn about in ACEEE's Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, and in RMI publications. For more information and to order your own copies go to www.aceee.org and www.rmi.org.

Free, easy and saves you money:

Close blinds during summer or use strategic shading with trees or awnings to block the sun's hot rays, at night open the windows rather than turning on the AC.
Set your hot water heater to 120 degrees
Turn off your TV.
Lower your thermostat in the winter by 2 degrees.
Always turn off lights when you leave a room, think about how many lights you really need on when you are in the room. Click here to read more.
Dont leave water running if you don't have to.
Unplug appliances that you are not using (many draw electricity even when not in use)
Turn off your computer if you will be away from it for more than an hour, set it to sleep or stand by when you have not touched if for a few minutes. Click here to read more.
Don't open the refrigerator unless you know what you want.
Keep drapes or blinds on windows closed at night in winter and during the day in summer to reduce heating and cooling costs.
Open windows or creating a natural ventilation system that otherwise allows warm air to escape at night in summer can assist in lowering cooling costs.
Set the air conditioner to 78-83 degrees in the summer.
Regularly vacuum dust from refrigerator coils (every 4-6 months).
Wash your clothes in cold water.
Start using energy-saving settings on refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and clothes dryers.
Collect your utility bills. Separate electricity and fuel bills. Target the biggest bill for energy conservation remedies.
When replacing old, inefficient appliances, be sure to buy EnergyStar rated products.
Get a home energy audit.

* By simply adopting these free and easy measures you can save ~$200 per year or more; more than enough to offset the price premium for renewable energy options.

May cost a few dollars, but saves you money within a few days, weeks or months:

Switch from incandescent to compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Install low-flow showerheads, toilets and faucet aerators
Add storm windows in the winter to keep heat in (if you have them, make sure to close them).
Caulk cracks around windows/doors to reduce drafts and maintain indoor temperature in any season. Seal up the largest air leaks in your house÷the ones that whistle on windy days, or feel drafty. The worst culprits are usually not windows and doors, but utility cut-throughs for pipes ("plumping penetrations"), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. Better yet, hire an energy auditor with a blower door to point out where the worst cracks are. All the little, invisible cracks and holes may add up to as much as an open window or door, without you ever knowing it!
Get your heating system tuned up annually to make it run more efficiently.
Buy a programmable thermostat and set it to 65-68 degrees during the day and 50-60 degrees at night in winter.
Seal and insulate heating ducts.
If you do not have storm windows, install plastic interior film on windows as a low-cost way to keep the heat in during the winter.
Plant Trees around your house.
Install reflective plastic on windows in summer to block sun and reduce heat gain.
Check if your water heater has an insulating blanket. An insulating blanket will pay for itself in one year or less!
Insulate hot water delivery pipes.
Add timers to electric hot water heaters after consultation with local energy providers to determine the most efficient, cost-effective time of day to heat the water in the tank rather than running hot water heater 24 hours a day.
Clean or replace furnace, air-conditioner, and heat-pump filters.

More ambitious projects that we recommend:

Insulate your home, especially the top floor or attic, to conserve heat. This is probably the single most important step you can take to make to save money on energy!
Install an Energy Star rated heating system. Refer to www.energystar.gov for a full list of Energy Star rated systems.
Install gray-water capture systems for re-use of sink water in toilets or other applications such as irrigation lawns, yards
Replace your single pane windows with double-pane, low emissivity windows.
Reconfigure the south side of your home to take advantage of passive solar opportunities. This could involve the installation of windows, skylights, and roof eaves on the south side of your home.

Lighting

Most lighting in U.S. homes is produced by inefficient incandescent light bulbs or moderately efficient fluorescents. A switch from incandescents to compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs can result in up to a 75% decrease in energy use. A typical CFL will save over $50 in replacement bulb and electricity costs over its lifetime.

The best targets for conversion to CFLs are 60-100W bulbs used several hours a day. In addition, CFLs eliminate the cost of buying and installing at least a dozen ordinary bulbs. CFL bulbs now come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes making it possible to replace almost any incandescent bulb. Some newer CFLs are also capable of producing a warmer light which is closer to the light produced by incandescents than that produced by some earlier CFLs.

Each CFL can prevent the emission of between 1,000-2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, and between 8-16 lbs. of sulfur dioxide (the cause of acid rain). CFLs run cooler than incandescents and halogens, minimizing fire hazards and reducing the cost of cooling in summer. CFLs also last up to seven years, which saves you the expense and hassle of frequent light bulb replacements.

Compact fluorescent bulbs are widely available and can be purchased at Home Depot and most hardware stores (where rebates and/or coupons are often available) or online at:

Energy Federation Incorporated
www.efi.org

Real Goods
www.realgoods.com

Noli Control Systems
www.nolico.com/saveenergy/15_watt_swirl.htm
www.bulbs.com

In order to further maximize savings on lighting, make sure that lights are turned off when not in use. While this sounds simple, it can be difficult to manage. Therefore, you should consider installing motion sensors (activated only when someone is in a room), dimmers and timers on lights.

Computers

Leaving computers and monitors on when not in use wastes energy and money. Using energy saver computer software downloaded for free from the Department of Energy after registration (e.g., EZSave, EZ Wizard) can result in significant savings. These savings can be calculated for individual organizations using www.energystar.gov/powermanagement software.

Power Management does not have a negative effect on the useful life of todays computers and monitors. On the contrary; when equipment powers down, it generates less heat, collects less dust, reduces mechanical stress and promotes a longer and more reliable life for the computer and monitors. Its not a problem to shut off computers using DSL connections, but leaving computers on 24 hours a day wastes electricity and increases utility costs. For the greatest savings, monitors and computers should be turned completely off when not in use, including the power strip button.

Screen savers, meanwhile, do not save electricity, but were only intended to eliminate permanent lines etched into cathode ray display screens when left ãonä and idle with one image on them for long periods of time. In contrast, when a computer is on, switching to a system that puts the screen into ãsleepä mode after it has been idle for several minutes will save money and the screen, as well as carbon dioxide emissions. An additional benefit of turning computers completely off when not in use is increased security, since files and emails cannot be accessed. If purchasing new or replacement computers, consider buying efficient flat screens and laptops bearing the Energy Star label. See www.tufts.edu/tci for more facts and ideas on computer use and energy.

Other Appliances

The EPA has been working with appliance manufacturers to develop more energy-efficient "Energy Star" labeled appliances. Analysts at the national Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory have estimated that if everyone adopted Energy Star products for appliances commonly found in the home or in a typical small business, the nation would save $100 billion on electricity over the next 15 years. Examples of Energy Star products include front-load washers, dryers, dishwashers, heat pumps, water heaters, boilers, furnaces, TVs, air conditioners, ceiling fans, refrigerators, freezers, computers, laserjet printers, copiers,--durable white goods requiring fewer repairs/greater efficiency. More information may be found at www.energystar.gov or take Lawrence Berkeley Laboratorys online home energy audit at hes.lbl.gov. Make sure to always ask for products with the Energy Star label when shopping for appliaces.

Some products and strategies are available now to immediately increase electricity savings:

The Consortium for Energy Efficiency researches and recommends efficient appliances for residential and commercial users: www.cee1.org/home.html.
MassSave gives free energy audits to qualifying consumers. They also offer product rebates on insulation, water heaters, compact fluorescent bulbs, energy-efficient appliances, etc. As electricity consumers, we all pay into the funds that support these utility energy efficiency programs so you should take advantage of all that they have to offer. Call the state energy efficiency hotline at 1-866-527-7283 for more information.
A "best of the best" list of energy efficient appliances is available from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) (www.aceee.org)

More Energy Efficiency Ideas

Reducing, Recycling, Buying Recycled
Reducing and reusing items as much as possible indirectly decreases energy use. Recycling saves existing resources while simultaneously reducing waste streams and conserving 70-90% of the energy needed to produce products from virgin materials. In general, purchases should be targeted when possible to items using little or no packaging. For those items with packaging, look for those that are biodegradable, made of recycled materials, or harvested in ways that are of minimal impact to the environment. More information on energy reduction strategies can be found at www.energystar.gov.

Planting Trees
Trees are useful in the landscape design for heating and cooling buildings. Trees provide evaporative cooling in the vicinity where they are located (a difference of 3-5 degrees F) and much-needed shade in the summer. Strategically planted trees and shrubs can significantly reduce energy bills and fossil fuel use by providing shade in summer, while allowing sun through and providing wind barriers in winter. Trees add beauty and value to almost any property and store carbon, the main ingredient in carbon dioxide. Each tree can absorb 3-15 lbs. of carbon dioxide, and trees enhance local landscaping in ways that might encourage more pedestrian traffic in the city center and other main roadways. A local arborist or urban forester can be a valuable source of information about strategic tree planting on private property and public areas.