Right in your own home, you have the power to save energy and money.
Maintaining an energy-efficient home will save you money. Saving energy will also contribute to the reduction in our nation’s overall resources needed to produce and provide energy.
An average household dedicates about 5% – 6% of its energy bill to lighting. Switching to energy-efficient lighting is one of the fastest ways to lower your energy bill. You have many choices in energy-efficient lighting; the most popular ones being halogen incandescent, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Switching to these may seem to cost more money initially but the cost saving benefit will be realized during its lifetime.
Appliances account for about 13% of a household’s energy costs, with refrigeration and laundry at the top of the list.
To reduce the amount of energy costs refrigeration and laundry account for, the following could be practiced:
Refrigeration
Ensure your refrigerator door seals airtight
Cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder.
Regularly defrost freezers and refrigerators. Frost buildup decreases the energy efficiency of the unit.
Ensure your refrigerator or freezer is not kept at a very cold temperature.
Laundry
Wash your clothes in cold water using cold-water detergents whenever possible.
Wash and dry full loads. If you are washing a small load, use the appropriate water-level setting.
Dry towels and heavier cottons in a separate load from lighter-weight clothes.
Don’t over-dry your clothes.
Air-dry clothes on clothes lines or drying racks. Air drying is recommended by clothing manufacturers for some fabrics.
Whether you take simple steps or make a large investment to conserve energy it will ultimately be beneficial to you and your family.