Low and No Cost Household Energy Savings Tips
Last updated October 25, 2008
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the typical U.S. family spends more than $1,600 a year on home utility bills while the electricity generated by fossil fuels for this same family's home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average automobiles.
The good news is there is a lot you can do to save energy and money at home simply by following some basic energy conservation tips that cost little or no money.
Energy-efficient improvements not only make your home more comfortable and help our environment, they can yield long-term financial rewards.
Here are some suggestions for no-cost, and low-cost actions you can take today for energy savings.
No-Cost Ways to Conserve Energy
- Water Heater: Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120° F. About 15 percent of an average home energy bill goes to heating water.
- Water: Fix leaky faucets: thirty drips a minute of hot water wastes 50 gallons of water a month.
- Water: Don´t run water continuously for rinsing dishes, shaving, tooth brushing, etc.
- Water: Take shorter showers, 5 minutes or less. For baths, keep water levels below three inches.
- Windows: In the summer, keep window coverings closed on the south, east, and west windows. In winter, let the sun in by day, close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.
- Dryer: Clean the lint filter after every load. Be sure the vent hose isn´t clogged.
- Washing machine: Always wash a full load - if you must, use a half load or economy program if available. Always use the low temperature setting; with modern detergents this will be just as effective.
- Heater/Air Conditioning: Check the furnace or air conditioner (AC) filter each month, and clean or replace it as needed. Dirty filters block air flow through your heating and cooling systems, increasing your energy bill and shortening the equipment’s life.
- Heater/Air Conditioning: Close doors and vents in areas of the house that are not in use.
- Heater: Set the thermostat back as low as you can while allowing the temperature to remain comfortable. In fact, setting it back low enough to allow you to wear a sweater or layer your clothing could save even more money.
- Air Conditioning: In summer, use fans whenever possible instead of AC, and ventilate at night this way when practical: Fans cost less to use than AC.
- Refrigerator: Vacuum coils behind or underneath refrigerator or freezer twice a year. Clean coils help the compressor run less and last longer.
- Refrigerator: Set the refrigerator to 38-40 degrees F; stand-alone freezers to 0 degrees F. Place a thermometer near the thermostat to check setting.
- Refrigerator: Locate refrigerators and freezers away from heat registers and stoves, if possible. Leave two to three inches clearance around the back, sides and top.
- Stove: When cooking, keep the lids on pots (cooks food faster), and use only the minimum pot size you need: use an electric skillet, microwave oven or toaster oven whenever possible in place of the oven or stove.
- Stove/Oven: Combine dishes or casseroles, cook multiple meals in the oven at one time: not only will you be able to save on energy cost, but also, you will save on clean up.
- Stove/Oven: Turn off the oven and burners a few minutes before food is done. It will continue to cook. Preheat the oven only when baking bread and cakes.
- General: Turn off everything when not in use: lights, fans, television, stereo, computers, etc.
- Lights: Keep bulbs and fixtures clean. Dirty fixtures reduce light intensity by as much as 25 percent.
- Fireplace: Close the fireplace damper when not in use. Close fireplace or stove doors if installed to reduce heat loss through the chimney.
- Dishwasher: If you have to use it, air dry your dishes rather than using the dishwasher's drying cycle; only run full loads.
- General: Plug home electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips; turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use (TVs and DVDs in standby mode still use several watts of power).
Low-Cost Ways to Conserve Energy
- Heater/Air Conditioning: Seal and weatherstrip your windows and doors to ensure that you're not wasting energy on heat or air conditioning that escapes through leaks to the outdoors.
- Water: Install low-flow showerheads and sink aerators to reduce hot water use.
- Hot Water Heater: Buy and install a hot water tank insulation wrap or blanket: these cost about $20 and helps hold the heat inside. Add pre-cut pipe insulation to exposed pipes going into your water heater—it is also cheap, and easy to install.
- General: Look for the ENERGY STAR® label on home appliances and products: these meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.
- General: Use dimmers, timers, and motion detectors on indoor and outdoor lighting.
- Heater/Air Conditioning: Install a programmable thermostat that is compatible with your heating and cooling system.
- Lights: Replace light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs: these light bulbs use two-thirds less energy and last up to 10 times longer.
- General: Trees that lose their leaves in the fall give protection from the summer sun and permit winter sunlight to reach and warm your home. If possible, plant trees on the south, east, and/or west sides of your home, and try to shade your air conditioning unit.
- General: Plug home electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips; turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use (TVs and DVDs in standby mode still use several watts of power).
Every day you make choices that affect how much energy you use and pay for. These recommendations require only simple changes in how you use energy for hot water, appliances and lights and you can save money without too much sacrifice or discomfort. Besides putting money in your pocket, conservation of energy is good for the planet. With a little care from everyone, we´ll leave cleaner air, more fish in our rivers and more resources for future generations.