Did you know that the typical U.S. family spends about $1,900 a year on home utility bills? Unfortunately, a large portion of that energy is wasted. The good news is that there is a lot you can do to save energy and money at home an in your car. Start making small changes today!
- Install a programmable thermostat to keep your house comfortably warm in the winter and comfortably cool in the summer.
- Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as needed.
- Make sure registers are clean and not blocked by furniture, carpeting or drapes.
- Plant trees, shrubs and vines. If well-placed, they can deliver effective shade, act as a windbreak, and reduce your energy bills.
- Use compact fluorescent light bulbs with the ENERGY STAR® label.
- Plug home electronics into power strips; turn the power strips off when not in use (even in standby mode, electronics still use several watts of power).
- Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120°F.
- Repair leaky faucets promptly; a leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a short period of time.
- Don’t keep your refrigerator or freezer too cold. Recommended temperatures are 37° to 40°F for the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator and 5°F for the freezer section.
- Cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder.
- Be sure to place the faucet lever on the kitchen sink in the cold position when using small amounts of water; placing the lever in hot position uses energy to heat the water even though it may never reach the faucet.
- Clean the lint in the dryer after every load to improve air circulation.
- Add insulation to your attic.
- Caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows that leak air.
- Idling get you 0 miles per gallon. The best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it. No more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days is needed. Anything more simply wastes fuel and increases emissions.
- Keep tires properly inflated and aligned to improve your gasoline mileage by around 3.3%.
These tips are taken from the U.S. Department of Energy. For more tips, please download
“Energy Savers Booklet: Tips on Saving Energy & Money at Home.”
