20 Energy Saving Tips
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Following some basic energy saving tips is not just about saving money on your utilities bills every month – it’s about saving the environment, too. News about global warming, high oil prices, and other catastrophes dominate the headlines every day, so homeowners should do their part to lighten their financial and carbon footprints. Here are 20 top tips to help you conserve energy:
1. Turn off lights and other appliances when you are not at home, or even when you are not in the room. This is one of the most fundamental energy saving tips.
2. Unplug electronics, like TVs and computers, that you are not currently using. Even when off, these appliances still draw electricity.
3. Use Energy Star and other high efficiency appliances in order to use power more efficiently.
4. Take shorter and fewer showers when possible. Heating hot water uses up a lot of energy.
5. One of the more unique energy saving tips is to do as much outside as possible – cooking, working, washing clothes, playing, etc. This will reduce the amount of electricity you have to use inside the house.
6. Limit your use of the air conditioner as much as possible, or at least set it to energy saving mode to increase its efficiency.
7. Make sure your house is properly insulated and draft proof in order to lower your heating and cooling requirements.
8. Limit your usage of energy guzzling appliances like space heaters, dehumidifiers, and the like.
9. Do washing, dish cleaning, and other high energy and resource activities during non-peak hours (the early morning and late evening). This will help even out energy distribution loads.
10. Energy saving tips are not just about the home. Follow all of this advice at work, at friend’s houses, at hotels, anywhere!
11. Use energy star or fluorescent bulbs in all your lights to save energy.
12. Install digital thermostats around your house and link them to your heating and cooling systems. This will ensure that your house doesn’t bleed energy through overheating or overcooling the space.
13. Instead of leaving your computer on, put it into sleep or hibernate mode – your computer will still be ready to boot up at a moment’s notice, but it will use a fraction of the energy.
14. Turn off your TVs when you are not truly watching them – you really don’t need the background noise.
15. Energy saving tips are also helpful on the road. For instance, limit your use of the car as much as possible. Instead, walk, bike, or car pool to cut down your fuel use.
16. Use less hot water whenever you can, such as when washing laundry and dishes.
17. Use ceiling fans to cool your home instead of air conditioners whenever possible.
18. Seal your home and your large appliances to cut off any energy leaks.
19. Install high efficiency windows and make sure they are well sealed.
20. When you are not home, allow the house to heat up past the temperature you’d normally want it by setting the thermostat. In addition, when you are home, keep the place at temperature that best balances comfort and energy expenditure.
Take action on these energy saving tips today.
