Energy-Saving Tips
You can do several things to conserve energy and reduce your energy bills. One of the first steps is to conduct an energy audit or have a professional energy audit done to let you know which areas need attention.
Here is a list of easy and inexpensive ideas:
Save Money and Stay Cool: Summer Energy Saving Tips
Making a few small adjustments to your daily routine can add up to significant savings on your energy bill during the summer.
- Adjust your outdoor lighting timers when nights are shorter in the summer.
- Low-voltage outdoor lighting systems use less energy and are inexpensive to buy, simple to install and safe to use.
- Avoid excessive lighting levels on the patio and in other outdoor living areas. Install a timer, or better yet, use patio lights only when needed.
- Design your garden with the changing seasons in mind. Shelter the south side of your home from summer sun with deciduous trees. Evergreens will protect the north side of your home from icy blasts.
- Use light color shingles for roofing because light colors reflect heat and dark colors absorb it.
- Keep cool air in by insulating your home, particularly in the attic. Adequate roof insulation helps prevent heat buildup in summer and moisture buildup in winter.
- Install an attic fan to push hot air out of the attic. Use a whole-house fan to draw cooler air in through windows and exhaust hot air out roof vents.
- Shelter sun-exposed windows with awnings. Close draperies or shades on hot, sunny days to block the sun especially on windows that face south or west. Open them to let cool air in during morning or evening hours.
- Use floor and ceiling fans as much as possible to circulate air to create gentle breezes, keeping your family comfortable.
- Turn off lights when not in use. Replace incandescent and halogen lights with compact fluorescent whenever you can. Compact fluorescents use little energy and produce much less waste heat than incandescent and halogen lights.
- Use a microwave instead of an oven. Microwaves use less than half the power of a conventional oven and cook food in about one-fourth the time. Toaster ovens and slow cookers are also a great way to cut energy use in cooking.
- When using the stove, vent cooking heat outside with a range hood. Keep the oven door tightly closed. Use the oven light to check on progress when baking or roasting.
- Convection ovens consume one-third less energy than standard ovens. Heated air is continuously circulated by the oven's fan, for more even heat and reduced cooking times.
- Plan your meals with the seasons in mind. Nothing tastes better than a cold salad on a hot summer day!
- Shift energy-intensive tasks—like laundry and dishwashing—to off-peak hours (mornings, nights and weekends). Hang laundry outside to dry.
- Use the air-dry feature on dishwashers. Run the dishwasher at full loads. Use your range hood when the dishwasher is operating to vent excess heat and humidity outdoors.
- Don't use your washing machine for a few small items; wait for a full load. Use the cold water cycle whenever possible.
- Clean the clothes dryer filter after each use, and clean the dryer duct regularly. Clogged filters and ducts restrict airflow, decrease efficiency and can be a fire hazard.
- Don't overfill your refrigerator/freezer; cool air needs to circulate freely inside the appliance. Label frozen food to minimize the amount of cold that escapes when looking for specific items. Defrost frozen food in the refrigerator before cooking.
- Clean refrigerator's cooling coils regularly. Excessive dust buildup can reduce the energy efficiency and life expectancy of the compressor. Make sure refrigerator’s door is tightly sealed.
- Use a programmable thermostat and set the temperature at the level you need it, when you need it. Setting your thermostat each degree above 75ºF could save you 3% of the energy used to cool your home.
- Adjust your thermostat when you go out, and turn air conditioners off when you are away for extended periods.
- Make sure that your cooling system is the right size for your living area.
- Service your cooling system annually. An annual service call will extend the life of your expensive cooling unit and boost its energy efficiency.
- Change your furnace air filter monthly. A dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage your cooling system. Simple measures such as cleaning and replacing clogged air filters can reduce cooling costs up to 10%.
- Check your cooling unit duct system. Leaking joints, elbows and connections can boost energy consumption 20 to 30%. Use duct mastic to seal loose joints.
- Shade your air conditioner from direct sunlight. Close all windows, doors and chimney dampers when using your air conditioner. Close doors to unused rooms to cut cooling costs.
- Select ENERGY STAR products. Whether you're in the market for a room air conditioner, central air conditioner, washer, refrigerator, or other appliances or lighting, make sure it has the ENERGY STAR label.
Water heaters
Clothes washer
Clothes dryer
Dishwasher
- Only run full loads.
- Use a shorter wash cycle whenever possible. Avoid the “Rinse and Hold” cycle. It uses about eight gallons of water just to pre-rinse dishes.
- Use the “Air Dry” or “Energy Saver” setting.
- Pre-rinse dishes only if food particles are dried on. Try a load with un-rinsed dishes. Your dishwasher probably does a better job than you think it does.
Hand dishwashing
- Don’t run hot water continuously to rinse. Use a basin or pan.
- Don’t fill basins deeper than needed. Use leftover wash water to soak.
Refrigerator and freezer
- Set the refrigerator to 38–40 degrees F. Place a thermometer near the thermostat to check setting.
- Set stand-alone freezers to 0 degrees F.
- If you have a second refrigerator or freezer, unplug it if you don’t keep it full.
- Locate refrigerators and freezers away from heat registers and stoves, if possible. Leave two to three inches clearance around the back, sides and top.
- Vacuum coils behind or underneath refrigerator twice a year. Clean coils help the compressor run less and last longer.
- Set the “Energy Saver” switch on to turn off anti-sweat heat coils in the door gasket. Repair damaged door gaskets with self-stick foam tape.
- Keep the door closed. Open the door once to unload several items, instead of opening the door several times in a row.
Lights
- Turn off lights when you don’t need them.
- Install lower-wattage bulbs in overhead fixtures. Use floor and desk lamps for close-up work.
- Keep bulbs and fixtures clean. Dirty fixtures reduce light intensity by as much as 25 percent.
- Avoid long-life light bulbs or energy buttons except in hard-to-reach fixtures. They put out less light and don’t save energy.
- Install fluorescent lamps in rooms with lights on more than two hours a day. Compact fluorescent lamps produce a warm light and fit in many fixtures.
Cooking
- If possible, cook several meals at the same time.
- Cover pans to cook food faster. Use pans that fully cover the burner. Avoid warped pans on electric burners.
- Turn off the oven and burners a few minutes before food is done. The food will continue to cook. Preheat the oven only when baking bread and cakes.
- Use an electric skillet, microwave oven or toaster oven whenever possible.
TV, radio and stereo
- Turn them off when you’re not watching or listening.
Waterbeds
- Pull the covers up to insulate the top.
- Insulate the bottom and sides with polystyrene foam insulation.
- Lower the waterbed thermostat, if adjustable.
Fireplace
- Be sure to close the flue when your fireplace isn’t in use.
For more tips and information:
Your local utility company
Partnerships for Home Energy Efficiency (www.energysavers.gov)
DE Energy Office (www.delaware-energy.com)
DE Department of State—Division of the Public Advocate
(www2.state.de.us/publicadvocate)
DE Public Service Commission (www.state.de.us/delpsc)
U.S. Department of Energy (www.eere.energy.gov)
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