Energy Saving Tips
Did you know that the typical U.S. family spends more than $1,600 a year on home utility bills? Unfortunately, a large portion of that energy is wasted. And electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars.
The good news is there is a lot you can do to save energy and money at home. Start making small changes today.
- ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators require about half as much energy as models manufactured before 1993.
- Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
- Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying cycle.
- Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.
- 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).
For more energy saving tips please check out
Flex Your Power
Air Conditioning & Heating
- Use a programmable thermostat.
- Set your thermostat as low as is comfortable in the winter and as high as is comfortable in the summer. 68 degrees in the winter and 78 degrees in the summer are recommended settings
- Always purchase Energy Star rated appliances and air conditioners.
- Clean or replace filters on air conditioners and furnaces once a month or as needed.
- Have a professional air conditioning contract perform an annual tune-up on your AC system.
- Whole-house fans help cool your home by pulling cool air through the house and exhausting warm air through the attic. They are effective when operated at night and when the outside air is cooler than the inside.
