20 Energy-efficient Tips to Lower Electricity Costs

1. Change your light bulbs to LEDs.

2. Wash your clothes in cold water if possible.

3. Air seal your home. Sealing cracks, gaps and leaks and adding insulation can save ur to

1Q% on home heating and cooling costs.

4. Clean or replace all filters in your home regularly, Dirty filters make your system work

harder and run longer than necessary.

5. During warmer months, close blinds, shades, and drapes on the sunny side of your

home to help keep your home’s temperature cooler and reduce the work for you Ac,

Open shades during cooler months to let the sun warm your home.

6. Do not peek in the oven while baking! Every time you peek, the temperature can drop 25

E making your oven use more energy to bring the temperature back up.

7. Control your fixtures with a photocell or a timer to assure dusk-to-dawn only operation

of your outdoor lights.

8. Do not leave your electronics on all day long. Only turn on your computer, monitor,

printer, and fax machine when you need them.

9. Set your thermostat to 78F in the summer and 68F in the winter - every degree of extra

heating or cooling will increase energy usage 6% to 8%. Setting your thermostat to a

lower temperature than normal will not cool your home faster.

10. Using your ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting about 4°F with no

reduction in comfort.

11. Using dishwashers and clothes washers/dryers at night will keep the house cooler,

reduce strain on the power grid during the peak usage hours of

4 PM and 6 PM and

reduce the chance of an emergency!

12. Set your refrigerator temperature to the manufacturer’s recommendation to avoid

excessive cooling and wasting energy.

13. Do not leave bathroom or kitchen ventilation fans running longer than necessary. They

replace inside air with outside.

14. Replace your windows. If your home has single-pane windows, consider replacing them

with more energy efficient windows or adding solar shades or tinting film.

15. Install

a programmable thermostat that will automatically adjust the temperature

according to your schedule.

16. Turn off the lights when they are not in use. Lighting accounts for about 12% of a

typical residential utility bill.

17. Do not leave your mobile phone plugged in overnight. It only takes a couple of hours to

charge.

18. Watch your appliance placement. Avoid placing appliances that give off heat, such as

lamps or TVs, near a thermostat.

19. Dress for the weather. When you are at home, dress in warm clothing in the winter and

cooler clothing in the summer to stay comfortable without making your heater and Ac

work harder.

20. Use natural light when possible.