Hints For Saving Energy in Bathrooms

• Take showers rather than tub bath and limit your showering time


• Don't let water run while shaving, brushing your teeth or applying your make-up


• Repair leaky faucets promptly; a leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a
  short period of time.


• Install aerating, low-flow faucets and showerheads. Top

Driving Tips to Save Energy (and money!)

Did you know that Transportation accounts for two thirds of U.S. oil use? Here are some of the ways you can improve gas mileage:

• Never idle your engine for more than 30 seconds (and only in winter).
  It's a waste of fuel and pollutes the neighborhood (when the engine cools down, a cold start is a very polluting event. The catalytic converter doesn’t warm up for a about 4 minutes, so during that time, it’s like driving a '58 Chevy -see next bullet point).


• Combine errands into one trip. Several short trips, each one taken from a cold start, can use twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm.


• Speeding, rapid acceleration and hard braking cost you money (33% more on the highway).
  If fact, traveling above 60mph dramatically lowers mileage efficiency. Learn more.


• Use cruise control on the highway to maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.


• Use air conditioning only when necessary. When driving at town speeds, a rolled down window is more gas-mileage efficient.


• Clear out your car; extra weight decreases gas mileage.


• Reduce drag by placing items inside the car or trunk rather than on roof racks. A roof rack or carrier provides additional cargo space and may allow you to buy a smaller car. However, a loaded roof rack can decrease your fuel economy by 5%.


• Walk, bike, carpool or telecommute where possible.


• Keep tires properly inflated and aligned to improve your gasoline mileage by around 3.3%.
  This is no joke; it really works.


• Tune your vehicle on a timely basis; you will marvel at the improvement in your car's performance.


• $ Long-Term Savings Tip: Consider buying a highly fuel-efficient vehicle. A fuel-efficient vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or an alternative fuel vehicle could save you a lot at the gas pump and help the environment. See the Fuel Economy Guide for more on buying a new fuel-efficient car or truck. Top

Saving Energy in the Kitchen

• Never boil water in an uncovered pan and keep range-top burners and reflectors clean


• Turn off the oven five to ten minutes before cooking time is up and let trapped heat
  finish cooking your meal


• Avoid opening the oven door to check the food repeatedly


• Use a toaster oven, crockpot, or small microwave when cooking small to moderate sized meals


• Be sure your dishwasher is full, but not overloaded, when you run it.


• Scrape dishes and rinse with cold water from the faucet before loading them in the dishwasher.


• Avoid using the dishwasher's pre-rinse cycle


• Avoid using the "rinse-hold" on your dishwasher for just a few soiled dishes. It uses three to seven gallons of hot water each time you use it


• Let your dishes air dry; if you don't have an automatic air-dry switch, turn off the control knob after the final rinse and prop the door open a little so the dishes will dry faster.


• Fully turn off appliances when not in use, such as toaster ovens, microwaves, coffee makers and other "instant on" devices. This may require the use of a power strip that will shut down these phantom power users with one switch.


• $ Long-Term Savings Tip: When shopping for a new dishwasher, look for the ENERGY STAR® label to find a dishwasher that uses less water and 25% less energy than required by federal standards.


• Keep your refrigerator at 38-40 degrees and your freezer at 5 degrees.


• Limit the number of times the doors are opened and remove dust from coils and cooling elements.


• Let hot items cool before placing them in the refrigerator.


• Cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder.


• Make sure your refrigerator door seals are airtight. Read how.


• Defrost freezer regularly and keep refrigerator and freezer away from heat sources


• See what the DOE has to say about refrigerators. Top

Saving Energy in the Laundry

• Select the lowest temperature setting on the washer necessary to do the job


• Wash one large load instead of two or three small loads and Use cold water for the rinse cycle


• Select the correct water level for each load


• Dry towels and heavier cottons in a separate load from lighter-weight clothes.


• Don't over-dry your clothes. If your machine has a moisture sensor, use it.


• Consider air-drying clothes on clothes lines or drying racks. Air-drying is recommended by clothing manufacturers for some fabrics.


• Use the cool-down cycle to allow the clothes to finish drying with the residual heat in the dryer.


• Check vents to make sure they are not blocked. Failure to do this keeps moist air from excaping, delaying the drying process.


• Clean lint vent after every use and dry two or more loads in a row


• $ Long-Term Savings Tip: Shopping for a new clothes dryer? Look for one with a moisture sensor (automatically shuts off the machine when clothes are dry). It will this save energy, and wear and tear on your clothes caused by over-drying. Top

Saving Energy In Heating or Cooling Your Home

• For heating, set your thermostat between 65 and 70 degrees
  during the day and at 58-60 degrees at night or when away
  from home for more than a few hours.


Keep Energy Bills Out of Hot Water.

Insulate your water heater to
save energy and money.



• In winter, wear hats, sweaters or socks to retain body heat.


• For cooling set your thermostat no lower than 78 degrees.


• Look for energy leaks and plug holes and cracks in walls and windows.
  (Better, still: Get a home energy audit).


• Cover the inside of windows tightly with plastic.


• Insulate your attic, outer walls, and basement.


• Replace furnace filters and window air conditioning filter regularly.


• Close doors and windows to rooms in the house that aren't used often.


• In the summer, close window shades and curtains to reduce the amount of
  sunlight that comes in and in the winter open shades to allow sunlight.


• Set your water heater temperature at 120 degrees and/or on low or warm.
  Don't assume the factory settings are correct for you.


• Consider a 'bonnet' for your water heater to limit escaping energy


• Insulate the first 6 feet of the hot and cold water pipes connected to the water heater.


• Close fireplace damper when not in use - air goes up/down


• Turn on outdoor lights only when needed ( or use a timer, motion detector
  or light sensitive devices).


• If you are in the market for a new dishwasher or clothes washer, consider buying
  an efficient, water-saving ENERGY STAR® model to reduce hot water use.


• Drain a quart of water from your water tank every 3 months to remove sediment that impedes heat transfer and lowers the efficiency of your heater. The type of water tank you have determines the steps to take, so follow the manufacturer's advice.


• Although most water heaters last 10-15 years, it's best to start shopping for a new one if yours is more than 7 years old. Doing some research before your heater fails will enable you to select one that most appropriately meets your needs.
  $ Long-Term Savings Tip: Buy a new energy-efficient water heater. While it may cost more initially than a standard water heater, the energy savings will continue during the lifetime of the appliance. Look for the EnergyGuide label.


• For real energy savings, consider a solar hot water system. See Incentives. Top

Saving Energy All Around Your Home

Lighting	Home Office	Other
Conduct a DIYS Home Audit: Follow the guidelines offered by the U.S. DOE to nip those energy leaks in the bud, replace old innefficient appliances (payback time is quicker than you think), and more...	Turning off computers, printers, and other electronic equipment when not in use can result in significant savings	Your old appliances are probably costing you a lot more than you realize. See what the DOE has to say about appliance efficiency
Use compact fluorescent light bulbs in fixtures	An ENERGY STAR computer uses 70% less electricity than computers without this designation. If left inactive, ENERGY STAR computers enter a low-power mode and use 15 watts or less. Spending a large portion of time in low-power mode not only saves energy, but helps equipment run cooler and last longer.	Completely turn off your entertainment appliances (TV, VCR, DVD players) when not in use. These 'instant on' devices are not always off when you think they are. A power strip can save you money. To control the waste your appliances may be causing, install a home energy monitor.
Turn off lights when not in use or use timers or motion sensers	To maximize savings with a laptop, put the AC adapter on a power strip that can be turned off (or will turn off automatically); the transformer in the AC adapter draws power continuously, even when the laptop is not plugged into the adapter.
Clean light bulbs to get more per bulb and use daylight whenever possible	Automatic switching to sleep mode or manually turning monitors off is always the an energy-saving strategy.
For more information about efficient lighting, click here	$ Long-Term Savings Tip: Consider buying a laptop for your next computer upgrade; they use much less energy than desktop computers.
	Unplug battery chargers after batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use.
	Using rechargeable batteries for products like cordless phones and PDAs is more cost effective than throwaway batteries. Top