Energy Savings Tips

Household tips

When cooking, make sure the size of your pan matches the size of the burner. If the flames are bigger than the pan base, you're wasting heat.
Keep range-top burners clean so heat reflects properly.
Cook foods in glass or ceramic pans. You can set your oven 25 degrees cooler and food will cook at the same rate.
Don't open your oven door to check your food. The oven can lose 25 percent of its heat when you open the door.
When baking, cook several things together to shorten the time the oven is on. Or, make double batches and freeze them for later use.
Re-heat or cook small items in the microwave oven or toaster oven.
Replace your old refrigerator. New units of the same size use half as much energy as those made 20 years ago.
Clean refrigerator coils every six months to keep it running efficiently.
Defrost your freezer. Frost build-up makes the freezer work harder to keep your food frozen.
Keep your refrigerator full enough to maximize cooling power, but don't stock it so full that the air can't circulate.

Make sure the seal on your refrigerator door is tight. If you can easily slide a dollar bill through it when it is closed, the gaskets should be replaced.
Run only full loads in the dishwasher. To save energy on the dry cycle, use the air dry cycle or open the door to let air circulate.
Purchase energy star rated appliances.
When planning a new kitchen, don't put the refrigerator next to any other appliances. Appliances need buffers around them so they operate correctly and efficiently.
When replacing windows, be sure to research those that will save the most energy. Choose windows that have a low U-value (lower than .35) to maximize insulating qualities.
Replace your wood front door with one made of fiberglass. Fiberglass offers up to five times more protection from cold than traditional wood doors.

Water Saving Tips

Place faucet levers in the “cold” position when using small amounts of water as the “hot” position uses energy to heat the water even though it may never reach the faucet.
Wash clothes in cold water and avoid using the longest setting unless completely necessary. Washing in cold water can save up to 12 gallons of hot water per load. Based on an average of eight loads per week, you could save approximately $40 per year.
An average bath uses 15 to 25 gallons of hot water while a five minute shower uses less than 10 gallons. To conserve water, take showers instead of baths. And, when you shower, keep it as short and cool as tolerable.
Periodically drain the water heater until water runs clear. This allows sediment and mineral deposits to escape and increases efficiency.

Set your water heater to 120 degrees.
Turn the water heater down to the lowest setting when away from home for more than three days.

Replace your showerhead with one that uses less water.
Fix leaky faucets. One drip can waste up to 250 gallons of water per month, which translates to 3,000 gallons of wasted water annually.
If you have an electric water heater, install a timer that can automatically turn the heater off at night and on in the morning. At a $30 selling price and a do-it-yourself installation, a simple timer may pay for itself in energy saved in about 1 year.
If your water heater is at least seven years old, consider replacing it with a new energy efficient or tankless model.

Lighting

Turn off lights when not in use.
Take advantage of daylight.
Replace incandescent bulbs with energy efficient fluorescent lamps, which use three-fourths less energy and last up to five times longer. For each 60 watt lamp replaced, you could save approximately $7.23 per year based on 2,200 hours of use. A typical 2,400 square foot home could save up to $300 annually.
Use low wattage light bulbs outside. Several low-wattage fixtures use fewer watts than one floodlight or consider solar-powered lights.
Install timers, photocells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
Use task lighting; instead of brightly lighting an entire room, focus the light where you need it.
Replace standard nightlights with LED or electro luminescent night lights. They are very efficient and cool to the touch.

Cooling

During the summer months set your thermostat to 78-85 degrees.
Don't block air circulation at registers.
Make sure fans are going counterclockwise, creating a downdraft and making the room feel 8 degrees cooler.
Clean up around your air conditioner. Outdoor condenser coils can become dirty and blocked, which makes your unit work harder and increases your cooling bill. Allow for adequate air flow to your unit by cleaning the area around the condenser coil, removing any debris, and trimming foliage back at least two feet.
Don't place heat producing items near your thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these items, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary. Make sure your thermostat isn't placed in the light of a sunny window.
Keep your condensation line clear. Condensate lines drain away the moisture your air conditioning unit creates.
Install a programmable thermostat.
Avoid creating heat. When possible, delay heat-generating activities, such as cooking and dishwashing, until evening on hot days.
Use a whole-house fan. Whole house fans help cool your home by pulling cool air through the house and exhausting warm air through the attic, and they allow you to give your air conditioner a break. They are effective when operated at night and when the outside air is cooler than the inside.

Use fans with a window air conditioning unit. Consider using an interior fan in conjunction with your window air conditioner to spread the cooled air more effectively through your room without greatly increasing your power use.
Change your air filter monthly.
Shade your air-conditioner. Plant trees or shrubs to shade air-conditioning units, but be sure not to block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10 percent less electricity than the same one operating in the sun.
Shade sun exposed windows and exterior walls. During the cooling season, shade windows with window coverings, awnings, trees, and bushes wherever possible. Exterior shading is more effective than interior shading.
Seal off unused areas. Close/cover supply and return registers in unused rooms.
Make sure you have adequate insulation in your attic.
Change incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent lamps. They emit 90 percent less heat for the same amount of light.
Washers, dryers, dishwashers, and water heaters generate large amounts of heat and humidity. To gain the most benefit, seal off your laundry room and water heater from the rest of the house.
Repaint the building exterior with light colors. Light colors reflect the sun away from the building, thus lowering air-conditioning expenses.

Heating

Make sure all storm windows are closed.
On windows that face the sun, leave draperies open during the day. At night, close drapes to help keep the heat inside.
Turn off the range hood fan as soon as you are done using it. It can drain the house of heated air in just one hour.
Restrict or limit the use of portable electric space heaters. A 1,200 watt space heater left operating 12 hours a day will cost more than $85 over the course of the heating season.
Remember to close the chimney flue when the fireplace is not in use.
Keep your garage door closed.
If you're going on vacation, set your thermostat at 55 degrees.
Consider budget billing. It spreads the cost of your heating bill over 12 months.
Apply for assistance from Mid-Central Community Action (Low income home energy assistance program-LIHEAP).
Establish a deferred payment arrangement-if you are behind in your gas bill, make a down payment and spread the cost over the next four months.
Set your thermostat between 60-69 degrees.
Don't block air circulation at registers.
Close storm windows.
Lock windows.
Replace weather stripping and seals on windows and doors. You will save between five and ten percent on your annual heating and cooling costs.
Install ceiling fans. During the winter months, set them to go clockwise, re-circulating hot air at the ceiling.
Keep the insulation in your attic dry and effective by repairing leaks in your roof.

Use caulking, sealant, or weather-striping to weatherize all seams, cracks and openings around windows, doors and baseboards, as well as the small openings around television cables, dryer vents, and plumbing pipes.
Schedule an annual inspection of your heating system. A qualified contractor can inspect your furnace to ensure it is working properly.
If your furnace is old, replacing it with a new, high efficiency furnace can save valuable energy dollars.
Install a storm door with weather-stripping and bottom sweep to seal the elements outside. Replace thresholds so the cold doesn't sneak under the door.
Install a setback (programmable) thermostat to automatically lower the temperature setting at night or during unoccupied periods. A ten degree setback at night will save approximately five to fifteen percent on annual heating costs. For an average size home, the annual savings would be approximately $72.
Plant trees that shade your home to keep the cooling costs down. Leafy trees shade best on the south and west sides. Deciduous trees that lost their leaves in the winter help you cool in the summer and warm the house in the winter by letting in sun. Plant evergreen trees to serve as wind breakers.
Get your air ducts sealed by a professional HVAC contractor. According to the Department of Energy, you can lose up to 40 percent of your heated or cooled air through leaks in your ductwork.
Add insulation to your attic. Purchase insulation with a high R-value (the higher the R-value, the better it will work). Insulation can also act as a sound absorber or barrier, keeping noise levels down.
Replace windows with new energy-efficient windows.
Replacing weather stripping and seals on windows and door can save between 5 and 10 percent on your annual heating costs.

Automotive tips

Drive sensibly. Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) waste gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town.
Observe the speed limit. As a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.21 per gallon for gas.
Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2 percent.
Avoid excessive idling. Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. If your car is going to idling for more than one minute, shut it off and restart it again. It is a myth that restarting the engine uses more gas than idling.
Use cruise control. Using cruise control on the highway helps you to maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.
Use overdrive gears. When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.
Keep tires properly inflated. You can improve you gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure.
Check and replace air filters regularly. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent.
Keep your engine properly tuned. Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4 percent, though results vary based on the kind of repair and how well it is done. Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40 percent.
In 2004, SUV drivers spent about $1,225 on fuel, while passenger drivers spent only $976. Hybrid electric car drivers spent between $350 and $450.

— Information from the Alliance to Save Energy