There are several simple ways to reduce your home energy costs. Most are inexpensive. While energy costs have declined in the last few months, there is no way to know if or when they’ll spike again. Given that, it’s a great time to implement some or all of these energy saving ideas right now.
- Washer and Dryer use: by changing the temperature from hot to warm on your clothes washer you can halve your energy usage. If you line dry just half of your clothing on an indoor drying rack, you can save up to $50 per year.
- Replace all of your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs or light-emitting diodes. Incandescent bulbs only use 10% of their energy for light; the remaining 90% is turned to heat.
- Make it possible to unplug devices when not in use. Many of these devices use power even in their stand-by mode. A simple way to do this is to plug your televisions, printers, iPods and cell phones into a power surge protector. By switching one button, you can turn them all off at once. This small change may save up to $100 per year.
- Weather stripping drafty doors and caulking windows can save up to 20% on air conditioning costs.
- Installing double-paned Low Emissivity windows can save up to $450 per year in energy costs. See which windows are classified as Energy Star on energystar.gov.
- Choose an Energy Star Appliance when the time comes to replace your home’s leading energy guzzlers. These include your refrigerator, clothes washer, clothes dryer and dishwasher. You can save up to $75 per year.
