Maintaining the Home:
Conservation
Easy Tips to Save Money and the Planet
- Adjust the thermostat. Turn down the heating thermostat and turn up the cooling thermostat, especially when the house is not occupied.
- Reduce the hot water temperature. Reducing the temperature on your water heater thermostat can decrease heat loss from your tank.
- Reduce lighting. Remove lamps where you have more lighting than you really need. Turn lights off when they are not in use.
- Replace air filters regularly and follow maintenance schedules for furnaces and air conditioners. Replacing dirty air filters can save money by reducing the amount of electricity needed to run a blower motor.
- Install programmable thermostats. These inexpensive devices can help optimize your home’s heating and cooling needs.
- Install automatic room lighting controls. These devices optimize lighting use by automatically turning lights on or off depending on occupancy or time of day.
- Turn off machines and equipment when not needed.
- Buy energy-efficient equipment. When buying home appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, water heaters and clothes washers, compare energy requirements of various models.
- Seal exterior cracks and holes and ensure tight-fitting windows. Install weather stripping and caulking to stop air leaks.
- Shade sun-exposed windows and building walls. Direct sunlight streaming through windows at the wrong time of the year can substantially increase your air conditioning costs. During the cooling season, use shading methods like window coverings, awnings, trees and bushes wherever possible.
This material was adapted from publications produced by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Next: How to Stop Air Leaks Around Windows
