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CONSERVATION

ELECTRICITY

HVAC

Heating and cooling accounts for nearly 43% of the energy used in your home or business.  You can save energy and money by doing the following:

  • Set your thermostat to 68°F in the winter and 78°F in the summer.

  • Use a programmable thermostat to adjust your home's temperature while you are away during the day and sleep at night.  Properly used it could save you up to $150 per year.

  • Check your air filters regularly.  Dirty filters reduce efficiency.

  • Check air vents, radiators, and registers to make sure they are not blocked by furniture or drapes that will prevent heat or ac from reaching the rest of your home.

  • If your HVAC unit is older than 15 years, consider replacing it with a high efficiency unit.

  • If you use a window unit, make sure it is installed correctly so that cool or hot air will not escape from your home.

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Water Heaters

Your water heater can account for anywhere between 12-18% of your energy usage.  To save money on your electric bill try the following:

  • Turn your water heater thermostat setting down to 120°F or less.  You will save money and prevent any accidental scalding.  If you have an older dishwasher without a booster heater, you will not be able to use this temperature setting.  Check your dishwasher owner's manual for details.

  • Install low flow shower heads.  They use 1/3 the water of a regular shower head.

  • Buy a properly sized water heater.  If you buy a new tank water heater that is too big, you will be paying to heat up water you don't need.

  • Take short showers.  They use less hot water than baths.

  • When possible wash laundry in cold water.  You could save up to $0.40 per load and most families average about 400 loads a year.

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Appliances

Up to 16% of your total monthly electric bill can be attributed to the use of every day appliances such as a refrigerator, freezer, stove, dishwasher, microwave, washer, or dryer.  Below are some tips to help reduce these costs:

  • If you are buying new appliances, look for ones with the energy star certification.

  • Set refrigerators to 36-38°F and freezers to 0°F.

  • Make sure your refrigerator door seals are air tight.  Test them by closing a refrigerator door on a piece of paper with half of the paper in the refrigerator and half out.  If the paper pulls out easily, you may want to consider adjusting the hinge or replacing the seal. 

  • Use the high spin cycle when washing.  It removes more water and your clothes won't need to dry as long.

  • Use a small toaster or convection oven for small meals.  They use 1/3 to 1/2 as much electricity as a full size oven.  

Water

Your Bill

  • Check your water bill for any instances of high water usage.  This may indicate a leak.   

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Laundry

  • When doing laundry, always wash full loads.  The washer fills up the same regardless.

  • Use a high efficiency washer.  Most standard washers use 30-40 gallons of water per load of laundry.  High efficiency models (which now include some vertical load) use only around 15 gallons.

 

Bathroom

  • Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth.  It can save as much as 4 gallons.

  • Fix leaky faucets.  A faucet leaking 60 drops per minute will use 192 extra gallons a month.

  • Replace toilets installed before 1994 which used 3.5 gallons per flush with high efficiency toilets which use 1.28 gallons per flush.  This can save you 4,745 gallons of water in a year.....per toilet!

  • Repair leaky toilets.  A leaky toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water per day. That's nearly 6,000 gallons per month for 1 toilet.  Since your wastewater (sewer) bill is based off of your water usage, a leaky toilet will cause an increase your water and sewer bills!

  • Take a shower.  The average bathtub uses 35 - 50 gallons of water.  A 10 minute shower with a low flow-flow head only uses 25 gallons.

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Kitchen

  • Fix leaky faucets. 

  • Avoid using running water to thaw frozen foods.  Place them in the refrigerator overnight instead.

  • Only wash full loads in the dishwasher.

  • If washing dishes by hand, fill the sink with water rather than continually running the tap.

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Landscaping

  • Need to water your indoor plants? Place a bucket in the shower while you are waiting on it to heat up in the morning and use that water for your plants instead of letting it go down the drain.

  • Do you have an irrigation system?  Make sure to keep it properly maintained by regularly inspecting the sprinkler heads to ensure they are not malfunctioning or leaking.

  • If you are watering with a hose, make sure it has a shut-off nozzle.

  • Water in the morning to prevent water loss due to evaporation.

  • Avoid watering when it is windy.

  • Add mulch to help prevent water loss.

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Other

  • Sweep outdoor surfaces instead of using a hose to rinse them off.

  • When washing your vehicle at home, make sure the hose has a cut off valve.

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