List below are some tips on helping you lower your gas bills and allowing
your family to be more energy efficient:
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Provide solar screens for east and west windows. Sunny
windows can account for 10% to 25% of your cooling bill by making your air
conditioner work two to three times harder.
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You can save as much as 10% a year on your utility
bill by simply turning your thermostat up during heating season or down during
cooling season, or off when you leave home for more than two hours.
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If buying a new heating and air conditioning system,
make sure it is sized properly. An air conditioner that's too large for your
home can use more energy than necessary to cool your home. A properly sized
system can save you $600 a year in heating and cooling.
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Weatherization and caulking such things as windows and
doors can save over 30% of cooling and heating cost
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Insulate your
water heater to save energy and money. For every 10 degrees Fahrenheit you
lower the temperature setting, you can reduce your bill 3% to 5%.
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Don't use the "rinse hold" on your dishwasher for just
a few soiled dishes. It uses 3 to 7 gallons of hot water each time you use it.
Save energy, water and money.
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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 air dry.
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About 80% to 85% of the energy used for washing
clothes is for heating the water. There are two ways to reduce the amount of
energy used for washing clothes-use less water and use cooler water. Wash
clothes in cold water only. Your clothes will be just as clean as using warm
or hot water and you'll save money by not heating water to wash clothes. Save
energy, water and money.
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Check door seals on refrigerators and freezers. Place
a dollar bill in the door as you close - if it does not hold firmly, the seal
is worn and needs to be replaced. A refrigerator door that does not close
tightly will increase heat gain and cause the refrigerator to run more.
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Match pan size to element size when cooking. For small
pans, use a small burner and for large pans use a large burner. Using the
wrong sized element will cause you to use more energy to cook than when the
pan size fits the element size.
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Use glass or ceramic pans when cooking in ovens. This
way you can reduce the cooking temperature by 25 degrees and you food will
cook just as quickly.
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Use the garbage disposal sparingly - compost instead
and save gallons of water every time.
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Clean your dryer's filter after each use. A clean
dryer filter will allow your dryer to work more efficiently. Dryer filters
full of lint will cause your dryer to work harder and longer; using more
energy.
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Check your pool filtering system for debris and leaks.
This way the filter will not have to work long and hard to clean the pool.
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Check your
central air
conditioning heating system's filters once a month, clean or replace as
needed, and maintain the system so it will run longer and not use more energy
than necessary.
Make sure your home is properly insulated in order to keep the conditioned
ac/heat within the home for a longer period of time.
