Energy Saving Tips and Ideas

Use the microwave. Microwave ovens shorten cooking times, which saves energy.

Cooling Tip: Shade your windows with light-colored shades to reflect heat.

Use the light bulb that lasts 10 times longer. An ENERGY STAR qualified CFL will save about $30 over its lifetime and pay for itself in about six months.

Older refrigerators and freezers use two to three than models that are 10 years old or newer.

Look for the ENERGY STAR label when buying appliances, electronics, or a home. These products are third-party tested and verified to use less energy.

Only wash full loads of dishes. The amount of water used is the same whether you have a full load or just a few dishes.

Cooling Tip: Repair and weather strip air leaks in the home; about 10-25% of energy used to cool homes escapes via leaks.

Turn lights off when not in use. Make it a habit to turn lights off when you leave a room or when you leave your home.

Long-Term Savings Tip: Consider buying a laptop for your next computer upgrade; they use much less energy than desktop computers.

Combine errands into one trip. Several short trips can use twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm.

Keep tires properly inflated and aligned to improve your gasoline mileage by around 3.3%.

Save a load! Clean your dryer's lint filter after every load. Your dryer takes longer to dry when it's trying to push air through lint.

Use the cool-down cycle of the clothes dryer to allow the clothes to finish drying with the residual heat in the dryer.

Cook with small appliances. Cook with your toaster oven, electric skillet and slow cooker for specialized jobs, rather than the range. Small appliances use less energy.

Purchase an ENERGY STAR model. When buying a new refrigerator or freezer, look for the ENERGY STAR label. ENERGY STAR refrigerators and freezers can save you hundreds of dollars on your electric bill over the life of the appliance. Remember, older refrigerators and freezers use two to three times more electricity than ones that are 10 years old or less.