- Keep your fridge and freezer full – food acts as insulation, which helps lessen the amount of time that the fridge has to run in order to stay cold.
- Install ceiling fans – keeping the air circulating in your home means that your air conditioner will not have to work as hard.
- Hang your laundry to dry – setting up a clothesline in the backyard or handing clothes on a drying rack or the shower rod is a simple way to reduce your electricity bill.
- Eliminate phantom loads – almost 75% of the energy used by a home’s electronic devices is consumed when they are turned off. Unplugging common devices, such as TVs, DVD players, stereos, computers, and many kitchen appliances, can save you a lot of money.
- Shield your home from the sun – closing curtains and blinds on sunny days or planting trees to shade your home, can help cut down on your air conditioning needs.
- Switch to LEDs – LED light bulbs use 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs.
- Turn off the heat dry on your dishwasher – most of the energy consumed by your dishwasher goes to heating water.
- Lower the temperature on your hot water heater – you can lower the amount of electricity your hot water heater uses by setting the temperature to 130-140 degrees.
- Wash laundry in cold water – 90% of the energy consumed by your washing machine goes to heating water.
- Install low-flow showerheads – less water flowing through your shower means less water to heat.
- Install a programmable thermostat – this will allow you to set your thermostat to run less when you are not home or at night.
- Clean your dryer lint trap – remove the lint from your dryer trap after each load to maximize your dryer’s efficiency.
- Clean your fridge’s coils – when your fridge has dirty coils, it has to work harder to cool your foods. Perform maintenance on your fridge once every three months to optimize its efficiency.
- Install motion sensors – these can be installed both inside and outside the home to ensure that lights only come on when they are needed.