Energy Conservation

Save Money and Be Green

The systems used to heat, cool, and light your home use more energy and take up more money than any other systems in your house. No matter what types of heating, air conditioning, or other ventilation systems you have, you can save money and increase your comfort with our helpful home energy use tips.

Lights
Water
Heating
Cooling
Tax Incentives

Lights

Turn off lights in rooms you are not using.
Use new, energy-efficient bulbs in your lamps. (Remember to recycle compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when they burn out.)

Water

Use Less Water

When washing your clothes, use the appropriate load setting. Don't wash a small amount of clothing on the large load setting. (In addition to saving water, using the correct settings also gets your clothes cleaner.)
Install a low-flow showerhead and low-flow faucets.
Repair leaky faucets quickly.

Give Your Water Heater a Break

Set your water heater thermostat to 120°F.
Clean the lint screen in your dryer each time you start a new load.
Use cold water when running the garbage disposal.
When washing dishes, fill the sink with hot, soapy water instead of letting the water run, or soap all the dishes with the water off and rinse them all at the end.

Heating

Set your thermostat as low as is comfortable. Instead of turning your thermostat up during cooler weather, put on a sweater and an extra pair of socks.
During the day, open your curtains or draperies to let in the warm sun. Close them at night to keep heat inside.
Clean or change your air filters once a month.
Make sure your home is properly insulated and has good ventilation.
Weather-strip any cracks or openings around your windows and doors.
Make sure your furniture isn't blocking vents and outlets for warm air.

Cooling

Set the thermostat at 78°F or higher. Wear light clothing to be more comfortable and save energy.
Check the air filters once a month. Change them when they get dirty.
Don't put lamps or televisions near the thermostat. The thermostat will register the heat given off by these appliances and cause your air conditioner to run more frequently.
If you have a window unit, make sure there are no holes in the seal between the unit and the window frame--cool air could seep out.
If you have ceiling fans, use them! They can make your room very comfortable and use much less energy than running the air conditioner all the time.
Turn off ceiling fans when you leave the room.