Top 25 Energy Saving Tips For Your Home

Discount Power makes saving energy and money easy!

One of the great things about being a Discount Power customer is that you have more control of your energy costs.

But that’s just the beginning of the ways you can take control of your energy budget. We’re here to help you with 25 ideas that are easy to implement in your own home so you can save energy and save money.

Your Energy Savings Checklist

1. Audit your home’s energy usage. While there are professionals who can do this, you can use the U.S. Department of Energy’s Home Energy Saver tool to conduct your own audit and find out how you can make your home more energy-efficient.
2. Change your light bulbs to LED. LED light bulbs use between 75 and 80 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs.
3. Make cold your default setting for laundry. Cold water is usually sufficient to clean your everyday laundry. Use a cold water detergent. If you need warmer water for your laundry, using warm instead of hot can cut the energy usage for that load in half.
4. Get rid of drafts. Drafts can add up to 15 percent to your heating and cooling costs. Caulk, weatherstripping, expanding foam and door strips can help keep your heated and cooled air indoors where it belongs.
5. Change filters. Dirty filters make your heating and cooling systems work harder, thus using more energy. Change the filters for your home’s HVAC system every three months and once every month if you have pets or if someone in your home has respiratory issues.



6. Add insulation. Inadequate insulation can end up wasting around 20 percent of the heat and cooling your home’s HVAC generates. The Department of Energy has a guide for how much insulation homes in your area need.
7. Use passive heating and cooling. In winter, keep blinds and curtains open during the day on windows that get direct sunlight for passive heating and close them at night to keep the heat in. In summer, close those blinds and curtains during the day to keep your home cool.
8. Use ceiling fans all year. In the summer, ceiling fans can circulate cool air around your home. Reverse the direction of the blades to clockwise in winter to push heated air back down into the living space.
9. Let heated air circulate in winter. Don’t let heated air coming from vents and radiators be trapped by furniture and curtains. Move them away so heated air can reach the whole room.
10. No peeking while baking! Every time you open the oven door, the temperature in there can drop up to 25˚ Fahrenheit. That means your oven has to work harder to stay at the set temperature.
11. Be smart with electronics. Don’t leave your computer on all day. Turn it off when you’re not using it, shut it down at the end of the day, and use power management settings for your computer and monitor so it will go into a reduced power sleep mode after a set time of inactivity. Don’t leave games running when you’re not using the computer.
12. Use a programmable thermostat. You can set your HVAC system is working less while you’re away or sleeping, while keeping your home comfortable while you’re there. Some of today’s thermostats can be controlled by your smartphone.



13. Be smart when setting thermostat temperatures. Every extra degree of heating and cooling increases your energy usage between 6 and 8 percent. Your home won’t get warm or cool faster by cranking up (or down) the thermostat.
14. Fill the fridge. A full refrigerator or freezer operates more efficiently. Just don’t overfill so airflow is impeded.
15. Use the dishwasher. Washing a full load of dishes by hand can use between 3.5 and 5 times as much heated water as running the dishwasher. Use air drying instead of heated drying for even more energy savings.
16. Turn down the water heater. Most water heaters should be set at 120˚F. This lower setting saves energy and reduces the risk of scalding injuries.
17. Insulate your water heater. You can save up to 16 percent on your water heating costs. And insulating your hot water pipes can save an addition 4 percent.
18. Keep the bathroom door closed when showering. In the winter, this will keep the bathroom warmer so you don’t need to turn up the hot water as high.
19. Minimize exhaust fan use. Exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathrooms can suck heated and cooled air out of your house. Replace the fan switches with ones that runs on a timer for automatic shut-off.
20. Turn off the lights. Lighting accounts for around 12 percent of your energy costs.
21. Keep the area around your thermostat clear. Don’t put appliances that give off heat like lamps, TVs or computers near a thermostat. It can make the thermostat kick on or off when not needed and decrease efficiency.



22. Schedule your chores wisely. In the summer, use the dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer at night. It will keep your home cooler and reduce strain on the power grid.
23. Be smart with outdoor lighting. Use solar lights where possible. Use a photocell or timer to keep your lights on dusk-to-dawn only.
24. Keep your refrigerator efficient. Defrost before ice buildup becomes ¼-inch thick.
25. Cook smart. In the summer, using your stove or oven can heat up your home. Use the microwave and your outdoor grill whenever possible.

Discount Power can help you save on your energy costs, and offers green energy options. Contact us today to learn more!

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