TO SAVE ELECTRICITY , Use your oven as little as possible. Use your grill or your toaster oven instead; consider fruit and no-bake treats for desserts. Install ceiling fans. Simply moving the air around often makes it seem cooler, and can allow you to set the air conditioning temperature several degrees higher. Close blinds/shades during the day. If you want to let in the breeze but block the sun, consider installing Bermuda shutters. Plug the leaks. Gaps or cracks around doors or windows let cold air in during the winter and allow the cool air to escape in the summer. Find a professional to conduct a diagnostic audit at energystar.gov, or check them yourself. The Alliance to Save Energy suggests walking around your house with incense to see if it blows in when you pass windows.1 Unplug appliances when not in use. Computers, chargers for cellphones and other devices pull small amounts of energy even when they’re not actively in use. Consider a power strip that allows you to turn several items on and off at once. Use Energy Star. If you’re buying a new appliance or air conditioner, look for the Department of Energy’s Energy Star rating; learn more about this rating system at energystar.gov. Maintain your AC unit. Change or clean the air filter monthly, check to see if the drainage hose is blocked. Close AC vents and doors to unused rooms. Open vents only in rooms you use. Add insulation. Consider beefing up the insulation in your attic; check with a professional to see whether you can add insulation to your exterior walls. Hang the laundry outside. Use cold water to wash whenever possible, and consider hanging the clean clothes outside, if possible. Take cooler, shorter showers. This helps to reduces both water and hot water usage. Cater to the kids outside. If you place a cooler filled with ice, water and healthy snacks outside, your children won’t need to run in and out looking for food or drink
Posted on: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 07:51:55 +0000
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