As good eco-citizens, we are constantly trying to figure out what we can do to reduce our energy consumption. Simple actions can go a long way in saving energy, such as turning off the lights when we leave a room, but there are several other easy changes you can make around the house to reduce your energy consumption even more.
Well, fear not, fellow energy-reducers! Here we have listed some easy tricks to reduce your home’s power consumption.
Heating and Cooling System
There’s nothing too hot or too cool about these tips. They’re just right.
- Try to change or clean your furnace filter at least once a month. Dust and dirt can clog integral parts when the filter hasn’t been changed in a while, forcing the furnace to work harder and harder until it eventually breaks down. This extra hard work is a huge waste of energy!
- If you’ve got Air Conditioning in your home, setting the fan on the Central AC to ‘On’ instead of ‘Auto’ will make the air circulate continuously, which will help to keep the house temperature even.
- Keep your garage door closed whenever possible to prevent hot air from escaping in the winter.
Bathroom
Opportunities for energy savings are overflowing in the bathroom!
- Try to take showers instead of baths. They use less water which – you guessed it – saves energy!
- When brushing your teeth, make sure you turn the tap off between “spits” to conserve even more water!
Kitchen
We’ve cooked up some great ideas in the kitchen!
- Clean the refrigerator coils using your vacuum cleaner at least twice a year. This keeps the compressor clean which allows it to work
- Wait to run your dishwasher until you have a full load. Not only will this conserve energy, but it should help you out on your energy and water bills as well!
Laundry Room
Clean up your energy consumption in the laundry room!
- When doing laundry, only wash full loads of clothes and use cold water as often as possible. Many detergent brands have recently come out with cold water detergents that clean clothes well without having to waste energy heating up the water.
- If you have space in your or somewhere in your home, hang up your clothes to dry instead of running the dryer with every load.
- If you have to dry your clothes, try to run drying loads back to back. This will save on the energy wasted when the dryer has to heat up at the beginning of a load because the system should still be warm.
