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10 Ways You Can Save Energy
Saving energy is easy and, better yet, can save you a lot of money! Follow these 10 easy steps to help you get started. Kids click here.
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Close the curtains.
If the weather is too hot or too cold, shut your drapes to keep out the heat and the cold. This can reduce heating and cooling needs by up to 25 percent.
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Install five energy-saving light bulbs.
The swirly light bulbs you see in the stores are called compact fluorescent lamps or CFLs. If everyone in the U.S. installed five, we’d save $6 billion worth of energy.
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Opt for the warm-cold cycle instead of the hot-hot cycle when washing clothes.
A hot-hot cycle uses 90 percent more energy than the alternative.
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Replace your holiday lights.
Decorating for the holidays can be more energy efficient if you use LED (light-emitting diode) strands. Make the switch and watch your energy bills plummet! (Plus, LEDs last so long that you may never have to buy new holiday lights again! Maybe.)
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Adjust your thermostat.
If you adjust your air-conditioning to one degree warmer and your heating to one degree cooler, you could save up to $100 a year. If everyone did the same, we could collectively save more than $10 billion on energy costs.
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Go for LCD over plasma and turn the set to an energy saving mode.
Purchasing a new TV? You can save nearly 275 kilowatt-hours of energy and $25 annually on your utility bill if you purchase an LCD screen versus a plasma screen of the same size. (Figures based on a 32” size screen.) Once you get the machine home, make sure you engage an energy saving mode. Refer to your instruction manual for help.
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Get a fan.
Instead of blasting the AC, try using a space fan or even a ceiling-fan. Air-conditioning accounts for a lot of unnecessary energy usage.
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Cut the aluminum.
Aluminum is the most energy intensive material made in the U.S. Try to buy items like fresh fruit, veggies, fish, and meat instead of canned varieties. Opt for beverages in glass bottles.
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Keep the refrigerator door shut.
The refrigerator is an energy-sucking machine. Opening the refrigerator door can account for $30-$60 of your energy bill every year. Old models suck the most energy, so if you can, upgrade to an Energy Star qualified model.
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Keep your water heater warm.
Wrap an insulated blanket around your water heater and set the thermostat to a maximum of 120 degrees. This could help you save up to 25 percent on your heating costs.
5 Ways Kids Can Save Energy
KIDS! You can save energy every day, too! Check out the following tips … and don’t forget to help your parents and siblings save energy, too.
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Play outside.
Turn off the video games and the TV for an afternoon to save energy.
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Be an energy monitor at school.
Ask your teacher if you can be responsible for turning off the lights when everyone leaves the classroom for lunch and recess.
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Turn off and unplug electronics.
When you are finished using the computer and other electronics, be sure to turn them off and unplug them from the wall. If everyone in the U.S. unplugged their computers and cell phone chargers, we could save over $100 million.
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Forget email.
Text your friends. Use your cell phone to send messages to friends and family. Texting from a phone uses 30 percent less electricity per message than sending an email from your computer. (Make sure your cell phone plan includes text messaging.)
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Play sports outside and during the day.
Games played inside and at nighttime require a lot more electricity than games played outside during the daytime.
