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Energy production and use account for nearly 80% of air pollution, more than 83% of greenhouse gas emissions, and more environmental damage than any other human activity. Energy efficiency is the quickest, cheapest, and cleanest way to reduce energy use, costs, pollution, and extend our nation’s energy supplies.
Did you know that the energy use of two families living in two homes that look exactly alike can vary by 100 percent? This means that how you use what’s in your home can double (or halve) your energy bill. The following tips can help you to increase your energy efficiency:
Energy Efficient Lighting Tips
- Its obvious, but turn off lights when not in use. Just one 100-watt bulb left on all night costs about $25 per year
- Utilize task lighting whenever possible rather than lighting the whole room needlessly.
- Invest in compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs). Although the initial investment is a bit more, by replacing your four most used bulbs with CFLs you can save as much as $185 over the bulbs’ lifetimes. You can find CFLs at most stores now, locally Bighorn Ace Hardware has a large selection. Wherever you go to buy your CFLs be sure to look for the Energy Star seal so that you know that it is a quality bulb. Check out our fact sheet on Efficient Lighting to learn more.
- Both CFLs and regular fluorescent tube lighting use 75% less energy than do incandescent bulbs.
Energy Efficient Fridge/Freezer Tips
- Set your refrigerators temperature to be between 37-40°
- Set your freezer temperature to be no lower than 5°
- Check the seals on your fridge/freezer by closing a dollar bill (or similar sized piece of paper) in the door. Tug on the bill- if it slides out easily, your seals need to replaced. If there is a fair amount of resistance, your seals are good, for now- check them annually.
- When you are doing your spring cleaning, pull the fridge away from the wall and clean off the coils in the back- a vacuum attachment is the easiest method for cleaning the coils. Work deliberately and gently so as not to disturb any coils or wiring.
- Be sure to leave an inch or two between the back of your fridge and the wall so that air can circulate properly.
- Fill your freezer! Don’t overdo it, you need to leave space for the air to circulate, but an empty freezer is inefficient as frozen food assists in keeping the freezer cold, just like ice in a cooler.
Energy Efficient Cooking Tips
- Put lids on your pans when you are using the stovetop. You can greatly reduce the time required to boil water and cook your food.
- Fit your pan to the coil size- you are wasting energy by placing a small pan on a larger coil. Users of gas stove tops should be careful to set the flame size so that the flame is not lapping up the sides of the pan.
- Clean off your stove top coils and reflectors regularly so that all heat produced is directed to what you are cooking, not the grease and grime.
- Turn the oven or stovetop off prior to cooking being completed- it will remain hot enough to complete cooking without using any additional energy!
- Reheat leftovers in the smallest appliance available. This chart displays the energy use for cooking the same meal using various appliances:
Appliance Used Energy Used Cost
Electric Oven 2.0 kWh 30¢
Convection Oven 1.39 kWh 21¢
Toaster Oven .95 kWh 14¢
Cooktop/Frying Pan .9 kWh 14¢
Crockpot .7 kWh 11¢
Microwave .36 kWh 5¢
Energy Efficient Heating Tips
- Over half of Colorado resident’s energy bills are used to pay for their heating costs. Turning down the thermostat by even 1 degree can reduce heating costs by about 4%, which represents savings between $45 and $75 depending on the fuel used to heat the home.
- Close the heating vents in unoccupied rooms and use small space heaters to heat occupied areas.
- A Colorado household utilizing a programmable thermostat can save $120-190 a year on home heating bills.
- And one COOLING TIP for our mountain climate: Use fans instead of air conditioners. Did you know that ceiling fans make people feel 4 degrees cooler than the actual temperature?
Energy Efficient Appliance Tips
- When shopping for new appliances, make those that are Energy Star qualified a priority. Their use can cut annual energy bills by 30 percent, or more than $450 per year. You can learn more about the Energy Star program at www.energystar.gov
- Unplug your appliances when they are not in use! This includes toasters, radios and charging devices, such as those for cell phones. Even when turned off these items are pulling energy, known as standby losses or ghost loads. The energy losses from leaving these items plugged in represents a 10-25% increase in cost and energy use. In fact, each year, Americans spend more money to power home audio and DVD products when turned off than when actually in use.
- Always wash full loads in a dishwasher – a half load uses just as much energy (and water) as a full load.
- Set the hot water heater at 120 degrees, and insulate the heater and at least the first 6 to 10 feet of hot water supply pipe with pipe insulation, available at any hardware store.
- Use cold water to wash your clothes whenever reasonable, which can save your household up to $63 a year.
Weatherization Tips:
- By sealing the leaks between windows and doors and installing proper insulation, especially in the attic and crawl spaces, Colorado households can reduce energy costs by $230-380 per year. It is easiest to do this by holding a lit incense stick next to your doors, windows, fixtures and electrical outlets to check for drafts (it is best to do this on a windy day). Or wet your fingertips and run them around the door or window frame—or hold up a tissue and see if it waves. Seal leaks between moving parts (between door or window and its frame) with weather-stripping. Fill leaks between nonmoving parts (between window frame and wall) with long-lasting indoor/outdoor clear caulk.
- Install storm windows if you only have single-pane windows. If you can’t afford that, consider temporary fixes for your older or leaky windows, such as plastic film kits that create the effect of an interior storm window.
Vehicle Efficiency
- Vehicle fuel economy can be improved with a few simple measures: tuning the engine (4%), cleaning or replacing air filters (10%), keeping tires properly inflated (3%), and obeying the speed limit (7 to 23%).
- While it looks really cool to have all kinds of gear on top of your car, the extra drag dramatically reduces fuel efficiency. Remove unnecessary gear and roof racks, particularly for long road trips.
Resources for More Energy Efficiency Information
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