How to Save Electricity in Your Home

How to Save Electricity in Your Home

Using electricity wisely can help you get more value for your energy dollar. It also helps to conserve natural resources and reduces the impact energy use has on the environment. Follow the advice and tips below to gain more control over your energy use at home.


Energy Efficient Tips and Products

Energy Efficient Kitchen Tips

Refrigerator/Freezer

A typical home uses 600-1200 kiloWatt-hours per year for refrigeration and freezing. To become more energy efficient with refrigeration in your home, follow these tips:

*Keep your refrigerator at 37°- 40° F and your freezer at 5°F.
*Keep your refrigerator filled to capacity, but don't overcrowd to the point where doors cannot be closed or air cannot circulate.
*Vacuum the condenser coils (underneath or behind the unit) every three months or so.
*Check the condition of door gaskets by placing a dollar bill against the frame and closing the door. If the bill can be pulled out with a very gentle tug, the door should be adjusted or the gasket replaced.
*Do not put uncovered liquids in the refrigerator. The liquids give off vapors that add to the compressor workload.
*Allow hot food to cool off before putting it in the refrigerator.
*Plan ahead and remove all ingredients for each meal at one time.
*Try switching off the power-saver switch, if your refrigerator has one. If only a small amount of condensation appears, save energy and leave the switch off.

Buying Tips for a Refrigerator/Freezer

*Reduce your refrigeration electricity usage by 40 percent by replacing a 12-year-old or older unit with a new unit. An Energy Star® unit will lower usage even more.
*Select a refrigerator or freezer that is just large enough for your needs
*Look for energy-saving features such as the power-saver switch and improved insulation materials.
*If possible, locate refrigerators and freezers away from direct sunlight, ranges, and heating equipment.
*Never put a second refrigerator in the garage. If you need a second unit, put it in the basement.

Range/Oven

A typical home uses 200-700 kiloWatt-hours per year with its range/oven. To become more energy efficient with your range/oven, follow these tips:

*Only use pots and pans with flat bottoms on the stove.
*Include more stews, stir-frys, and other single-dish meals in your menus.
*Develop the habit of "lids-on" cooking to permit lower temperature settings.
*Keep reflector pans beneath stovetop heating elements bright and clean.
*Carefully measure water used for cooking to avoid having to heat more than is needed.
*Begin cooking on highest heat until liquid begins to boil. Then lower the heat control settings and allow food to simmer until fully cooked.
*Cook as much of the meal in the oven at one time as possible. Variations of 25°F still produce good results and save energy.
*Rearrange oven shelves before turning your oven on - and don't peek at food in the oven! Every time you open the oven door, 25°-50°F is lost.
*There is no need to preheat the oven for broiling or roasting.
*When preheating an oven for baking, time the preheat period carefully. Five to eight minutes should be sufficient.
*Use your microwave oven whenever possible, as it draws less than half the power of its conventional oven counterpart and cooks for a much shorter amount of time.
*Use the self-cleaning cycle only for major cleaning jobs. Start the cycle right after cooking while the oven is still hot, or wait until late in the evening when electricity usage is low.

Buying Tips for a Range/Oven

*Convection ovens use a small fan to circulate hot air around the oven. This speeds up cooking time by about 30 percent and saves the same in energy.
*Combination ovens use microwave technology and halogen lamps to cut cooking time and energy use by 66-75 percent.

Dishwasher

*Wash only full loads of dishes - but do not overload dishwasher.
*Scrape food off dishes and rinse them with cold water before placing them in the dishwasher.
*Soak or pre-wash only in the cases of burned-on or dried-on foods.
*Don't use the "rinse hold" feature on your dishwasher when you only have a few soiled dishes.

Buying tip: Look for dishwashers with internal booster heaters, so that you can set your water heater thermostat at 120°F (rather than 140°F for dishwashing purposes).


Energy-Efficient Appliances for the Kitchen
Induction Cooking

*Induction cooking is one of many advances made in home cooking. With induction cooking, surfaces stay cool while the food gets warm or hot. It uses magnetic friction to deliver heat through coils to the pots or pans on the surface. This prevents the ceramic surface from becoming hot, which prevents burns. The pots that are used must be made of magnetic materials, such as iron or steel, for the best results.
*These units have very high efficiency ratings (in terms of the amount of heat used for actual cooking versus the total amount of heat delivered by the equipment), especially when compared to gas systems.
*Some sample Web sites for products and information are shown below:
oInduction Ranges by Iwatani
oThe Induction Site

Light Energy Ovens

*Many people use microwave ovens for a variety of cooking purposes, but they do not have the ability to grill or broil. Now, with light energy ovens, tungsten/ halogen lamps are positioned around the interior and computer-controlled "thermal-pulsing" selectively directs energy both into and onto the food. You get the size, convenience, and speed of a microwave oven, combined with the cooking ability of a regular oven or grill.
*Larger versions of these ovens have been used in commercial restaurants and hotels. Starting in December 1998, models were available for residential applications.




Lighting - How to Save Energy

Energy-Efficient Lighting Tips

A typical home uses 400-1000 kiloWatt-hours per year in lighting. To become more energy efficient with lights throughout your home, follow these tips:

*Clean your light fixtures regularly.
*Turn off lights when leaving a room.
*Provide task lighting over desks, tool benches, etc., so that activities can be carried on without illuminating entire rooms.
*If possible, put lamps in corners of rooms, where they can reflect light from two wall surfaces instead of one.
*Use compact fluorescent bulbs in fixtures that are on for more than two hours a day. Compact fluorescent bulbs will given an incandescent bulb's warm, soft light, while using up to 75 percent less electricity. They also last about 10 times longer. Typically, a 23-watt compact fluorescent bulb can replace a 90- or 100-watt incandescent bulb.
*Use dimmable bulbs when possible.
*Install photoelectric controls or timers to make sure that outdoor lighting is turned off during the day.

Energy-Efficient Lighting Products

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

*Compact fluorescent light bulbs put out as much light as regular incandescent bulbs, but last anywhere from 8 to 10 times longer, and use anywhere from 50 to 75 percent less electricity for the same (or more!) light output. In fact, some companies are making torchieres that use compact fluorescent lamps instead of hot halogen lamps. Others now make compact fluorescent track lighting and downlighting systems. Some of the newer lamps can be used with dimming devices.
*Some sample Web sites for products:
o Real Goods
o Energy Federation, Inc. lamp information
o Lighting Research Center CFL lamp life test results

Compact Fluorescent Torchieres

*Compact fluorescent technology is available for floor lamps that can light up an entire room. These lamps, also called torchieres, traditionally contained very hot halogen lamps that were rated at 300 or 500 watts. Now, compact fluorescent torchieres can provide as much light, but without all the heat and safety issues. Like the current torchieres, the compact fluorescent floor lamps are dimmable.


Air Conditioning - How to Save Energy
Energy-Efficient Cooling Tips

A typical home uses 250-1000 kiloWatt-hours per year for air conditioning in one room. To become more energy efficient with air conditioning throughout your home, follow these tips:

*Set your thermostat to 78° F, or as high as comfort permits. When the weather is mild, turn off the AC and open the windows.
*Close your blinds and curtains during the hottest part of the day.
*Close cooling vents in unused rooms and keep doors to unused rooms closed.
*Check and clean or replace air filters every month.
*Clean the outside condenser coil once a year.
*Reduce your usage by 10-20 percent by caulking and weather-stripping your doors and windows.
*Insulate your house. The Department of Energy's Home Energy Saver Web site* can help you find out how much insulation is needed in your region.
* (look under "Insulation and Air Sealing" and click on "Tips from Energy Savers")
*Schedule periodic maintenance of cooling equipment by a licensed service representative.
*Attics must be ventilated to relieve heat buildup caused by the sun. If necessary, improve attic airflow by adding or enlarging vents.

Buying Tips

* Air conditioners vary considerably in efficiency.
o For window units, an Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) rating of 11 or more is excellent.
o For central units, a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of 14 is excellent. You can save at least 25 percent on cooling bills by replacing a unit with a SEER rating of 10 or less with a unit rated 13 or more.
*Seek professional help in determining what size unit you need. Oversized units waste electricity and cannot dehumidify properly, which is detrimental to comfort.
*Locate your central AC compressor unit in a shaded outside area, if possible.
*Install your window unit on the north or shady side of the home, if possible.
*Look for high-efficiency units with features like variable-speed fans, two-speed compressors, scroll compressors, and combination water heater/cooling systems. These appliances cost more initially, but pay you back over time by using less electricity each month.
*Consider investing in a GeoExchange heating and cooling system, which takes advantage of the ground's "free" energy. While these systems cost more to install, they save 30-70 percent on heating costs and 20-50 percent on cooling costs - meaning they pay you back the difference in a matter of years.

Energy-Efficient Cooling Products

GeoExchange Systems

*GeoExchange heating and cooling systems (also known as "ground source heat pumps" or "geothermal heat pumps") use the constant temperature of the earth to provide heating comfort in the winter and cooling in the summer. Along with their high level of comfort, they provide the highest levels of efficiency for heating and cooling. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency performed a study and concluded that GeoExchange systems provided the lowest operating costs and best environmental performance, even when compared to advanced fossil fuel systems.
*Studies have shown that GeoExchange systems can save homeowners 30 - 70 percent on their heating bills and 20 - 50 percent on their cooling bills, when compared to standard heating and cooling systems.
*There are now a large number of builders and contractors who have experience with the installation of these systems, along with hundreds of thousands of satisfied homeowners.