If you’re looking to improve your daily energy efficiency, consider these tips to help reduce your overall energy consumption:
1. Replace all lights in your home with energy efficient bulbs, reducing energy consumption from lights by 75-90%
2. Swap out high-energy appliances (TVs, refrigerators, washers/dryers, ovens, etc.) with energy efficient models. Many of these are commonly marked with an “Energy Star” logo.
3. Install weather stripping into your windows to retain heat in winter or cool in summer. If you can not find weather stripping locate any sources of drafts and seal them using a common sealing agent, cloth or tissue (in dry areas) to stop air flow and prevent heat leakage.
4. Keep air conditioner or heater usage to a minimum. Wear additional clothing indoors in the winter and take advantage of natural wind flow and low-energy electric fans in the summer.
5. If air conditioning or heating is necessary try to keep it no higher than 78.8 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius) in the winter and no lower than that in the summer in order to prevent unnecessary energy loss through air conditioner and heater over-use.
6. If using an electronic water heater lower the temperature your heater is set to heat water to (if possible) in order to maintain a lower regular energy draw from it.
1. Set any computers to automatically go to “stand by” mode if left inactive for a period of time – this can save up to 65% electricity used daily.
2. When printing or copying use double-sided printing as much as possible to reduce energy draws by as much as 50%.
3. Recycle paper, both at home and at work, and allow up to 40% of the energy necessary to produce the paper to be saved.
1. Reduce travel time to meet people as much as possible, utilizing the internet to arrange conference calls and video calls for free instead in order to cut back on fuel energy costs.
2. Whenever going up one floor or down two use the stairs rather than the elevator.
3. Keep your car tires properly inflated – doing so can help improve your car’s mileage and overall performance and therefore greatly reduce your energy usage.
4. Regularly perform maintenance on your vehicle in order to ensure that it is in top condition and effectively being used to the best of its ability. This should be done approximately every 2,000 miles to be safe.
5. Plan any trip in a car to reduce idling as much as possible. Even reducing your idle time by as little as 5 minutes a day could mean huge savings in the long run.
6. Ride a bike as much as possible. An average bike will cost around $200 each year in maintenance with an additional $300 spent in any accessories or other additions to it and can save considerable energy while improving your health. Compare this to the average of $7,500 a year most people pay to own a car.
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