No-cost and low-cost energy savings tips

Cooling

During the summer, air conditioning can account for 50% or more of your total energy bill. Here are some tips to help save on your cooling costs:

No-cost tips

• Leave draperies closed during the day to help keep out the heat.
• Leave the air vents open in your home. Closing air vents can create pressure imbalances resulting in increased air conditioning costs.
• Clean debris and obstructions from around outdoor air conditioning components.
• Make sure your fireplace damper is closed when operating your air conditioner so your cooling dollars don't go up the chimney.
• Don't place lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat. It senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
• Set your thermostat between 78 to 80 degrees when you are home and up to 85 degrees when you are away. For every degree you set your thermostat above 80 degrees, you can save approximately 2 to 3% on cooling costs.
• Set your air conditioning fan to "auto." This reduces the negative impact of improper air balances and turns the fan motor off when the unit is not cooling. Using "auto" rather than "on" can save you $15 to $25 each month on your energy costs.

Low-cost tips

• Replace disposable air filters or clean permanent ones at least once a month. A dirty filter forces your equipment to work harder, causing higher energy bills.
• Run the exhaust fan while cooking to force hot air and pollutants out of the kitchen.
• Use the bathroom fan to remove the heat and humidity from your home when you shower or take a bath. Remember to turn it off when you are finished.
• Set your ceiling fans to blow downward during the summer to circulate air rather than lowering your thermostat.
• Maintain the effectiveness of your cooling system by having it serviced by an SRP Certified Contractor at least once a year.
• Help your air conditioner by doing moisture-producing chores, such as washing clothes and dishes or mopping floors in the early morning or at night when it is cooler. If you are on SRP's Time-of-Use price plan, doing laundry during the off-peak hours will help you save money.

Heating

Even though your energy consumption may decrease during the winter months, there are still ways to save:

No-cost tips

• Keep draperies open during the day to help let in the heat and close them at night to help retain the heat.
• Never use your stove, oven or portable grill to heat your house. This creates a safety hazard.
• Make sure to close the damper after using your fireplace. This will help keep the warm air inside your house and stop your heating dollars from going up the chimney.

Low-cost tips

• Replace disposable air filters or clean permanent ones at least once a month. A dirty filter forces your equipment to work harder, causing higher energy bills.
• Set your thermostat between 68 to 70 degrees when you are home and 65 degrees or lower when you are away.
• Change your ceiling fan's position to "up" and run the fan on "low" to help circulate the warm air trapped at the ceiling.
• Install weather stripping and seals around doors and windows. It minimizes gaps and reduces heat loss, helping you keep heating costs down and save energy.

Pool

If you own a pool, your pool pump can be the second largest energy user in your household. Follow these tips to keep your pool's energy use to a minimum:

No-cost tips

• Run your pool pump eight to 12 hours during the summer in general. During the winter, only six to eight hours are necessary.
• Clean strainer baskets and filters regularly to help your pool pump run more efficiently.
• Avoid draining and refilling your pool by using new technologies that can remove excess hard minerals.

Low-cost tips

• Keep your pool chemicals properly balanced. Balanced chemicals are more effective for clean water than operating the filter for longer periods.

Water heating

Approximately 12 to 20% of your annual energy usage goes to producing hot water for cooking, bathing, laundry, dishwashing and miscellaneous other uses:

No-cost tips

• Take short showers instead of baths. A five-minute shower typically uses less than 15 gallons of water while a bath can use 30 to 40 gallons.
• Approximately 90% of the energy used to wash clothes goes to heating water. Save money by washing as many loads as possible in cold water.
• Set your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees. Turning the thermostat down from 140 degrees to 120 degrees can save up to $7 per month.
• Fill washer tub with the least amount of water necessary.
• Check for leaks around your water heater by looking for standing water. Also, put your ear to the water heater to listen for water running when no faucets are on. This can indicate a cracked or broken water line.

Low-cost tips

• Repair leaking water faucets and make sure faucets are turned off completely. A dripping hot water faucet can leak hundreds of gallons a year, adding to your water heating costs.

Lighting

On average, lighting accounts for about 8 to 10% of the energy bill, so it will pay off to look at the following tips:

No-cost tips

• Turn off lights when not in use. You save more energy turning them off than leaving them on.

Low-cost tips

• Replace standards bulbs with CFLs. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs:
• Use about 75% less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
• Save about $30 or more in electricity costs over each bulb's lifetime.
• Produce about 75% less heat, so they're safer to operate and can cut your cooling costs.
• Replace your highest-use bulbs and fixtures first to save the most energy and money. Focus on the kitchen ceiling lights, the living or family room table and floor lamps and outdoor porch or post lamp.
• Paint interior walls a lighter color. This will reflect light throughout your house and limit the need for additional lighting.

Refrigerator and freezer

After your water heater, your refrigerator is typically the next costliest appliance to operate. These tips can help you take a bite out of the cost of running your refrigerator:

No-cost tips

• Open the refrigerator door only when necessary. Every time you do, 30% of the cool air escapes.
• Avoid placing a refrigerator or freezer in your garage or on your patio. During the summer, an older model refrigerator in your garage or on your patio can cost $15-20 a month to operate.
• Keep your refrigerator or freezer full, but not overcrowded. Use water containers or bags of ice to fill empty space.
• Don't keep your refrigerator or freezer too cold. Manufacturer recommended temperatures are 35 to 38 degrees for the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator and zero degrees for the freezer section. Test the exact temperature by placing an outdoor or refrigerator thermometer on the middle shelf overnight.
• Check the door gaskets on both the refrigerator and freezer to make sure they are in good shape and form tight seals. Close the door on a dollar bill. If you can remove the bill without feeling any friction or tightness, you may need to replace your gasket.
• Clean the coils on the bottom or back of the refrigerator several times a year to keep the unit operating properly.

Evaporative cooler

The following tips can help make your evaporative cooler work more efficiently:

No-cost tips

• Make sure you install the baffle plate (cookie sheet damper) in the unit before you switch over to air conditioning.
• Close any updraft vents, install the baffle plate (cookie sheet damper) and cover the unit before switching over to heating in the winter.
• Do not run your evaporative cooler and air conditioner at the same time or within the same day. The evaporative cooler increases humidity in your home while the air conditioner works to remove humidity.

Low-cost tips

• Change the pads on your evaporative cooler before each summer. Make sure the pads are evenly installed in the frames with no gaps around the edges. Don't throw the pads off the roof onto your lawn. The salt and mineral content in the pads can be tough on your grass.

Washer and dryer

Typical households wash nearly 400 loads of laundry each year. Conventional clothes washers consume 40 to 50 gallons of water per load. Energy-efficient washers use as little as one-third the water. Follow these easy tips to help reduce the cost of doing laundry:

No-cost tips

• Dry consecutive loads to take advantage of the heat stored in your dryer.
• Combine clothes that require approximately the same amount of drying time so that you don't over-dry your clothes.
• Clean the lint filter after each dryer load.
• Vent the dryer to the outside to reduce heat and moisture in your home. Periodically, inspect the dryer vent and clean when necessary.
• Avoid adding heat and humidity to your home during the hottest part of the day by running your washer and dryer during the early morning or late evening during the summer.

Range and oven

Here are a few ideas to make cooking and baking a bit easier on your energy bill:

No-cost tips

• Don't preheat the oven longer than necessary.
• Don't preheat your oven for long cooking foods and turn off the oven 15 minutes prior to completion.
• Leave the oven door closed during cooking. Each time you open the door, you lose about 25 to 50 degrees of heat.
• Prepare your foods when the kitchen is the coolest, usually during the early morning.
• You can get the most out of your oven or range by using it to capacity. If possible, cook everything at the same time.

Low-cost tips

• Minimize heat loss by using flat bottom pans with tight fitting lids that match the size of the burner.
• Grill outside or use your microwave in the summer to keep your kitchen cool and reduce energy costs.

Dishwasher

Approximately 70 to 80% of the energy used to wash dishes goes to heating water. Here are some suggestions to help your dishwasher run more efficiently:

No-cost tips

• Use the "energy saving" button on your dishwasher or air-dry your dishes and save up to 20% of your dishwasher's electricity cost by eliminating the heating function.
• Run your dishwasher on a full load.
• Run your dishwasher during the cooler parts of the day (early morning or late evening) when your air conditioner will have to work less to reduce the added heat and humidity from dishwashing.

Electronics/general

No-cost tips

• Beware of Energy Vampires. Many electronics (chargers, computers, etc.) use power even when you're not using them. Unplug them when not in use and save energy.

Low-cost tips

• Create a "charging station" connected to a power strip that includes power cords for laptops, cell phones and digital cameras. Turn the strip off when nothing is being charged.