Change Your Dishwasher Settings:
Change the drying setting on your dishwasher from heat dry to air dry. By doing this you will save energy and your fingertips from grabbing burning hot dishes.
Turn Off The Lights:
It’s important to flip the lights off when you leave a room. This may seem like a no brainer, but leaving lights on can easily raise the cost of your electricity bill.
Install Weather Stripping:
An easy way to prevent a high energy bill is to ensure no outside air is entering your home through windows or doors. Weather stripping is inexpensive and is available at most stores, including Meijer. This technique will ensure that your home is being heated efficiently. Read more about installing weather stripping.
Unplug Unused Devices:
Even though a device may be powered off, it can still consume energy! This is referred to as “ghost energy” and a great way to combat it is to use a power strip that you can power off. This makes it easy to leave all of your devices essentially “unplugged” when you’re done using them.
Leave South Facing Blinds Open:
Leaving south-facing blinds open when it’s sunny can help increase natural light and heat in your home. Due to the tilt of the Earth, the most direct sun is coming from the south- so let the sun give your heater a break and light up your home in a natural, free way!
Wash With Cold Water:
Washing your clothes in cold water rather than the usual warm water can save up to $65 a year on average. By simply changing the dial on your washing machine, your utility costs can be cut by over $4 per month. (And you’ll avoid shrinking clothes!)
Leave Faucet On Cold:
If you have a single handled faucet, leaving it turned in the cold position when not in use can prevent unnecessary energy usage. When using the faucet for a short amount of time, even if hot water is not felt, energy is still being used to heat the water.
Change Your Lightbulbs:
A common, but efficient way to save energy is to switch existing light bulbs to LEDs and CFLs. This can reduce energy usage in light fixtures from around 30% up to a possible 80%.
Use Pots And Pans Correctly:
It’s important to use the correct size pots and pans on the similar sized burners. Using a 6” pan on an 8” burner can waste up to 40% of the heat that is being generated. Leaving pots uncovered can also cause unnecessary heat loss.
Do Not Block Vents:
Make sure that vents are free of obstacles, such as furniture, to ensure proper and efficient airflow to the entire apartment or house. If furniture is covering the vents, the heating system will have to work harder which will ultimately produce a higher energy bill.
Contributed By: Hailey Doctor