Energy Saving Tips: Did You Know?

Interested in learning how to save energy? You've come to the right place. We have some fun facts that we bet you didn't know! Read on and then try a few!

Did you know! You could use 30% LESS energy in your home just by using energy more wisely and purchasing products with the ENERGY STAR®.

Your actual savings will depend on a number of factors, including the age and condition of your home, number of occupants, weather, number of tips you use, and age of appliances.

You can calculate the operating cost of any electrical appliance by checking its wattage and using these formulas:

• wattage x hours used/1,000 = kWh
• kWh x cost per kWh = operating cost

Did You Know Facts:
Air Conditioning | Dishwasher | Home Office | Laundry | Lighting | Refrigerator | 53 Ways to Save

Air Conditioning

• Using natural cooling techniques can greatly reduce the cost of keeping your home cool and comfortable in the summer.
• Replacing a 15-year-old room air conditioner with a new ENERGY STAR® room air conditioner could save up to $56 a year on electricity.
• Running an appropriately sized unit is the most efficient way to completely condition a room. A unit that is too large may leave the air feeling clammy by turning off before it has adequately de-humidified the room.

• ENERGY STAR dishwashers are at least 13% more energy efficient than standard models.
• An ENERGY STAR dishwasher saves approximately 1,200 gallons of water a year - six times the amount of water the average person drinks in a year!
• 60% to 80% of the power used by the dishwasher is consumed just to heat the water.
   

Laundry

• 90% of the energy used for washing clothes is for heating the water.
• ENERGY STAR clothes washers use 35-50% less water than standard models, saving about 7,000 gallons a year per household.
• They also use 50% less energy, saving you $50 – $130 a year (depending on the water temperature setting and whether it’s an electric or natural gas hot water heater).
   

Lighting

• Replacing five of your most used incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) will save you nearly $50 annually.
• CFLs use 75% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb and last up to 10 times longer. This means that over the life of one CFL, a consumer can avoid replacing up to nine incandescent bulbs!
• ENERGY STAR lighting fixtures put out the same amount of light as standard fixtures while providing excellent color rendering and light temperature. Colors appear true and natural.
• ENERGY STAR fixtures operate at much lower temperatures than many traditional lamps, so the risk of starting a fire in your home is much lower.

Home Office

• Look for the ENERGY STAR® on computer monitors, fax machines, copiers and water coolers.
• Home electronic products use energy when they're off to power features like clock displays and remote controls. Those that have earned the ENERGY STAR use as much as 50% less energy to perform these functions, while providing the same performance at the same price as less efficient models. Consider using a power strip on household electronics where you don't require the stand-by features to turn them off completely.

• Your refrigerator uses the most electricity of all the appliances in your home.
• A refrigerator produced in 1990 uses twice the amount of electricity needed to operate an ENERGY STAR model built today.
• ENERGY STAR refrigerators have better insulation and efficient motors, as well as all the features you want and expect.

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