Energy Tips

Everyone wants to help the environment but sometimes we all don’t realize just how simple it can be to help our planet and save ourselves some money in energy bills. See the tips below for different types of energy to see just how easy it is!

Electricity

  • Turn off all office equipment and lights every night and weekend. If you can't turn off the whole computer, turn off the monitor and the printer.
  • When purchasing PCs, monitors, printers, fax machines and copiers, consider ENERGY STAR® models that "power down" after a user-specified period of inactivity.
  • If appropriate, use laptop computers and inkjet printers — they consume 90 percent less energy than standard desktop computers
  • Use e-mail instead of sending memos and faxing documents.
  • If you need to print, consider double-sided printing and reusing paper.
  • Retrofit T12 lights with magnetic ballasts to T8 lights with electronic ballasts.
  • Replace incandescent light lamps with compact fluorescent lamps.
  • Consider removing excess fluorescent lights and installing reflectors. Lighter colored walls need less light.
  • Install motion detectors to control lighting in frequently unoccupied areas, such as restrooms.
  • Retrofit incandescent or fluorescent exit signs with long-lasting, low-energy LED exit signs.
  • Clean dusty diffusers and lamps every 6-12 months for improved lumen output.
  • Set thermostats at 78 degrees F for cooling in the summer and 68 degrees F for heating in the winter.
  • Install electronic time clocks or setback-programmable thermostats to maximize efficiency.
  • Install locking covers on your thermostats to prevent employee tampering with temperature settings.
  • Regularly clean condenser coils, replace air filters, and check ducts and pipe insulation for damage.
  • Consider installing an air conditioning economizer to bring in outside air when cool outside.
  • Consider replacing old HVAC systems with new energy-efficient systems.
  • Install ceiling fans.
  • Install blinds or solar screen shades. Use reflective window film or awnings on all south-facing windows.
  • Install ceiling and wall insulation.
  • Insulate water heaters and supply pipes.
  • Keep refrigerators full (water jugs make good fillers).
  • Lower your water heater temperature to 120 to 140 degrees.
  • Only run dishwashers with full loads and in energy-saver mode.
  • Use dimmer switches or timers on incandescent lights.
  • Use a microwave only for reheating and cooking small items.

Water

  • Run cold water washes and wash with full loads.
  • Replace your 4.0 gallons per minute showerhead with a 2.2 gallon per minute low-flow showerhead.
  • Substitute your bathroom and kitchen sink 3.0 gpm aerators with 1.0 and 1.5 gpm aerators, respectively.
  • Replace your 3.5 gallon per flush toilet with an Ultra-Low-Flush 1.6 gallon per flush toilet.
  • Horizontal-axis clothes washers use a third less water than conventional vertical-axis clothes washers.  This not only saves you water, but also the energy to heat some of that water when you use hot water.
  • Insulate your hot water piping and storage tank (especially if your tank is old and has little built-in insulation).  Savings up to 9 percent have been reported by adding an insulated blanket over the tank, and three percent of the energy used to heat water can be saved by insulating the first 25 feet of distribution pipe.
  • If your hot water heater is set at 140 degrees F, set it back to 120 degrees F-- unless you have an old dishwasher that does not have an internal heating element that can raise the temperature to 140 degrees F (the temperature needed for detergents to clean effectively).
  • Install a solar water heater (especially if you have an electric water heater and pay high electricity prices).
  • Install low-flow aerators on kitchen and bathroom sink faucets to save water (and the energy used to produce hot water).  They will cut water usage by as much as 280 gallons a month for a typical family of four.
  • Fill a basin when you wash the dishes by hand instead of letting the water run.  You could save up to 25 gallons of water each time you wash dishes.
  • Don't leave the water running when brushing your teeth.  You could save as much as 9 gallons each time you brush.
     

Natural Gas

  • If every gas-heated home was properly caulked and weather stripped, we'd save enough natural gas each year to heat about 4 million homes.

 

Transportation

  • Use public transportation whenever possible.  One person commuting to work by mass transit instead of driving can save 200 gallons of gasoline in a year.
  • Share your ride.  Join a carpool or a vanpool.  About one-third of all private automobile mileage is for commuting to work.  If occupancy increased by just one person per car, more than 40 million gallons of gasoline would be saved each day.
  • Don't speed.  For every mile-per-hour over 55 mph, the average car or truck loses almost two percent in gas mileage.
     
  • When driving on the highway, use your cruise control to maintain a steady speed.
  • Keep your car or truck well-tuned.  A well-tuned car uses up to 9 percent less fuel than a poorly tuned car and releases less pollution.
    Keep the tires of your car or truck properly inflated.  Under-inflation shortens the life of a tire and decreases gas mileage.  For every pound per square inch (psi) below the proper level, there is an average increase in fuel consumption of 0.4 percent.