1.  Set the thermostat in your home at 68 degrees during the winter and 78 degrees during the summer. Heating and cooling your home makes up the majority of your total home energy costs. So the lower you can keep the thermostat in the winter and the higher you can keep it in the summer the better off you will be.

• Use ceiling fans instead of central air to cool the home.
• Use space heaters to heat the rooms you are in instead of central heat to warm the home.

 

2. Use cold water instead of hot water for household tasks. The energy used to heat the water in your home is another huge factor.

• Use cold water to wash the laundry and wash full loads of clothes to save both energy and water.
• Wash and dry dishes by hand or wash a full load of dishes when using the dishwasher and allow them to air dry.

 

3. Unplug items when you are not using them. Don’t just turn things off remove the plugs from the sockets. For instance, if your cell phone is fully charged, unplug the charger from the wall.

• If you are reluctant to unplug your home office equipment, use the “sleep” mode instead.
• Walk through each room of your home and search for things to unplug then sit back and watch your electricity savings pile up.

It only takes a few small steps to save big on energy!