Energy Saving Tips

Optimizing air conditioner use is the best place to start when it comes to being energy efficient—and saving money—in summer. Here are some easy ways to get the most from your AC:

• Make sure your air conditioner is running in tip-top condition. Have it serviced before summer starts. If your unit is old and inefficient, consider replacing it with an ENERGY STAR®-rated air conditioner.
• Clean your AC’s air filter and any air vents.
• Ensure that vents are not blocked by furniture to keep cool air circulating throughout your home.
• Use large, heat-producing appliances like your dishwasher, washing machine and dryer at night to avoid running your AC overtime.
• Install a smart thermostat and let it learn your habits to make automatic energy-efficient adjustments.
• Set your ceiling fans to rotate counterclockwise to force cool air straight down.

Refrigerators can be major power consumers, but there are several ways to help keep costs down:

• Keep your refrigerator well-stocked. The fuller a fridge, the less energy it needs to expend to keep cool. The cold items inside the fridge continuously help maintain the cool temperature.
• Reconsider that second fridge or freezer. You may think it’s convenient or cost-efficient to keep a second one in your basement or garage, but it’s really using additional energy that is probably not necessary.
• Older refrigerators are much less efficient than newer energy-efficient models. If your current fridge is more than 20 years old, or otherwise on its last legs, consider upgrading to save energy— and money—in the long run.

When you leave electronics plugged in but don’t use them, they still use electricity. Known as phantom power, phantom load and vampire power, this standby power consumption typically accounts for 5% to 10% of a home’s electricity bill.

You can outsmart these vampires by:

• Unplugging electronics not used frequently. (For safety reasons, leave larger appliances plugged in.)
• Using a power strip to easily turn off and unplug multiple electronics at once.
• Choosing ENERGY STAR®-rated products, which have lower standby power consumption.
• Knowing which devices consume the most electricity when powered off but still plugged in. For example, video game consoles eat up five times more vampire power than DVD and Blu-Ray players.