Here are some easy things YOU can do to SAVE THE EARTH!
QUICK FACTS:
-A fluorescent lightbulb uses 75% less energy than regular lightbulbs and can last up to five years.
-Every year, about $13 billion worth of energy is wasted a year; that's about $150 a family.
-Every year, the collective energy of all refrigerators used in the United States is comparable to the output of 25 large power plants.
-An open fireplace damper can let up to eight percent of heat from your furnace go up the chimney.
WHAT CAN YOU DO IN YOUR HOME:
LIGHTING
-Change all your incandescent light bulbs to LED or fluorescent light bulbs! They are more expensive initially but they last many years longer and give the same amount of light with less energy, AND you save money in the long run.
-Turn off lights when you leave a room.
ELECTRONICS
-Try to work on laptops. While laptops use only 15-20 watts per use, desktops use 150 watts per average use.
-Unplug chargers and cords from the wall when done charging an electronic device. Even when there is nothing plugged in to the charger, the plug still is draining energy.
-Buy a power strip. It allows you to leave all your plugs plugged in without wasting energy.
-Turn off your desktop computer at night. Leaving it on overnight wastes a ton of energy.
-Do away with your screen saver. Running a screensaver uses more energy than not using one.
APPLIANCES
-Try to use the same size pans as the burner they are on. A six inch pan on an eight inch burner will waste about 40% of the stoves energy (for those of you with electric stoves).
-Pull the plug on that second fridge located in the hot garage or utility room. Duke Energy Progress will pick it up and pay $50 to recycle it.
-Air dry your dishes. The dishwasher uses more energy to dry dishes than to wash them
-Organize your fridge. When your fridge is too full the air cannot circulate as well, and therefore uses more energy
-Use a small pan or toaster oven rather than a full sized oven to warm up food. They use a third to one half the energy that a full sized oven uses. A moicrowave oven uses even less energy than a toaster oven.
WASHING/WATER
-Wash your dishes by hand.
-If you don't want to wash by hand, try washing your clothes with cold water. It saves energy and about 40 cents a load.
-Reduce your water heater's maximum temperature from 140 to 120 degrees. It saves energy while keeping water hot enough for washing and showers.
HEATING
-Build a fire rather than turning up the heat. Or, if your house has a wood stove, use the wood stove instead of the heating system. It will use no electricity while still keeping your house warm!
-On hot days, rather than turning on the AC, get a fan for where you are and cool off that way. It will make you cooler, both because you will cool off and you will save energy.
-Instead of turning up the heat in the winter, wear a sweater or put on more layers.
-Clean filters for central air and window wall units monthly. When dust and dirt clog the filter which hinders the airflow.
-Program the thermostat in your house. When you are gone for the workday, the thermostat does not need to be on. This could cut the cost of your energy bill by $180 dollars a year.
-Invest in better insulation. By sealing the leaks in your house, you can keep the heat in better in the winter, and the heat out better in the summer, making it easier on your heating/cooling system to do its job, using less electricity overall.
-Close the blinds during the day in the summer can help keep heat from the sun out, which makes it so your air conditioner does not have to work as hard. Similarly, having the blinds closed in the winter can help with insulation, keeping some of the draft from older windows out and keeping the heat in.