Homeowner Education: Water and Energy Conservation Tips

Imagine slashing your utility bills by hundreds of dollars every year just by making a few simple changes to your daily habits. Small adjustments to save water and energy, like turning off lights when you leave a room or fixing a leaky faucet, can add up to significant savings over time. And cost savings aren’t the only benefit of conserving resources: Using less water and energy also helps to save the environment. By conserving resources, you’ll be contributing to global efforts to protect wildlife habitats, reduce pollution, and combat climate change. Best of all, even small adjustments to your lifestyle can go a long way, so you can make a significant difference without needing to make massive changes in your life.

Electronics and Appliances

Keep your fridge about ¾ full of food and/or beverages. A fuller fridge retains the cold better, maintaining a more stable temperature and reducing the amount of energy needed to keep everything cool.
Plug electronics like chargers, printers, game consoles, and computers into power strips and turn them off when they’re not in use. If you don’t have a power strip, unplug devices manually. Many appliances still consume energy even when they’re turned off, but taking these steps can stop that from happening.
After showering, let your hair air-dry before using a blow-dryer. This simple step saves electricity and reduces heat damage to your hair.

Air Flow

Don’t let your furniture sabotage your HVAC system. Blocking air vents with couches, tables, or other bulky items forces your heating and cooling systems to work harder. This not only wastes energy but also reduces the efficiency of airflow in your home.
Regularly cleaning or replacing furnace and air conditioner filters also helps air to flow better, saving energy while keeping the air in your home cleaner.
When winter comes, don’t forget to cover air conditioner vents, which helps to prevent cold drafts and keeps warm air inside where it belongs.

Lighting

Make it a habit to turn off the lights whenever you leave a room, or install motion sensors to do the job for you automatically.
Ditch those old incandescent bulbs. Switch to CFL or LED bulbs, which last up to 25 times longer and use only about a quarter of the electricity.
Use curtains and blinds strategically. Open them up to let sunlight flood in when you need warmth and brightness, and close them to keep rooms cooler and shaded.

Heating and Cooling

Adjusting your thermostat by even a single degree can make a noticeable difference in your energy bill. For maximum savings, turn down the heat or air conditioning at least 15 minutes before bedtime or before leaving the property.
A programmable thermostat can help you heat or cool your house only when necessary. Set it to automatically adjust the temperature based on your schedule: There’s no sense in using energy to keep your house at the perfect comfortable temperature if nobody is home.
If it’s not scorching hot, use a room fan instead of running the air conditioning. On hotter days, use both, but keep the air conditioner set no lower than 75°F for efficient cooling.

Cooking

Use lids on your cooking pots to trap steam and speed up cooking. Pair this with heavy pans or cast iron skillets, which retain heat better, ensuring even cooking without wasting energy.
Don’t turn on the oven when a smaller appliance can do the job. A microwave, crock pot, or toaster oven will consume far less energy than a full-size oven.

Water

Wash clothes in cold water. Not only does it help prevent your favorite outfits from shrinking or fading, but it also slashes energy use, since heating the water accounts for most of the energy used in a wash cycle.
Take short showers, aiming to be in and out in five minutes or less. Avoid taking baths, which use a lot more water.
Don’t let the tap run while you’re shaving or brushing your teeth; instead, rinse razors and toothbrushes with quick bursts of water.
When you hand-wash dishes, fill the sink partway with water and use that for your washing, rather than letting the water run while you scrub. Use your faucet’s spray attachment for rinsing.

Waste and Recycling

Hang a chart near your recycle bin that shows what can and can’t be recycled. Check your local recycling program’s website for a ready-made chart or create your own.
To avoid foul odors in your recycling bin, clean your recyclables thoroughly before tossing them in. If accidents happen, wash out the bin with soap and water.
Support the circular economy by buying products made from recycled materials. From eco-friendly trash bags to clothing made from post-consumer waste, these items are high-quality and help reduce landfill waste.