Easy Ways To Save Some Energy, And Dollars, While You Increase Your Own Comfort

There are many ways to save energy, some simple and inexpensive, and others rather costly. If you are willing to spend a few dollars and do a bit of the labor involved, your life will be more comfortable, you will be living a bit greener, and you could be saving yourself a few dollars. Consider the following options.

Clean the cooling coils and the door seals of your refrigerator regularly. If you also add sheets of rigid insulation to the top and sides of the unit, you could significantly increase the efficiency of your refrigerator.

Wrap your hot water tank tightly with insulation as well as the hot water lines and you will preserve the heat of the water longer, and save yourself some cash.

Turn off your computer when it is not in use. Do the same with other devices such as the television and radio, when they are used purely as background noise. You will save those dollars and enjoy the units more when you actually sit down to listen and watch. Make a habit of turning off the lights when you exit a room. Switch to LED lighting throughout your home.

Use heavy, preferably insulated, drapes or insulated blinds to keep out the hot summer sun, and hold in the home's warmth during winter nights. You can also use plastic window sheets during the winter to keep out the cold. Attention to your windows makes a significant difference to your energy consumption, as windows are the primary source of heat loss in winter cold and heat gain in summer sun.

Keep the heat from your home from moving down and being lost to basements and crawl spaces. Cheaply carpet your basement and insulate the ceiling of your crawl space.

Seal all leaks around baseboards, windows, doors, and those gaps where power and water lines enter. If your fireplace is not in use, make sure it is sealed to keep heat from escaping. Weatherstrip your doors.

Wash your clothes in cold water. Do not overload your dryer. Omit the pre-rinse cycle when you wash dishes. These measures will save heat, water, and dollars. Your clothes will also last longer.

Seal and insulate any cracks in your ducts, as these can be a cause of significant heat loss.

Clean your furnace filter regularly and replace when necessary.

Turn your heat down two degrees in winter, and, if you use air conditioning in the summer, turn that up two degrees. You will not notice the difference, except in your pocketbook.

Replace your old appliances with energy efficient ones. Do this as soon as you are financially able. This will save significant energy.

Consult your hydro provider for more ideas on how you can save energy and cash.