Fresh Ways to Save Energy

Heating

• Use the bathroom fan as little as possible. A strong ceiling fan not only sucks out shower steam, but the heat in the bathroom and nearby rooms.
• Close heat vents in the summer and air conditioning vents in the winter. It's basic physics: cool air falls, warm air rises—often, right through open vents.

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Cooling

• Keep outdoor air-conditioning units out of the sun. Direct sunlight causes them to use 10 percent more electricity. Surround yours with tall shrubs, shade trees or high screens. Just don't enclose it so much that you impede air flow.
• Get a rolling air conditioner. These portable units can be moved from room to room and will vent through almost any window. Why cool rooms that people aren't in?

Refrigerators

• Pack your freezer tight. It's far more efficient to keep food frozen than to keep air at a freezing temperature. But keep your refrigerator packed loosely. There, you want air to circulate freely for maximum efficiency.

Shower

• Hold a gallon bucket under your showerhead and time how long it takes to fill. If it takes less than 20 seconds, switch to a more water-efficient showerhead.

Kitchen Appliances

• Buy an electric water kettle. Use it to boil water for stovetop uses like cooking pasta or adding to soup. Electric water kettles are far more efficient than boiling water on the stove.
• Never use a stove or oven to heat something; only to cook something. Use toaster ovens or microwaves to heat things through. Again, they're far more efficient.
• Turn off clocks on appliances. Do you really need the oven, the microwave and the coffeemaker to tell you you're late for work?

Clothes Dryers

• Sort clothes by fabric, not color. A dryer is programmed to keep going until the last item is dry, even if all the other clothing is warm and ready. By drying like fabrics, they all finish around the same time, greatly improving efficiency.
• Throw a dry towel in with the load. Some people swear that it speeds drying time.

Lighting

• Use lamps, not overhead lights, whenever possible. If you are reading alone in a room, a single lamp is all you need, rather than all those ceiling lights.
• Switch to solar lights outdoors. The new breed of solar-powered pathway lights are reliable, attractive and require no electrical wiring.