Top Tips for Energy Saving
An article on the Save Energy website (About.com) provides some excellent tips on how to save energy at home. It needn’t take days of planning; there are many things that you can do to save energy right now and cut down on costs at the same time.
1. Reset your thermostat
Install a programmable thermostat compatible with your heating and cooling system. Make sure that it’s set comfortably low in winter and comfortably high in summer.
2. Lower your geyser temperature
The thermostat on your geyser should be set to around 49°C. This is equivalent to 120°F.
3. How to wash clothes or dishes
When you are using a washing machine or dishwasher, try to ensure that there is always a full load before you use it.
4. Use power strips
It helps to plug your electronic equipment into power strips. When you turn off the equipment, the power strip prevents standby mode from drawing unnecessary electricity.
5. Turn off computers and monitors
When you aren’t using your computer, ensure that both the computer and the monitor are switched off. Contrary to popular belief, this will not result in damage to your equipment. If you plan on using the computer but at different intervals then it helps to set the power save options.
6. How to dry dishes
Instead of using the heated drying cycle in your dishwasher, it’s best to air dry your dishes.
7. Use the cold water wash
Washing your clothes in cold water not only saves on energy, it is also better for your clothing.
8. Use CFLs
Compact Fluorescent Lights may be a little more expensive than regular bulbs, but they save on energy and last a lot longer. In the long run, they’re definitely worth investing in.
9. Shower
Taking a shower instead of a bath saves on the amount of water used and the electricity used for heating is significantly less.
The information included in this article is courtesy of About.com (“Top 10 Tips for Saving Energy Right Now”, accessed 7 April 2008).
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