1. Every night before you go to bed, walk through the house and turn off electric appliances and equipment that you usually leave on overnight, even though you don’t use it. Examples: Unplug your cable box, your phone chargers if they’re not in use and your TVs.
2. Unplug your home computers before you go to work in the morning, leave the house for an extended time or turn in for the night. It doesn’t need to run when it’s not in use. A simple way to do this: Plug your computer, monitors, external hard drive and printer into a single, surgeprotected power strip, and just flip one switch.
3. Save all your ironing for once a week. Turn the iron to its hottest setting and iron denim and cotton first; then reduce the setting for linens and delicates.
4. Stop washing your dishes by hand. Your dishwasher uses less heated water than you do. Also stop prewashing. It’s not necessary, and Consumer Reports says it wastes up to 20 gallons of hot water every day.
5. Fill your refrigerator and freezer. Every time you open the appliance’s door, warm air gets in. If it’s filled up, the warm air can’t circulate. This means the device doesn’t have to work as hard to keep your food and liquids cold.
6. Wash clothes in cold water. This saves your water heater from working to heat up water for load after load of laundry.
7. Turn off the lights. It’s one of those rules you hear over and over again, and it’s just as true now as ever.
8. Adjust the thermostat one or two degrees warmer in the summer and cooler in the winter. Chances are that you won’t notice the single-degree temperature difference but will notice the financial savings on heating and cooling.
Posted: 2/12/2024 12:46:33 PM
Author: