I need tips on saving energy in the house?

Answer 1

Switch to more energy efficient bulbs.(energy star) i heard changing out just half the bulbs in your home can make a dramatic difference. If you have a washer and dryer- use them less, consider air drying more clothes if possible.Use a warm (instead of hot) and cold (instead of warm) setting. Another thing is- unplug anything you are not using regularly. Switch to battery operated clocks instead of the plug-in kind. Make sure everything is off in the house when noone is home and turn the thermostat up/down 1 or 2 degrees and make sure the vent closest to the thermostat is closed. I have also heard refrigerators run more efficiently when full. use an empty storage container if you cant fill it. Another thing is get thicker curtains if you dont want to purchase better windows, keeping out sunlight will keep the house cooler in the summer.

Answer 2

I could go on and on about the multitude of ways to save energy in the house, as could many of your responders, but one I found out a few years back really surprised me, so I'll pass it on. If you use airconditioning in the summer, don't vary your temperature settings on your window unit or central system very much in the daytime and night time. I used to set my nighttime temperature to say, 78 degrees, and then as the day got warmer, I'd set it lower and lower to compensate for the hotter afternoons here in Texas. One day I spoke to a man who worked for an airconditioning company and he said that in doing that, I was making the airconditioning work much harder to cool the house down in the daytime, and thereby raising my electric bill, because the airconditioner had to re-cool the building material made to build the house as well as the air inside the house that you reside in. He said to only change the temperature maybe a degree if you want as the night temperatures come on and you get in a restful, and sometimes cooler state, but no more than that since the house itself gets warmer, and to re-cool the house itself, which is necessary to give you the temperature you want, takes a whole lot more energy than just to keep the house at the same or very close temperature so that the airconditioner won't have to work so hard. It was hard to believe, but the electric bills the succeeding months proved him out. Maybe you hadn't known that, and maybe I helped you a bit. God Bless you.

Answer 3

There are so many ideas. Here we have a program where you call your local electric company and they will come out and tell you what you can do to save $. It's only a phone call but be persistent, just cos one dept. doesn't know about it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Marketing would know for sure.

Answer 4

unplug items you do not use daily..
insulate
put plastic window covers on ( keeps out cold..heatfrom sun)

use energy efficant appliances