130 Easy Ways to Save Energy

This section gives you many simple ways to save energy. Even though the ideas are posed for individuals at home, on a small scale; large buildings can do all these same things using engineered systems and electronic controls.

1. Electric lighting adds heat to a space that must be removed in the summer by air conditioning. Turn lights off when not in use.

2. Close the fireplace damper tight when the heating season is over.

3. Wash full loads when using the washing machine or clothes dryer.

4. A 40 watt incandescent lamp and a 40 fluorescent bulb use the same amount of electricity, but the fluorescent lamp creates five times as much light.

5. Use the economizer cycle on the dishwasher and let the dishes drip dry instead of using electric heat to dry them.

6. Don’t block the supply air or return air ducts to the air conditioning system with furniture or drapes.

7. Keep doors open in all rooms cooled by a central air conditioning system so that supply air can return easily to the unit.

8. Be sure the air conditioning system is fully charged with freon so it will operate most efficiently when you need it.

9. Check your auto and home air conditioning systems for freon leaks and repair them properly. Freon damages the ozone layer.

10. When the weather is nice outside leave the AC off and open the windows.

11. Duct air to ice machine condenser instead of using conditioned air that is exhausted to the outside. That way the heat generated by the condenser never enters the air conditioned space.

12. Shop around for energy efficient computers, monitors and accessories.

13. Use the kitchen exhaust fan when cooking to vent humid and odorous air.

14. Be sure to open the windows now and again to air out the house or business. Fresh air is vital to human activity.

15. Collect rain water in a cistern for watering plants, garden and landscaping.

16. Plants help to purify air in the home. They extract carbon dioxide and create oxygen.

17. Inadequate ventilation in an office or home can result in the “sick building” syndrome and possible illness to people within. Problems can range from dizziness or headaches to allergies or worse.

18. Turn all the lights and equipment off in the office when you go home for the night.

19. Use electric instead of gas powered lawn and garden equipment, as they create less pollution and are usually more efficient.

20. Solar screens on south and west facing windows will reduce the cooling load of a building in the heat of the summer.

21. Plant shrubs and trees around the air conditioning condenser to improve its operating efficiency. The shade makes it work less to cool the refrigerant circulating from the inside air handler.

22. Clean out bird nests and debris from attic louvers so that air can flow freely through the attic space. Your home will be cooler.

23. Teach your employees the intrinsic value of energy and the importance of conserving non-renewable resources such as coal or oil.

24. Plant grass or ground cover on exposed land to prevent loss of topsoil from erosion. Landscaping also reduces the amount of reflected heat reaching the building shell.

25. Organize a recycling program at your office or school and show everyone the savings possible.

26. Teach your employees respect for nature, it will be a lifelong joy and benefit to them.

27. Ride a bicycle or walk to work when the weather is temperate.

28. Turn the water heater setting down a few degrees and reduce the amount of electricity you use. A typical home uses 30% or more of the electric bill on hot water.

29. Install an insulating blanket on the water heater so that it will operate more efficiently and cost you less each month.

30. Using less hot water around the house saves energy too. Launder clothes in cold or warm water, take a shower instead of a bath or install a flow restrictor on the kitchen or utility room sink.

31. Install a timer on the hot water heater and turn it on only for a couple of hours each day when all the domestic chores are done.

32. Drying clothes on a line instead of in a dryer uses less energy and is easier on the fabric too.

33. The coils at the back of the refrigerator are heat exchange surfaces. Keep them clean and the unit will operate at peak efficiency.

34. Standing with the refrigerator door open lets humid air in. This makes it harder to cool and it will condense in the freezer into ice.

35. Manual defrost refrigerators use less energy than automatic defrost models.

36. Extinguish the gas furnace pilot light at the end of the heating season so you do not continue to burn gas unnecessarily.

37. Clean air conditioning ducts in older homes and businesses to increase the efficiency of the air conditioning system and save on the bills.

38. A high efficiency air filter used on the air conditioning can help against airborne particles that cause allergies.

39. Exhaust all the hot humid air from the restroom after bathing, as the humid air puts a heavy burden on the air conditioning system.

40. Put a brick or bottle full of water in the commode reservoir to reduce water use.

41. Plant natural grasses and shrubs that are native to your area and that do not require a lot of extra water in the summer.

42. Defrost the freezer regularly to keep ice from building up on the coils and making the unit operate less efficiently.

43. Wear lighter clothing in warm weather and raise the AC thermostat.

44. Modify the office dress code so people can dress more casually and be comfortable with the thermostat set a few degrees higher.

45. Heat your pool the smart way – purchase a solar blanket and let the sun do it.

46. Put lower wattage bulbs in fixtures that are used for area lighting or exterior lighting.

47. Use an inexpensive photoelectric light for nighttime lighting in the yard or home so the lights burn only when it is dark outside.

48. Motion sensors will turn on outside security lighting only when movement is detected within its range and keep from running the lights all the time.

49. Solar film installed on the south and west windows will keep the house cooler in the summer.

50. Replace inefficient incandescent outside flood lights with more efficient high pressure sodium or low pressure sodium lamps. The latter are better in areas with bug problems.

51. Use ceiling fans in classrooms and offices to circulate the air in the summer and to move warm air down from the ceiling in the winter.

52. Clean the lens of fluorescent fixtures periodically so the light transmittance losses are minimized.

53. Purchase efficient replacement lamps when the present bulbs burn out.

54. Remove concealment and bushes that are so near AC condensing units that they restrict the flow of air.

55. Repair holes and broken seams in ductwork to be sure all the conditioned air arrives at the occupied spaces and is not lost in the attic or ceiling space.

56. Install extra insulation in the attic to reduce your bills year round.

57. Replace incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps for up to 80% reduction in electricity use.

58. Repair caulking and weather-stripping around doors and windows to weatherize your home to be easier to heat and cool.

59. Open blinds and curtains in the winter to let the sun heat up a space in the winter, then close them at night or when it is cloudy outside.

60. Changing air filters for the air conditioning monthly during times of high use will keep the equipment working at peak efficiency.

61. Do not use gas heaters unless adequate fresh air is available, or the unit will use up the oxygen in the space and cause a carbon dioxide buildup. This may cause headaches, dizziness or worse problems.

62. Do not use the kitchen stove to heat rooms.

63. Keep the lawn grass a little longer in real hot weather – it will use less water and be healthier.

64. Turn the screen off on the computer terminal at work when you will not be using it for a while.

65. Leave lawn clippings after mowing to fertilize the grass, or collect the clippings and use them for much.

66. Save old binders and computer paper from the office for schools in the neighborhood.

67. Remove old items from the refrigerator regularly so you don’t waste electricity keeping them cold all the time.

68. Re-use waste basket liners around the office.

69. Bring old documents and papers to a printer and recycle them into scratch pads for use around the office.

70. Use the water from cooking vegetables to make soup.

71. Discover the extent of the watershed supplying the aquifer or watertable in your area and practice clean water use within its bounds.

72. Walk the golf course instead of driving a golf cart.

73. Sweep and rake by hand instead of using a power blower.

74. Buy certified organic produce and frequent farmer’s markets.

75. Double pane the windows or purchase storm windows.

76. Purchase home and automobile air conditioning equipment that uses freon with a low ozone depletion potential.

77. Install a motion sensor to turn off lights in offices and spaces with erratic occupancies such as restrooms and mechanical rooms.

78. Use a combination photocell-switch to turn off lighting in offices or rooms with daylighting available much of the day.

79. Drive the speed limit and save diesel or gasoline.

80. When purchasing replacement appliances buy the energy efficient types.

81. Turn off lights, radios, televisions and other items when they are not being used.

82. Plant evergreen trees to break the strong winter winds before they reach your home or office building.

83. Install a replacement roof on your home that is light in color if the summers are extreme. Your air conditioning will work less to keep your home cool.

84. Radiant barriers in the attic space prevent much thermal energy from entering the occupied space and burdening the air conditioning.

85. Clean out the drain pan of the air conditioning unit regularly to prevent bacterial growth from spawning there, then entering the air.

86. Common office equipment can be responsible for the release of volatile organic compounds, such as blueprint machines, copiers and black out fluids.

87. If air is moving well, such as from a ceiling fan, it can be a little warmer and still give the sensation of being comfortably cool.

88. Many ceiling fans can be operated in reverse in the winter to push warm air down from the ceiling to the occupied spaces.

88. Store cleaning materials in tightly closed containers so fumes cannot leak into the air.

89. The presence of respirable particles can affect the health and productivity of building occupants.

90. Too much light on the desk surface can be just as harmful to the eyes as too little. Most offices are overlit, especially if the overhead lighting is supplemented by daylighting from windows.

91. A typical air conditioning system should supply 20% fresh air to all the conditioned zones.

92. Clean the air conditioning return and supply diffuser grills regularly to save fan horsepower and keep the air stream cleaner.

93. Air conditioning ductwork can be the source of microbial growth over time, especially in a damp environment. Metal ducts can be cleaned.

94. Smoking areas require a greater ventilation rate than other conditioned spaces, thus are more costly to heat and air condition.

95. Keep circulating air out of a building for a few hours once a week after hours to circulate all the carbon dioxide built up.

96. Turn on the heat or air conditioning an hour or two before leaving and the office will continue to be comfortable until the close of business.

97. Abundant shade, greenery and grass around a home keep the building cooler and easier to cool.

98. Tune up the car engine regularly to maintain the gas mileage at its highest possible level.

100. Tilt blinds slightly to keep direct sunlight from entering a room and heating it up unnecessarily in the summer.

101. Clean the attic louvers of nests, debris or other items that can block the flow of air and cause the attic to heat up.

102. Many heating and air conditioning ducts in the attic or ceiling space of older homes are not insulated. Proper insulation will save a lot of energy and cause the system to operate more efficiently.

103. Homes and businesses can lower the temperature of domestic hot water in the summer months and still provide adequate comfort and service.

104. A programmable thermostat at home can turn the central unit up a few degrees after you go to sleep in the summer and during the day, for 105. A gas powered furnace or hot water heater located in the home must have adequate ventilation so the equipment has enough combustion air to perform at peak efficiency.

106. Insulating hot water lines in the slab or crawl space will save on the water heating bills. Heat tape will further increase savings.

107. Fax machines use only a seventh to half the energy needed to send a document by overnight delivery services.

108. Active noise cancellation technology can reduce the energy consumed by large diesel engines by reducing the energy wasted in the muffler.

109. A good electric heat pump can beat the resources-to-be-delivered efficiency of a gas furnace.

110. Water outdoor shrubs before a hard freeze to protect them.

111. Take shorter showers to save water and install a flow restrictor on the shower head. Shower instead of taking a full bath.

112. An efficient air conditioning system for dry climates is the substantial savings. An evaporative precooler is a good idea for existing units as well and will make the packaged system more efficient.

113. When buying a refrigerator, choose an energy efficient model. Side by side models are less efficient that other units.

114. Automatic defrost refrigerators use more energy than manual defrost models.

115. Use the lowest octane gas your car can tolerate without knocking.

116. Roof and trunk racks on cars or trucks upset the body’s aerodynamics and reduce gas mileage.

117. Clean out heavy items such as tools from the trunk of your car. They are extra weight the car must move and so they reduce gas mileage.

118. Irrigating efficiently saves water and for large acreages it saves pump energy as well.

119. Protection of wooden structures exposed to the elements will make them last longer and look more appealing.

120. Quality filter elements can help minimize airborne particles in the home that cause allergies. Electrostatic filters are quite effective.

121. Excessive moisture in the air is bad for buildings during the cooling season. The humid air places an extra heavy burden on the air conditioning apparatus and can cause moldy curtains, walls and other surfaces.

122. Protect structural wood components from decay by moisture, fungi and termites.

123. Check car fan belts regularly and change them when they become cracked, worn or oil soaked.

124. If the freezer is not full already fill plastic jugs with water and keep them in the freezer compartment.

125. Turn the water heater off when you are gone for a long weekend or on vacation for several days.

126. Install a water saving toilet when it is time to replace or remodel. Many cities offer rebates to encourage water conserving appliances.

127. In offices with overhead lights and task lighting at each workstation reduce the ambient lighting to the minimum.

128. Replace fluorescent lamps with more efficient models when they burn out.

129. Many utilities offer rebates for high efficiency lighting retrofits.

130. Turn HVAC systems off at night so fresh air can infiltrate naturally.

All these simple energy saving tips can also be done for large buildings using automated controls, to save lots and lots of energy for everybody.

Image credit: zabiamedve / 123RF Stock Photo