I love these ideas for saving energy, because they also save money AND work towards earth-friendly living.
- Keep your refrigerator full. A near-empty fridge works harder to keep food cold. Same for freezers.
- For an efficient fridge, clean the gaskets regularly and vacuum the condenser coils twice/year.
- Wrap your water heater if it’s in an unheated space.
- Use your microwave because cooking and reheating with it is faster and more efficient (up to 70% less energy use!) compared to using a full-size oven.
- Use a toaster oven for small jobs- it uses 1/3 to ½ less energy than a full-size oven.
- Turn off the oven 10 to 15 minutes before the cooking time is over. The food will continue to cook. Same for stove top.
- Make sure the booster heater on your dishwasher is turned on since it heats water at the source.
- Use the ‘no heat’ dry setting on your dishwasher (if yours has one). If you don’t, just turn the dishwasher off after the final rinse and let the dishes air dry with the door open.
- Use appliances during ‘off-peak’ hours whenever possible, 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Arrange furniture for maximum use of natural light.
- Dimming lights save energy.
- Switch to fluorescent bulbs.
- Turn off all lights when not in use. Install a motion sensor on lights where light is needed only when passing through.
- Install ceiling fans to save energy on cooling and heating your home.
- Set your thermostat at 20Celcius. Just wear a sweater.
- When the weather turns cold, you can: close shades and curtains to reduce heat loss when the sun goes down, open all the shades and curtains during the day, and close the doors and vents to rooms that are not being used.
- Turn down the heat at bedtime.
- Clean furnace filters make your furnace more efficient.
There are loads of great energy-saving tips, plus information on having an energy audit done for your home at www.egh.gca.ca and go to Homeowner Resources.
Tammy Dufault
Century 21 BJ Roth Realty Ltd.
