10 Energy Saving Tips in Arizona

10 Energy Saving Tips in Arizona
1.    Use Energy Star appliances and Energy Star labeled products such as compact fluorescent light bulbs and showerheads. Energy Star is a joint EPA and US Dept. of Agency energy-labeling program that helps save money and the environment. According to Energy Star, families are able to save about one-third of their energy bill with similar savings of greenhouse gas emissions through Energy Star labeled efficiency.

2    Turn off your home electronics and appliances when they are not in use. Your computer, printer, TV’s, DVD players, cable or satellite boxes and gaming systems all use up several watts of power when they are in standby mode. Plug multiple electrical items into a power strip (including phone chargers and charging stations), and then turn off all the equipment at once by turning off the power strips.

3.    When washing clothes, wash only full loads, use the quickest wash setting and wash in cold water whenever possible. If you use a dryer, take out and hang clothes before the load is completely dry. If your dryer has a drying sensor, use it, don’t over-dry or bake your clothes. Clean the lint filter after every load and check your vent often to make sure it is not blocked.

4.    Hand washing dishes and letting them dry on a rack is the most efficient way to wash dishes, but if you do use a dishwasher, you can use the shortest cycle, and, if possible, stop the washing cycle before it begins to dry, open the door, and let the dishes dry naturally.

5.    Turn off fans in any room that are not in use. Though fans are extremely efficient and cost just a few cents per hour to operate, they only move the air around, they don’t actually cool the air. Fans give a wind chill effect that cools people, not rooms, so having them on in a room where no one is spending time, is simply wasted energy.

6.    Use your microwave oven instead of a conventional oven. The appliance itself uses far less energy, plus it will save energy on cooling costs of the kitchen you heat up when the oven is in use.

7.    Turn the thermostat on your water heater down to 120 degrees. Most water heaters come from the factory at a higher setting. By lowering the temperature to 120 degrees, your water will be hot enough for comfortable use and save energy.

8.    Caulk, seal and weather-strip your home from air leaks especially around window, doors, floors, walls, ceilings, the foundation, plumbing, vents and air ducts. This prevents cold air from escaping in the summer months and cold air from entering in the winter months. Also, be sure to close fireplace flues as cool air can escape from the chimney during the hot summers.

9.    Set your air conditioning at 78 degrees or higher and your heating at 68 degrees or lower and make sure that your heating and cooling systems are maintained. Remember to clean or replace your air filters regularly.

10.    Plant trees and bushes to use as shade for your air conditioning unit and home. The temperature under a shade tree or bush is about 5 degrees less than the sun, so by keeping the a/c unit and your home shaded, the a/c unit doesn’t have to work as hard to keep the temperature down.

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