I t's the year 2001 and we find ourselves in an energy crisis. Simply put this means that there is not enough electricity and natural gas to meet with the current demand. In situations of this kind, the utility company's solution is to increase our rates, forcing us to feel the "crunch" and pay closer attention to conservation. This energy crisis is no different from the 1987-1992 drought. The only real difference is the resource- back in 1987 it was water, today it's natural gas and electricity. Although the resource has changed, the solution is the same. In order to conserve both energy and money, household energy consumption must be reduced in order to lower our monthly bill.Here some tips we'd like to share with you. So, gather the family together and say, "Yes, we can save energy !"
This list can go on and on. Even if you practice only a portion of all these items, you will still see a reduction in your household consumption reflected by the size of your utility bill. Remember" there always enough energy to use, but never enough to waste.
- Reduce bulb wattage wherever possible. Change hallway lights to 60 watts and all other non-reading lights to 75 watts. Keep reading lights at 100 watts. To reduce even more, consider changing some lights from incandescent to fluorescent.
- Turn off all landscape lights.
- Change patio lights to 60 watts. Ways to Save Household Energy
- Turn off lights and other electronics when leaving a room.
- Turn computers and other electronics off at night.
- Turn down your appliances (refrigerator, hot water heater) one notch. Turn your thermostat down, but not so low that you are uncomfortably cold.
- Check if your heater filter pads are dirty, and if so, replace them immediately.
- Put an insulated blanket over your hot water heater.
- Run your dish washer only when it is full.
- On clear days, consider line drying rather than running your dryer.
- Try to run washers and dryers only when they are full.
- Try to use cold water cycles for clothes whenever possible. In most cases a warm cycle is just as good as hot. Try avoiding the hot cycle entirely.
- Put towels or rugs under your front and back doors.
- "Shut down" rooms you don't use. Close the heating vents. Put a towel or rug under the door to prevent cold air from escaping.
- Turn your furnace down to 60 degrees when you leave the house.
- If you have a fireplace, use it.
- Insulate as much as possible, including attics and basements.
- Insulate hot water pipes.
- Make a checklist to check off energy saving tips as you use them.
- Talk with friends and neighbors' to get more energy saving ideas.
- Write to your local officials and ask them to do their share to save energy. Ask about the street lights in your neighborhood, are they energy efficient? Do community businesses leave lights on after business hours?
