KEAF Energy Conservation Tips
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People are becoming more conscious than ever about energy costs. Any energy saving project should consider comfort, economic and environmental benefits. The up-front dollar costs of energy conservation vary significantly and the pay-back time is a major consideration for most people. For people who rent, the landlord is usually responsible for the heating system, appliances and the general condition of the building. However, there are easy, inexpensive or no expense energy saving measures. These measures are usable everyday, they will lower bills, give more comfort and have significant environmental benefits for all of us - we simply have to make them part of our everyday habits.
COOKING
Use the electric kettle, microwave, slow cooker, toaster oven or convection oven rather than the stove and oven whenever possible.
If you use your stove, use the broiler if you can - it uses less energy, and preheating is not required.
Pans that fit a burner absorb more of the energy and reduce the amount of heat that is lost, so use pots and pans that fit the burners.
A clean oven uses energy more efficiently.
Don't preheat the oven if the food requires more than one hour of cooking time.
Turn off the stove-top element or oven a few minutes before your meal has finished cooking to take advantage of the heat maintained in the appliance - otherwise the heat is wasted.
Don't boil more water than you need in your kettle - it's easy to add an approximately measured amount when making coffee and tea for example.
LIGHTING
Replace the common incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs in high-use areas of your home. Fluorescent bulbs cost more but last six times as long and use less than a quarter of the energy of incandescent light bulbs.
Turn out lights that aren't being used in the rest of the house. Use targeted lighting, rather than lighting up the entire room, i.e., light only the space you are in.
It is not true that it takes more energy to turn a light on than to leave it on, so turn lights off every time you leave a room.
Replace outside lights with motion-sensor lights and use solar powered lights for other outdoor lighting. LED Christmas lights use much less energy than conventional Christmas lights.
HEATING
Set your thermostat back. For every degree you lower your thermostat, you save 2 - 3% on your energy bill. For each 4 degrees C (7 degrees F) you turn back the thermostat each night, you save up to 10% in energy costs. During the day, open all the curtains and blinds on south facing windows, and at night close all the curtains and blinds in the house. This allows you to take maximum advantage of the sun's heat and light.
Turn down the heat when leaving the house.
Open your windows to air out your house occasionally, otherwise moist, humid air is trapped within which takes more energy to heat than cool, fresh air.
Close doors and heating vents in rooms that don't need to be heated and install insulation pads behind all electrical outlet plates to prevent air leakage.
If you have a wood burning fireplace, when the fireplace is not in use, close the damper tightly as a lot of heat is lost up the chimney.
Replace missing or worn caulk around outside windows and doors to help stop cold drafts and heat loss.
COOLING
In summer, raise the temperature on your air conditioner to 25 or 26 degrees. Every degree below 25 will add 3 - 5% to your energy bill.
Try to put your window air conditioner in a window that faces north or is shaded. If you keep the air conditioner out of direct sunlight its efficiency will improve; an air conditioner that is exposed to direct sunlight will consume 5% more energy than one that is shaded.
Do not switch your air conditioning thermostat to a colder setting than you need when you turn your air conditioner on. It will not cool the area any faster.
Turn down the air conditioner when leaving the house - and at night.
In winter, window air conditioners let in cold air and so are best removed or second best, well insulated
If you don't have an air conditioner, in the evening, overnight and early morning, open windows will allow cooler air to enter. To get even more cool air into your home use fans, - a fan is far cheaper to operate than an air conditioner. During the day, to keep heat out of your home and to keep the cool air in, keep curtains closed and window shades or blinds down and closed. If you keep the windows closed during the day, it will help stop hot air from blowing into your apartment.
WATER AND WASHING
Turn the hot water heater down to 49°C (about 120°F) and buy an insulating cover for the tank.
To decrease your water use by 30 to 40%, install a low-flow showerhead in your shower.
Take showers rather than baths and turn the tap off while you brush your teeth.
Mend leaking taps. One drip could waste up to 50 gallons of water a week and if it's a hot water tap, it's wasting even more energy.
When washing dishes in the sink, place the washed dishes in a sink or bowl of cold water to rinse off suds rather than running water the whole time.
If you use a dishwasher, only wash when it is full. Set it to "air dry" or stop the dishwasher before the drying cycle, open the door and let the dishes air dry.
Use the warm or cold settings to wash clothes and use cold water in the rinse cycle rather than warm or hot. Try to do full loads of laundry if it's not possible adjust the water-fill level to the size of your load. Water heating can account for 20% of a home's energy bill, and 20% of that energy is used for laundry.
Don't dry clothes completely in the dryer, just hang them up to dry when slightly damp instead and remember to clean the lint from the dryer's filter after every load to maintain efficiency.
Water your lawn only when it needs it. An hour of sprinkling uses 1300L (300 gallons) of water and since no more than 2.5 cm (1 inch) can be absorbed, watering for longer is no benefit to your lawn. By changing from 3 hours of watering to 1 hour of watering, 2600L (600 gallons) of water can be saved.
