Energy Saving Tips

Tips To Help You Save On Energy

EverBright Energy may be able to offer you choice which could save you money on your energy bill, but these money saving tips will have you saving even more every month.  Try these simple tips in different areas of your home and see how it affects your next month’s bill.

To start saving money and energy, pick a room below.

• Lower your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. For a family of four, this could reduce energy use by 15%, saving approximately $37 per year.


• Replace air filters in your furnace every three to six months. Clogged filters make the furnace work harder, which could wear it down faster.

• Take a shower.  An average bath uses 15-25 gallons of hot water while a five-minute shower uses less than 10 gallons.


• Replace your existing shower head with an energy efficient showerhead.  You’ll get the same amount of water pressure, but save 25-60% in water.


• Have a leaky faucet or toilet?  Get it repaired as soon as possible.  That small leak can add up to thousands of gallons of water wasted every year!

• Have leaks around your exterior doors?  Update to energy efficient doors, and make sure it’s installed properly so that all leaks are sealed.  Not ready to update doors?  Seal leaks with caulk and use weather stripping to keep a tight seal between the door and the frame.
• Install a door sweep at the bottom of the door to make sure that any gap that may exist between the threshold and the bottom of the door are sealed tight.


• Have a door with glass?  Make sure that the glass is double-pained or energy efficient.

• Use electrical control strips for the entertainment centers and computer areas to control energy use.  Even when the television or computer is turned off, it still draws small amounts of electricity.  By using an electrical control strip, or surge protector, you are able to turn all of the power off to electronics when they aren’t in use.


• Update all of your light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).  They may cost a bit more in the beginning, but can save you up to 25% off your yearly electric bill.


• Turn off lights when you don’t need them.  In utility rooms or laundry rooms, try using a sensor light.  This keeps your hands free and turns the light on and off automatically for you.

• Turn off the fan on the range hood as soon as you are done using it.  This fan can drain your house of heated or cooled air in just one hour.


• Try using your microwave instead of the stove.  The stove can heat up your house in the summer time, and uses 50% more energy than a microwave does.


• Cook foods in glass or ceramic pans. You can set your oven 25 degrees cooler and your food will cook at the same rate.


• Don't open your oven door to check your food. The oven can lose 25 percent of its heat every time you open the door.


• Defrost your freezer. Frost build-up makes the freezer work harder to keep your food frozen.


• Opt for doing dishes in the dishwasher.  Not only is it easier on you, but you save 35-40% less water.


• Have outdated appliances?  You could be saving hundreds per year just by updating to energy star rated appliances; all while taking advantage of the tax rebates that many of these appliances offer.

• Wash your clothes with cold water whenever possible, and only do full loads.


• Clean the lint trap between loads to keep your dryer from overworking.


• Check your dryer vent for holes.  Holes in the vent ducting are a great spot for indoor air to escape; likewise, if the vent is left without any covering at all, house air will escape out this hole as well.

• Leafy trees shade best on the south and west sides.


• Deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the winter keep you cool in the summer from shade and warm the house in the winter by letting in sun.


• Plant evergreen trees to serve as wind breakers.


• Try using a broom to clean off sidewalks and driveways instead of the water hose.

• If you're going on vacation and live in colder areas, set your thermostat to 55 degrees. This will lower your heating expense while keeping your pipes from freezing. If you're going on vacation and live in warmer areas, set your thermostat to 85 degrees.


• Invest in a programmable thermostat so that you can automatically set the temperature of your house.  Set the thermostat 8 degrees Fahrenheit cooler in the winter and 4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer in the summer while you’re at work.  An hour or two before you arrive back home, have the programmable thermostat begin to bring your home back to normal temperatures.  This can save you up to $180 per year.

• Replace old windows with energy star windows to help save 10-20% off your energy bill.  Not ready to replace windows?  Use caulk or weather stripping to seal any leaks that you find.


• Use insulated or blackout curtains to keep the cool air in, in the summer and the cool air out in the winter.