Following a few simple tips can help you manage your energy effectively in your home or business.  Remember, as a member of the Coop, effectively managing your energy usage will have a direct impact on your energy costs.

Heating & Cooling

• Choose ENERGY STAR heating and cooling systems!
• Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer. The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.
  • Every degree above 78 that you set your thermostat in summer will save up to 3% on cooling costs.
• Avoid setting your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and, therefore, unnecessary expense.
• Consider using an interior fan in conjunction with your air conditioner to spread the cooled air more effectively through your home without greatly increasing your power use.
  • In winter, set ceiling fan to turn clockwise to send warm air downward and in the summer, set it to turn counter-clockwise to circulate cool air.
• If your air conditioner is old, consider purchasing a new, energy-efficient model. You could save up to 50% on your utility bill for cooling. Look for the ENERGY STAR and EnergyGuide labels.
• Caulk, weather-strip and insulate any areas such windows and doors where air leaks can occur. 

Water Heater

• Purchase an energy efficient water heater.
• Energy efficient electric or gas, gas tankless, gas condensing, solar and heat pump water heaters all use less energy than standard water heaters.
• Insulate your water heater and hot water pipes; heat lost from your tank is wasted energy!
• Take showers instead of baths or install low-flow showerheads and faucets.
• Set water heater thermostat to 120 degrees
• In the washing machine, use hot water only for whites and hard-to-clean items. 

Lighting 

• Change your lights to energy-saving compact fluorescent lights (CFL).
  • A 25-watt CFL will generate as much light as a 100-watt incandescent bulb
  • Replace ten 60-watt incandescent bulbs with 13-watt ENERGY STAR CFL bulbs and you'll save $420 over the life of the bulbs more than enough to replace that old computer monitor with a new ENERGY STAR model and save the rest. Or think of it this way: you would save enough energy to operate your ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerator for 9 years.
    • Flat-panel computer monitors use only about a third of the energy of a traditional monitor, so the savings over time are likely to justify the higher price.
  • If every American home replaced just one 60-watt incandescent with an ENERGY STAR CFL bulb, we would save almost six billion kWh per year, enough energy to light nearly three million homes. We'd also save more than $600 million in annual energy costs and reduce greenhouse gases by the equivalent of nearly 750,000 cars. The average CFL lasts 10,000 hours, and when you replace it, you can recycle it!
  • ENERGY STAR CFLs come in a number of shapes, sizes, and colors not just the spirals and the "soft white" color people are used to. To help you select the type and color of CFL that will work best for your socket, visit the ENERGY STAR Web site.
• Turn lights out when not in the room.
• Focus the light where you need it for cooking, reading, studying instead of brightly lighting an entire room.