Think Green – Cost Cutting and Energy Conservation
If you do need to dry your clothes, dry each load immediately after the one before it. By doing this, the dryer runs at peak efficiency and uses heat already generated from the cycle before. Also, don’t forget to clean the lint filter after each load. The lint, if left to buildup, will block air flow and will result in your clothes taking longer to dry. When you’re cleaning, vacuum out the lint track to suck out additional buildup.
Wrap your hot water tank in insulation to prevent the heat from escaping. By doing this, you’ll be able to turn the temperature lower. This will also allow you to turn the temperature down in the shower or bath.
90% of the energy used by your washing machine goes to heating the water. You can save some of this energy by only using hot water on items that are heavily soiled and stained. Cold water is actually the best temperature to use on colored laundry as hot may often cause the dyes to fade. Detergents can be found specially formulated to be used for cold water washes.
If you have a dishwasher, take advantage of the energy saving mode that most models have. Basically, in this mode, the heat is turned off during the drying cycle. During the summer months, this will also help to keep your apartment cool.
Your mother always said “the electric company has more money than we do” and that still rings true. Turn off the lights when you’re not in a room. If you like to leave the lights on when you go out at night so you don’t have to come home to a dark home, buy a light timer.
Replace your standard incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient fluorescent bulbs. These fluorescent bulbs produce a higher quality light with less glare and each bulb can save up to $100 in electricity costs. Although you’ll pay a little more for these bulbs, in the long run, the benefit is substantial as they not only last longer, up to 10 times longer, but use much less electricity.
Always match your wattage needs to your light bulb. Using a high wattage bulb in a reading lamp or hallway light isn’t necessary and evokes higher electricity costs.
When you first move into a new apartment, don’t forget to pull out the refrigerator and clean behind it. With clean condenser coils (usually found in the back or on the bottom of the fridge) the unit will run at peak efficiency and you be able to keep the temperature at a lower level, saving electricity dollars. You should keep your refrigerator temperature between 36 and 38 degrees and the freezer should be between 0 and 5 degrees.
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