Cooking, Laundry, Appliances and Lighting
Energy
for all of these other end-uses can add up to a quarter of your total
energy expenditures, so do take a look at what you have, but recognize that
changes made to a system that only uses a small percentage of the home's total
energy use won't save as much as changes made to one of the larger users like
the heating and cooling system or the water heater. Start with the refrigerator
and freezer if you have one. Check the door seals, temperature settings and
for good airflow across the coils. If you have an extra old refrigerator as
many people do stored in the garage or basement, consider getting rid of it.
Old units are potentially huge energy wasters.
As
for lighting, which can be 6 or 7 percent of the electric bill,
your best bet is looking for places where you can substitute compact fluorescents
for incandescent bulbs. And keep them off when not needed. With outdoor lights,
if you aren't methodical about their use, controls like timers or photocells
have quick paybacks. One of the fastest growing categories of appliances in
homes these days is in TVs, home entertainment equipment and computers. The
Department of Energy reports 2 percent of a typical home's energy is for TVs,
and related systems, and 2 percent goes for computers, monitors and peripherals.
On these, there isn't much you can do with your current ones except keeping
them off when not in use. But when purchasing new equipment, look for the most
efficient models. The Energy StarŽ label, which identifies higher efficiency
equipment, can be helpful.
