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Learn more about lowering your energy bills and saving energy at home.

Lowering Your Energy Bills

Prepared by the Oregon State University Extension Energy Program (Warm Oregon) with funding from the Bonneville Power Administration

Do you know where your energy dollars go each month? Most people don't. It's like shopping in a store where prices aren't marked. But because energy costs are year-round, small changes in the way you use your utilities could add up to big savings. The ideas featured here require only simple changes in how you use energy for hot water, appliances and lights, plus a few hours of your time and less than $40 in easy-to-install devices.

Water Heaters
Set your water heater to 120 degrees F. Six hours after resetting, hold a meat or candy thermometer under running hot water to check water temperature. Adjust the thermostat if necessary. Be sure to insulate your water heater. An insulation blanket costs only about $10 and quickly pays for itself - even if your water heater is indoors.

Showers
Install a new high performance, water-saving showerhead. It will cut the cost of your showers in half. New models deliver a full spray using less than three gallons a minute. They cost only $5 to $15 and are easy to install. You won't run out of hot water as often, either. Another simple solution: take shorter showers. Set a timer to remind you when time is up.

Faucets
Don't leave the water running while shaving and be sure to fix leaky faucets. Thirty drips a minute of hot water wastes 50 gallons of water a month. Install water-saving faucet aerators on sinks you use the most.

Clothes Washer
Rinse all loads with cold water. Wash with warm or cold water, if possible. Washing with cold water can reduce energy costs. Be sure to run full loads, sort clothes into loads needing the same wash cycle and reduce the water level setting for small loads.

Clothes Dryer
Hang clothes outside when it's sunny. Sunshine is free. (Drying clothes indoors may cause condensation problems in winter.) Clean the lint filter after every load. Be sure the vent hose isn't clogged. Run separate loads for fast and slow drying clothes.

Dishwasher
Run full loads. Use a shorter wash cycle whenever possible. Avoid the rinse-and-hold cycle. It uses about eight gallons of water just to pre-rinse dishes. Use the air-dry or energy-saver setting. Pre-rinse dishes only if food particles are dried on. Try a load with un-rinsed dishes. Your dishwasher probably does a better job than you give it credit for. And if you are hand washing your dishes, don't run hot water continuously for rinsing. Use a basin or pan.

Refrigerator And Freezer
Set the refrigerator to 38-40 degrees. Place a thermometer near the thermostat to check setting. Set stand-alone freezers to 0 degrees. Unplug the second refrigerator or freezer if you don't keep it full. Locate refrigerators and freezers away from heat registers and stoves, if possible. Leave two to three inches clearance around the back, sides and top. Vacuum coils behind or underneath refrigerator twice a year. Clean coils help the compressor run less and last longer.

Set the energy-saver switch on to turn off "anti-sweat" heat coils in the door gasket. Repair damaged door gaskets with self-stick foam tape. Keep the door closed. Open the door once to unload several items, instead of opening the door several times in a row.

Lights
Turn off lights when you don't need them. Install lower wattage bulbs in overhead fixtures. Use floor and desk lamps for close-up work. Keep bulbs and fixtures clean as dirty fixtures reduce light intensity by as much as 25 percent. Avoid "long-life" light bulbs or "energy buttons" except in hard to reach fixtures. They put out less light and don't save energy. Install fluorescent lamps in rooms with lights on more than 2 hours a day. Compact fluorescent lamps produce a warm light and fit in many fixtures.

Cooking
Cook several meals at the same time. Cover pans to cook food faster. Use pans that fully cover the burner. Avoid warped pans on electric burners. Turn off the oven and burners a few minutes before food is done as it will continue to cook. Preheat the oven only when baking bread and cakes. Use an electric skillet, microwave oven or toaster oven whenever possible.

TV, Radio And Stereo
Turn them off when you're not watching or listening.

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Saving Energy At Home

Prepared by the U.S. Department of Energy

There are plenty of ways to save energy at home. Thanks to the U.S. Department of Energy, here are some of the easiest no-cost or low-cost options.

Take Advantage Of Heat From The Sun
Open curtains on your south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home, and close them at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.

Cover Drafty Windows
Use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. Make sure the plastic is sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration. Install tight fitting, insulating drapes or shades on windows that feel drafty after weatherizing.

Adjust The Temperature
When you are home and awake, set your thermostat as low as is comfortable. Also, when you are asleep or out of the house, turn your thermostat back 10°-15° for eight hours and save around 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills.

Find And Seal Leaks
Seal the air leaks around utility cut-thru areas for pipes ("plumbing penetrations"), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. Add caulk or weather stripping to seal air leaks around leaky doors and windows.

Maintain Your Heating Systems
Schedule service for your heating system. Furnaces: Replace your furnace filter once a month or as needed. Wood- and pellet-burning heaters: Clean the flue vent regularly and clean the inside of the appliance with a wire brush periodically to ensure that your home is heated efficiently.

Reduce Heat Loss From The Fireplace
Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is going. Keeping the damper open is like keeping a window wide open during the winter. In other words, it allows warm air to go right up the chimney. If you never use your fireplace, plug and seal the chimney flue. If you do use the fireplace, install tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room.

Lower Your Water Heating Costs
Water heating can account for 14%-25% of the energy consumed in your home. Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120°F). You'll not only save energy, you'll avoid scalding your hands.

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