Energy Conservation Tips Residential
- Approximately 50% of your utility bill is a result of heating and cooling. Keep your home
temperatures warm to comfort in the winter and comfortably cool in the summer. Consider
installing a programmable thermostat to monitor temperatures for you.
- Make sure your home is properly insulated. More than 80% of homes built before 1980 lack
proper insulation, which can cause you to lose up to 40% of heated or cooled air. Although heat
rises, your attic isn’t the only space that needs proper insulation. Be sure to check any crawl
spaces for poorly insulated areas.
- Typically, appliances and electronics account for 20% of your energy use. Consider buying
energy-efficient appliances to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and your energy costs.
- Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes. Let your dishes air dry, and use energy-saving
mode, if available.
- Use powerstrips to plug in home electronics, and turn them off when not using them. Even in
standby mode, electronics can still use several watts of power. Business
- Be sure that your Energy Management System (EMS) is set properly. Medium to large
businesses can save up to 20% on natural gas simply by properly calibrating their EMS.
- Install variable speed drives on equipment such as fans, pumps, and compressors to reduce
unnecessary usage and promote equipment life.
- In computer purchases, consider buying laptops. They use 10-20% of the energy needed to run
a desktop computer.
- While staying practical to function, replace any incandescent lights with compact fluorescent
lamps and incandescent signs with LED signs.
- Simply turn lights off if you’re not using them.
*Myth: Turning lights on and off uses more energy than leaving them on.
- If possible, install wall and ceiling insulation. This will reduce utility bills and increase
empoloyee comfortability.
- Get your employees involved! Organize a group to periodically investigate and evaluate your
organization’s energy use and ways to reduce consumption. | 
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