Many of us are spending much more time at home – all day, every day. That means working from home, attending classes at home and using our appliances, devices and other electronics A LOT. Here are a few tips and tools – courtesy of PPL’s energy efficiency program – that can help you save energy and money without leaving the comfort of your own home or making an investment. Our free Online Energy Assessment provides you with energy saving recommendations and offers personalized for your home or you can use the guiding principles below.
Make your home more efficient.
Check your thermostat. Heating and cooling is often where most homes use the most energy. Most of us are still running our heat – and 68° F is the recommended heating setting for energy efficiency. For those who already have a programmable thermostat, it should automatically adjust the temperature for optimal energy use. This is a good time to review your settings to make sure your thermostat matches your family’s new schedule. Lowering the thermostat is one simple change, and you can always snuggle up with an extra blanket or layer your clothing to stay as comfortable as possible.
Check your air vents and registers. If they’re blocked by furniture or drapes, the air won’t reach the rest of the room.
Use hot water wisely. Water heating accounts for the second largest use of energy in most homes. There are a few things you can do to help cut this down. First, confirm the temperature on your hot water heater. Setting its thermostat to 120 degrees is another easy way to save. Short showers use less hot water than baths. Using less hot water means less energy used.
Optimize your kitchen. Many of us have a full house for the foreseeable future – and the kitchen is another opportunity to save. You can save yourself the energy from firing up the stove or oven by using your microwave or toaster oven to reheat or cook small portions. Use a covered kettle or pot, or electric kettle to boil water. It’s faster and uses less energy.
It’s also important to match the cooking method to the meal. When the weather permits, fire up the grill. When it doesn’t, using a slow-cooker and pressure cooker more are good alternatives. They’re convenient and use less energy than your stove and oven. And if you need to use the oven, make multiple items to get the most use for your energy dollar. And be sure to match the size of your pots and pans to the heating element for efficient cooking.
Food storage is also particularly top of mind right now. Don’t keep your refrigerator or freezer too cold. Recommended temperatures are 35° F – 38° F for the fresh food compartment and 0° F for separate freezers for long-term storage. You should cover liquids and wrap foods stored in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the compressor work harder, using more electricity.
When it’s time to clean up, be sure you’re running a full dishwasher. Running partial or small loads wastes energy.
As the laundry piles up. Whether we’re stuck home or out and about, one thing is certain: Laundry never stops. When possible, wash your family’s laundry with cold water instead of hot and wait to wash full loads. Hot water is typically only necessary for very dirty laundry. And when it comes to laundry, don’t forget to clean the lint filter on your dryer. Clogged filters can prevent the dryer from doing its job efficiently.
Home office and electronics. Make it a point to turn off the computer and monitor or unplug chargers when they are not in use. Many electronics still use power even when they’re in standby mode. To help, plug your home electronics into power strips. With the flip of a switch, you can turn the power strip off when the equipment is not in use.
Last one out, turn off the lights. Since we use and need lighting throughout our homes, it’s important to remember that even something as small as a nightlight uses energy. We know how important it is to turn out the lights when we’re not in the room and use daylight when possible.
It may seem like you’re chasing your kids around shutting off lights all week – but it’s also important to have energy saving bulbs, like LEDs in the fixtures you use most. And on sunny days, take advantage of natural sunlight as well.
Making these changes part of your regular routine is easy, and can you get the most out of your energy dollars.
It’s time to open the windows, break out the mop and start cleaning.
Spring cleaning is the perfect time to think about energy efficiency. Work these seven tips into your routine to save energy and money.
Change the direction of airflow on your ceiling fan: In the winter, the fan should rotate clockwise to push warm air toward the floor. In spring, switch the direction so the blades draw air upward, cooling the room with constant airflow.
Keep your blades clean: While you’re up there changing the direction of your ceiling fan, dust the blades. This will keep the fan running efficiently. This is also a good time to check for dust around the motor housing.
Install window treatments: Energy-efficient window treatments or coverings – such as blinds, shades and films – do more than improve the look of your home. They also slash heat gain when temperatures rise, reducing your energy costs.
Bring in sunlight: During daylight hours, switch off artificial lights, open the curtains and use sunlight to brighten your home.
Service your air conditioner: Easy maintenance, like replacing or clearing air filters, can lower your cooling system’s energy consumption by up to 15%. Spring cleaning could also serve as a reminder to call your HVAC professional for a thorough cleaning to make sure the system is performing like it should.
Cook outside: On warmer spring days, keep the heat out of your home by using an outdoor grill instead of your stove or oven.
Update your landscaping: Believe it or not, your landscaping can also improve your home’s comfort and lower your energy bills. On average, a well-designed landscape saves enough energy to pay for itself in fewer than eight years. Check out energy.gov for the top three landscaping strategies by climate.
Do you have any other energy efficient spring cleaning tips? Tweet us @pplelectric so we can share them with our customers.
John Boyer may be the second-generation owner of a small grocery chain in Central Pennsylvania, but there is nothing old-school about the way he runs his business.
He takes a fresh approach to keep his stores up-to-date and make sure his team exceeds customer expectations. In that spirit, John recently completed a total remodel of his location in Hazleton, one of 18 Boyer’s Food Markets in eastern Pennsylvania.
Among other efficient improvements, John upgraded the store’s outdated fluorescent lighting to efficient LEDs. This not only resulted in significant energy savings, but it ensured that the store would be properly lit to provide customers better visibility to the products on the shelves.
“Our resources are kind of limited – we need to pick and choose and use our capital as efficiently as we can. These kinds of projects where you can see the immediate payback to the bottom line, they’re winners,” Boyer noted. “When we can save money, put it in the bottom line, it helps us to upgrade the rest of our stores and bring them up to the speed that today’s customer demands.”
The big game is this Sunday. Think about all the electricity it takes to power such a spectacular event – the stadium lights, the global TV hookups, the concession equipment, the glitz and glitter of the halftime show, and the hundreds of devices in the press box.
Thankfully, your game day menu at home doesn’t have to be an energy hog. We’ve fallen in love with slow cookers and Instant Pots® as convenient, energy-efficient options to supercharge your game day menu. Whether you prefer low and slow, fresh and fast or both, these appliances are perfect for feeding your family.
Here’s a round up of recipes for wings, dips and more – all offering energy efficient and delicious game day inspiration.
Instead of distributing candy this Halloween, we’re dishing out energy-saving tips! This year’s treat is learning how to cut down on phantom load, or energy vampires, that suck up your power and result in wasted energy.
Energy vampires are small appliances or devices such as cell phone chargers, computers and coffee makers that drain energy when they’re plugged into outlets, but not being used. These sneaky monsters could cost you more than $100 each year!
So how can you avoid wasting energy and scare these vampires away for good? Simply unplug your small appliances and electronics when they’re not being used or when you’re away for the day.
