1.Wash clothes in warm or cold water: washing clothes in hot water can produce about 500 lbs more carbon dioxide than washing clothes in warm water for an electric washer heater or 150 lbs for a gas heater. It is cost free and a very simple change. (EcoMall 2008)
2.Fill your dishwasher and let them air dry: not using the air dry cycle will save 20% of your dishwasher's total electricity use. (EcoMall 2008)
3.Refrigerators eat up the most electricity in the household. Maximize efficiency by cleaning the coils regularly along with defrosting it regulary (LIVCLEAN). This saves energy and thus GHG’s. There is no initial cost or potential drawbacks to the situation. If you make this habit you will save 26.3 Kg/month of electricity. (LIVCLEAN)
4.Dimming your lights by 25% will save you approximately 20% on your electric bill as well as make your bulbs last up to four years longer. (http://www.ehow.com/how_2118319_carbon-emissions-all-saving-money.html)
5.Make sure to clean the lint trap in the dryer a clogged lint trap can make the dryer use up to 30% more energy and also catch on fire. It is best to clean it after every use, this will keep your dryer running at optimal performance.
6.Close vents and doors to rooms that are not used frequently to eliminate unnecessary heating of rooms. The DOE calculates that "closing the vents to just one spare bedroom in a five-room house, you can instantly cut your heating bills by as much as 20 percent." (E Magazine, 2005).
7.In the winter, close the damper of your fireplace if you don't have a fire burning- "An open fireplace damper can let 8 percent of heat from your furnace escape through the chimney!" (California Energy Commission 2006)
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1 comment:
GREAT FIND ERIKA! I wish the townhouses were self sufficient enough to have their own clothes washer and dishwasher. It would be far more efficient than handwashing and running over to hayward all of the time. Then maybe once we have those automatic machines we could manage their use more carefully and minimize the amount of energy they use.
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