Energy Saving Tips

Install a programmable thermostat
A programmable thermostat automatically raises and lowers the temperature of your home to preset levels so you don’t have to think about it. These thermostats allow you to turn the temperature down during the day or overnight, but increase the temperature prior to your arrival or when you awake. This allows you to be comfortable in your home while enjoying energy savings. If you lower your temperature by just 1° Celsius for eight hours each day, you can reduce your heating costs by up to 2%.

Programmable thermostats now come in many varieties. Some allow for daily programming, whereas others simply offer a weekday/weekend option. Regardless, all programmable thermostats have manual override controls so you can adjust the temperature whenever you like. When buying a thermostat, determine which programming options you would use and choose the simplest thermostat that will meet your needs. If you have a cooling system, you will benefit year-round by choosing a programmable thermostat that controls both heating and cooling.

Remember that installing a programmable thermostat won’t save any electricity unless it is programmed to turn the temperature down when the temperature would otherwise remain unchanged.

Install a low-flow showerhead and save up to 15% of your home’s water use
The hot water that many of us take for granted can account for a substantial portion of your total energy costs. In many cases, showers can be the largest single contributor to overall hot water use. Even a modest 10-minute shower can use up to 190 litres (42 gallons) of hot water with a conventional showerhead. A low-flow showerhead can reduce this by half or even more, without sacrificing the “feel” of the shower. There are a wide variety of low-flow showerheads available, including hand-held and designer models.

How it works
By restricting the flow and forcing the water through very small openings, these showerheads aerate and increase the velocity of the water, creating a very fine spray pattern which feels like a regular shower. While a conventional showerhead uses 15-19 litres (3-4 gallons) or more per minute, the low-flow type uses approximately 8-9 litres (about 2 gallons) per minute, with some models using even less. Many are equipped with a push-button shutoff valve, which allows the user to interrupt the flow of water while soaping up, saving even more water.

Install faucet aerators too!
Faucet aerators are inexpensive and easy to install, and they provide a similar benefit as low-flow showerheads. Some types of aerator allow you to switch back to regular water flow, which speeds up tasks such as filling a bucket of water.

Remove or unplug unnecessary fridges and freezers
An effective way to reduce the energy costs associated with refrigeration is to remove or unplug unnecessary refrigerators and freezers. Consolidate your foods into one appliance and you will see the savings. If you think you may need to use the appliance again, keep it unplugged unless you are using it. You won’t do any harm to the unit by turning it on and off periodically.

When replacing your clothes washer, choose an ENERGY STAR® model
Major household appliances, such as clothes washers, can account for a significant portion of the energy use in your home. Look for a model that has a cold wash/rinse cycle, multiple water levels and a high spin speed. Most ENERGY STAR labelled clothes washers are front-loading (horizontal axis), because this design is typically more efficient than top loaders. Front loading clothes washers use less water, less detergent and are gentle on clothes.

ENERGY STAR® labelled clothes washers:

• Cut overall energy use by up to 50% by having to heat less water
• Use 35 to 50% less water than standard models, saving 14,000 to 22,000 litres of water a year
• Have higher spin speeds than conventional washers and can extract more water, resulting in less energy needed to dry clothes

Don’t forget to wash in cold water!

Make sure your heating system is properly maintained
Proper maintenance will ensure that your heating system operates at its maximum efficiency. Considering that heating makes up about 50% of your home’s energy bill, maintenance is an easy way to improve the efficiency of your system and save money.

Change the filter
Clean or replace the filter on your furnace once a month or as needed. A clean filter will help your furnace operate efficiently.

Annual check-up
Your furnace should be maintained by a heating professional once a year to make sure that it operates at maximum efficiency.

Insulate ducts
Heating ducts that travel through unheated areas of your home (e.g. attic, crawlspace) should be insulated and kept in good repair to minimize heat loss.

Replace incandescent nightlights with LED or electroluminescent models
Night lights are now available that use light emitting diode (LED) or electroluminescent technology. They use a less than a watt of electricity (compared to 5-10 watts for an incandescent model) and last for at least 10 years. LED night lights are generally brighter than electroluminescent models, which produce a light glow. Both LED and electroluminescent night lights are cool to the touch, so they are safer for young children than incandescent night lights.

Insulate your electric hot water tank and pipes to minimize heat loss
Improving the insulation on your electric hot water tank and pipes is an easy way to save energy.

Insulate your hot water pipes
Insulating your hot water pipes will reduce heat loss, and may even allow you to slightly reduce the temperature setting on your hot water tank.

Put an insulating blanket on your tank
An insulating blanket is affordable and relatively easy to install.

Would my tank benefit from an insulating blanket?
The easiest way to find out if your tank could use extra insulation is to place your hand on the outside of it. If the tank is warm to the touch, it is losing heat (for storage water tanks, this is referred to as standby heat loss). If the tank is cool to the touch, you likely wouldn’t benefit by adding extra insulation to your tank. If you have a newer hot water tank, you probably don’t need to wrap it because they are usually well insulated.

What if I have a gas-fired hot water tank?
Generally speaking, a gas-fired hot water tank should be wrapped by a heating professional. An insulating blanket can be effective on a gas-fired hot water tank, but it must be carefully installed. The top, bottom, and burner compartment of the tank must all be kept clear. If the blanket slips, it could create a health hazard.

Check the seal around your fridge and freezer doors to ensure a tight fit.
Seals can deteriorate over time, allowing heat to enter the unit and decreasing energy performance.
Check the seal by placing a piece of paper between the seal and the refrigerator (in different places). If the paper doesn’t move easily, it’s a good seal. However, if the paper slides easily you should consider replacing the seal or adjusting the door. A poor seal will cause the refrigerator or freezer to use more energy to keep the contents cold.

Consider energy efficiency when landscaping
You may not have considered that the way your property is landscaped can affect the comfort and even the energy efficiency of your home. When building a home, the orientation and windows in your home can affect how your home responds to the weather. The vegetation is also important, which can be considered when making landscaping changes in an existing home. Your overall landscaping strategy will be affected by your regional climate, so you may wish to consult a landscaping expert before making significant changes to the existing vegetation.

Plant trees to provide summertime shade
Leafy (deciduous) trees can reduce the amount of direct sunlight that penetrates and heats your home in the summer. These trees lose their leaves in the winter, which will allow the warming benefits of the sun when you need it the most.

Use shrubs around your home for extra “insulation”
Planting shrubs, bushes and vines next to your house creates pockets of air that insulate your home year round. Plant so there will be at least 30 cm (1 foot) of space between the wall of your house and full-grown plants.

Need a windbreak?
If your home is susceptible to cold winds, dense low-lying trees and shrubbery on the north and northeast sides of your home can help protect against wind chill.

Check the temperature of your fridge
The temperature inside your refrigerator should be 4°C (39°F). This is usually the mid-level setting on the temperature controls on most refrigerators. Use a thermometer to check the temperature and adjust accordingly.

Check the temperature of your freezer
The temperature inside your freezer should be -18°C (0°F). Each additional degree you lower the temperature increases energy use by about 5%.

Move floor lamps into the corners of your rooms
If you have floor lamps located in the middle of a wall, you might get more illumination by moving them into the corners of your rooms. This will allow the lamps to reflect light from two walls, giving you more usable light for your money. This change may provide enough illumination in the room for another light to be removed or turned off.

If you are painting a room, choose light colours
When redecorating, remember that white walls and ceilings will reflect about 80 percent of the light that strikes them, whereas black surfaces reflect only about 10 percent of the light. In other words, you will need brighter lights in a room with a dark decor than in a room with white surfaces.

Turn your thermostat down at night or when you’re not home
Making up about 50% of your energy bill, heating is the single largest use of energy in most homes. Controlling the thermostat is one of the easiest and most economical ways to control your energy costs. The lower the temperature you set for heating, the more money you will save. Setting the thermostat back from 21° C to 16° C at night can result in energy savings of up to ten per cent.

In addition to turning down the thermostat at night or when you are away from home, below are some suggested thermostat settings that will provide comfort and avoid overheating. If you can adjust to cooler temperatures (perhaps with a blanket or sweater), lower the thermostat even further.

• Sitting reading or watching TV
  21° C (70° F)
• Working around the house
  20° C (68° F)
• Sleeping
  16° C (61° F)
• No one is home
  16° C (61° F)

Alternately, you could consider installing a programmable thermostat, which remembers to adjust the temperature for you.

Doesn’t it cost more to heat the home up from a colder temperature? Will I really save any energy?
Actually, it’s a common misconception that a furnace works harder than normal to warm your home to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. However, years of research and a number of studies have disproved this myth. The energy needed to reheat a building is approximately equal to the energy that was saved when the building temperature first dropped. You save energy between the time that the temperature stops at the lower level and the next time the heat is turned up. Therefore, the longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy you save. Considering that heating makes up a large portion of your energy costs, lowering your thermostat can make for significant savings on your bill.

Turn off your computer, monitor and peripherals (e.g. printer, scanner) when they are not in use
Much of the energy use associated with computers is wasted because PCs are often left on when they are not being used.

One of the most important things you can do to reduce energy consumption is to turn your equipment off when it is not in use. The notion that computers consume large amounts of energy when starting up is a myth. Similarly, it is false that constant start-ups damage computer components. It is more cost-effective to shut the computer down when you are finished using it, and doing so also reduces wear on your system. Learn more about your computer’s energy settings in the to dos section.

Turn off your energy guzzling monitor
Monitors use up to 75% of the energy powering your computer. If you must leave your computer on while it is not being used, it makes sense to turn off any monitors or display devices. Remember that a screen saver does not reduce energy consumption.

Turn off your peripherals
Turn off your peripherals, such as printers or scanners, when they are not in use. Such devices are typically left on for extended periods of time but are active for only a small percentage of it. For this reason, conventional printers often waste a significant amount of energy. Newer devices use less energy when in standby mode, but you should always turn your equipment off to save electricity.

Save electricity by using your clothes washer more efficiently
The way you use your clothes washer can affect the amount of energy that it uses.

Wash full loads
The clothes washer will use less energy to wash one full load than multiple smaller loads. Load clothes until the machine is full, according to manufacturer’s directions. If you must wash clothes with a less than full load, adjust the water setting accordingly.

Use energy-saving or economy wash cycles
Most clothes washers have various wash cycles you can select. The energy-saving feature helps you use less water and save energy.

Separate heavily soiled clothes from lightly soiled ones
By separating the heavily soiled clothes, you can adjust the wash cycle to match the cleaning needs of the load. This will ensure that the clothes are washed properly using the minimum energy required.

When buying a new clothes washer, choose an ENERGY STAR ® labelled model.

Hit the showers – a short shower uses about half as much water as a bath
Taking a shower instead of a bath uses less water and less energy, which costs you less. Plus, if you install a low-flow showerhead you can save even more.

Unplug your charger when the device is not connected
This rule applies to power adapters for any devices that have chargers (laptops, digital cameras, MP3 players). When a power adapter is plugged in, it continues to draw energy even if it is not connected to a device. Have you ever noticed that an adapter is warm to the touch when it is plugged in, even when it is not charging anything? This is because many adapters draw at least one watt of electricity all the time.

An easy way to limit standby power loss is to plug all electronics into one or more power bars that can easily be switched off when the electronics are not being used.

If you’re cold, put on a sweater or use a blanket
Instead of turning up the thermostat, you might be more comfortable by putting on extra clothes when you are cold. This will help you save in the largest energy consuming area of your home.

Use your windows to take advantage of solar heat
Use the windows in your home to your advantage. In the winter, solar heat gain can help ease the demand on your heating system. Open your curtains or blinds during the day and let the sun heat up your home, free of charge. Allowing solar and radiant heat gain into your home in the winter months can help you save on your overall heating costs.

In the summer, solar and radiant heat can penetrate un-shaded windows and increase the temperature in your home significantly, affecting your comfort and possibly resulting in higher costs for cooling. It is a good idea to keep east- and west-facing windows shaded during the summer months. North and south facing windows typically allow daylight to illuminate your home without allowing direct sunlight to heat it up. Awnings or a modest eave overhang can be used to shade windows in the summer to minimize unwanted heat gains even further.

Using windows effectively can also reduce your lighting costs (check the tips section for more details).

Use your freezer more efficiently to save energy
Freezers can use a significant amount of energy. Using them wisely will help you save money.

Close the door
One of the easiest things you can do to save energy with your freezer is to keep the door closed as much as possible. By opening the door infrequently and for short periods of time, you will reduce the energy the freezer uses to keep food cold.

Keep it full
Full freezers operate more efficiently than empty ones. Also, they are affected less when the door is opened because there is less uncontained air to escape. If your freezer isn’t full, fill plastic containers with water and put them inside. The frozen water will also help keep food frozen in the event of a power outage. Empty cardboard boxes can also be put at the bottom of a chest freezer to help fill empty space.

Stay out of the sun
Freezers work hard to keep items cold, so you shouldn’t keep them near sources of heat (such as the sun). Outside heat sources cause freezers to work harder, which costs you more money. Learn about adjusting the temperature, checking the seals, removing unnecessary freezers and choosing ENERGY STAR® models in the to dos section of the Power Smart Profiler.

Use task lighting when appropriate
You can lower your overall energy consumption by concentrating light where you need it rather than illuminating an entire room. Task lighting is generally useful where work is being carried out in a small area, such as at a desk or in a workshop.

Use your hot water wisely
Here are some simple tips to consider when using your hot water

• Put the plug in the sink instead of leaving the hot water running.
• Try not to use small amounts of hot water frequently. Not only does the water need to be heated, but more hot water is left in the pipe to cool down (which wastes energy).
• If you take a bath when it’s cold outside, leave the water in the tub until it has released its heat in the house.
• Turn the hot water system off when you go on extended holiday.

A laptop computer uses up to 90% less energy than a desktop
A typical laptop computer has a maximum power consumption of 15 watts and extensive power management capabilities. A typical desktop PC, with display, consumes about 10 times that, or 150 watts, and has less-effective power management features. The potential energy savings from substituting PCs with portable laptops are significant, particularly if you don’t plug the laptop into a separate display monitor. If you have the choice between using a laptop or desktop computer, use the laptop to save energy.

Close the damper when the fireplace is not in use
A chimney is designed to let smoke escape without staying inside your living space. Given that, it shouldn’t surprise you to hear that an open damper will carry the warm air right out of your home. Make sure it is completely closed when it’s not in use. If you have a chimney in your home that is not being used, consider sealing it completely. A makeshift foam plug will help reduce heat loss and can be removed if the fireplace will be used again (you may want to hang a flag down from the plug to remind you that it’s in place).

Adjust your cooking habits to save electricity
There are a number of things you can do to save electricity in the kitchen.

Cook using the smallest appliance that can do the job
Why use a full-size oven when a microwave or toaster oven will do? Smaller appliances can get the job done while using less energy, especially when cooking smaller meals. On a related topic, steamers and pot dividers allow you to cook multiple vegetables at once to reduce the number of cooking devices needed.

Use the right pot
Choose a pot that covers the burner completely. If the burner is larger than the base of the pot, unnecessary energy will be wasted. Using a lid over the pot will decrease cooking times and save energy.

Oven etiquette
Try not to open the oven door unless it is absolutely necessary, because heat will rapidly escape out the door. The window on the door and the light inside your oven are there to help you check on your food without opening the door. If you are using an electric oven, keep preheating time to a minimum. Preheating is typically only necessary when baking. When cooking, the time spent preheating could be spent cooking your food. Also, you can often turn off the oven before the cooking time is complete, because the residual heat will finish cooking the dish. You can usually turn the heat off about 5 minutes before the cooking time is up.

Plan your cooking to heat multiple dishes in the oven, while the oven is still hot. If you are really keen, you can cook more than one meal and freeze the extra servings. This saves energy and cooking time. Try to cook foods that require the highest temperature first, because this will save the energy needed to warm up the oven again.

If you are going to use the self-cleaning feature on your oven, activate it immediately after cooking. This way the over will still be hot and the cleaning feature will use less energy.