"How To Waste Not Want Not For A Richer World"

There are several ways for saving electrical energy in your home, thereby decreasing pollution (unseen by you, but there all the same at the power plant) and creating a financial saving. This can include ensuring that you only use your dishwasher or washing machine when full and rinsing crochery for re-use after one time rather than putting into the dishwasher. Clothes can often be worn again if not appearing or smelling dirty, washing adds to their wear and tear.The appliances that are the main energy consumers are:

• Air Conditioning


• Heating (if you have electric heat)


• Electric Water Heater


• Electric Clothes Dryer


• Lighting (if you're not already using fluorescents)


• Refrigerator (if it was made before 2001)

Despite some initial set-up costs, here's how much various strategies can save you.
Easy Strategies
(1) Use space heaters to heat only the rooms you're in, rather than a central system that heats the whole house, and turn off the heat when you're not home, saving $1286 per year
(2) Use ceiling fans instead of the air conditioner, saving $665 per year
(3) Wash laundry in cold water instead of hot or warm, saving $167 per year
(4) Use a clothesline or a laundry rack instead of a dryer, saving $141 per year
(5) Turn off a single 100-watt light bulb, from running constantly Saving $96 per year
(6) Replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescents, saving $90 per year
(7) Sleep your computer when you're not using it, saving $73 per year
Total $2518 every year
Aggressive Strategies
(8) Replace top-loading washer with front-loading washer, saving $90 per year
(9) Replace 1990 fridge with 2004 model, saving $45 per year
(10) Replace a CRT computer monitor in a home office with an LCD display, saving $21 per year
Total $156 every year