Top 10 No-, Low-Cost Tips For Cool Energy Savings

Washington, DC () - Saving energy this summer just got easier.  America’s electric utilities have put together the following 10 no-, low-cost tips to guide you.  With each tip are the potential energy savings you can expect.  Besides saving energy, you will be making your home more comfortable, and you will be helping to protect the environment too. 

• Set thermostat at 78 degrees or higher when the house is occupied, and at 85 degrees when vacant (save 1 – 2 percent per degree raised on cooling costs).
• Regularly clean/replace the air conditioner’s air filter (save up to 5 percent on annual energy costs).
• Keep the door and vents closed in unused rooms (save up to 3 percent on cooling costs).
• On hot, sunny days, keep the curtains closed on windows facing south and west (save 2 – 4 percent on cooling costs).
• Caulk and weather-strip around windows and doors (save 1 – 4 percent on cooling costs).
• Wash/dry full loads of clothes and use cold water as much as possible (save 2 – 4 percent on energy costs).
• Set the water heater’s temperature to 120 degrees (save up to 10 percent on water heating costs; check by placing a thermometer under a tap).
• Use a microwave oven instead of a regular oven (save up to 50 percent on cooking costs).
• Install compact fluorescent lights in high-use fixtures (save about 66 percent on lighting cost per fixture).
• Take advantage of the new federal tax credits when making energy efficiency improvements to your home: http://www.energytaxincentives.org/

For more help, visit your electric company’s Web site.  They have free, energy-saving information, and many utilities also offer energy-saving incentive programs.  For more information, and a listing of electric utility incentive programs by state, visit http://www.eei.org/wiseuse. 

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The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) is the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies. Our members serve 95 percent of the ultimate customers in the shareholder-owned segment of the industry, and represent approximately 70 percent of the U.S. electric power industry. We also have more than 65 International electric companies as Affiliate members, and more than 170 industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate members.