Saving Electricity At Home

Electricity is a magical energy that powers our factories, heats and cools our home and runs just about every appliance. With a struggling economy, we are always looking for ways to save money. The most obvious is reducing electricity consumption. Let's start with energy saving tips for the biggest electrical guzzlers. They would be your heating system, air conditioning, lighting, clothes washer, refrigerator and water heater. The most obvious way to save on heating is to lower your thermostat to 68 degrees during the day and 55 degrees at night. electricity In summer raise it to 78 degrees. Lower the temperature on your hot water tank to 120 degrees. You can also buy insulation to wrap around your tank. Clean all your air filters. Change to gas if possible. Save on air conditioning by your thermostat setting. Keep cool by closing shades or blinds. Plant shade trees. Turn off the lights when you are not in a room. Switch to compact florescent light bulbs (CFL.) They can save up to 10% on your energy bill. Use energy strips to turn off all your computers and home theater gadgets. Set your computer on hibernate after 30 minutes. If you buy a front-loading washer, you will cut hot water use by 60 to 70%. Always buy Energy Star appliances when making a replacement. Clean the lint filter on your dryer. Use cold water. Keep your refrigerator settings at 37 degrees inside and 3 degrees in your freezer. This will save you 20%. Be sure the energy saver switch is on. You can save energy consumption on your car by keeping it tuned regularly and keeping your tires inflated properly. Drive slower and you will save on gas consumption. Don't idle your car unless necessary. Use the AC as little as possible. Now is a good time to make energy-saving installations. US tax credits are granted up to 30% for attic insulation, metal roofs and Energy Star air conditioning systems.