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Energy in Your Home Energy in Your State Prepaid Energy. Green Energy Green Living Green Home. Storm Preparedness Seasonal Readiness Natural Disaster Guides. How To Make Your Home More Energy Efficient Change your light bulbs to LEDs. Wash your clothes in cold water if possible.

Air seal your home. Clean or replace all filters in your home regularly. Dirty filters make your system work harder and run longer than necessary. Use your microwave instead of your stove when cooking. During warmer months, close blinds, shades and drapes on the sunny side of your home to help keep your home's temperature cooler and reduce the work for you AC.

Open shades during cooler months to let the sun warm your home. Don't peek in the oven while baking! Every time you peek, the temperature can drop 25°F , making your oven use more energy to bring the temperature back up.

Use natural light when possible. Control your fixtures with a photocell or a timer to assure dusk-to-dawn only operation of your outdoor lights. Don't leave your electronics on all day long. Only turn on your computer, monitor, printer and fax machine when you need them.

Setting your thermostat to a lower temperature than normal will not cool your home faster. Using your ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting about 4°F with no reduction in comfort.

Refrigerators and freezers actually operate most efficiently when full, so keep your refrigerator and freezer as full as possible using water bottles if nothing else. Be careful about overfilling them as this will reduce airflow and cause the appliance to work harder.

and 6 p. and reduce the chance of an emergency! Turn off heated dry on your dishwasher and air dry instead. Set your refrigerator temperature to the manufacturer's recommendation to avoid excessive cooling and wasting energy.

Don't leave bathroom or kitchen ventilation fans running longer than necessary. They replace inside air with outside. Replace your windows. If your home has single-pane windows, consider replacing them with more energy efficient windows, or adding solar shades or tinting film. Install a programmable thermostat that will automatically adjust the temperature according to your schedule.

Turn off the lights when they're not in use. Don't leave your mobile phone plugged in overnight. It only takes a couple of hours to charge. Turn off the oven a few minutes before cooking time runs out.

Your food will continue to cook without using the extra electricity. Watch your appliance placement. Avoid placing appliances that give off heat, such as lamps or TVs, near a thermostat.

Dress for the weather. When you're at home, dress in warm clothing in the winter and cooler clothing in the summer to stay comfortable without making your heater and AC work harder. Stay Current with Direct Energy When you sign up with an energy plan from Direct Energy, you'll get tips and tools to stay informed about your energy usage and save on your bill.

Zip Code. Other than purchasing an energy-efficient water heater, there are three ways to reduce your water heating expenses: use less hot water, turn down the thermostat on your water heater, or insulate your water heater with the first six feet of hot and cold water pipes.

When shopping for efficient water heaters, consider the type of water heater that meets your needs and the fuel it will use. For example, tankless water heaters are energy efficient, but they are also a poor choice for large families as they cannot handle multiple and simultaneous uses of hot water.

Heat pump water heaters are one of the most efficient ways to heat your home's water. While heat pump water heaters usually have a higher upfront cost, tax credits and rebates are available to many homeowners looking to upgrade to a heat pump water heater.

According to the Department of Energy DOE , heat gain and loss through windows account for 25 to 30 percent of most homes' heating and cooling energy.

You can replace single-pane windows with double-pane products to prevent heat loss through your windows. For homes in colder regions, "low-e" storm windows are more insulating and can significantly reduce your heating expenses. In addition, low-e interior or exterior storm windows can reduce unnecessary heat loss by 10 to 30 percent.

You should especially consider storm windows if your area frequently experiences extreme weather. In warmer climates, heat gain through windows may be a problem. In addition to minimizing heat loss, low-e coatings on windows can reduce heat gain by reflecting more light and lowering the amount of thermal energy that enters your home.

Energy Star breaks down the most efficient windows by climate or area of the U. on its website. Window shades, shutters, screens, and awnings can also provide an extra layer of insulation between your home and outside temperatures, leading to more energy conservation and better energy management.

Some states and utility companies also offer incentives for replacing windows with more energy-efficient versions. National Fenestration Rating Council NFRC label : helps you compare between energy-efficient windows, doors, and skylights by providing you with energy performance ratings in multiple categories.

An HVAC system comprises heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment. Whether you select heat pumps or a natural gas furnace, you'll want to ensure the HVAC equipment you choose is sufficient for your climate. Heat pumps are advantageous because they efficiently heat and cool your home.

Otherwise, you'll need two systems: an air conditioner to cool and a furnace or boiler to heat. Upgrades to ventilation can also improve your energy efficiency. A ventilation system comprises a network of ducts that distribute hot and cold air throughout your home.

If these ducts are not properly sealed or insulated, the resulting energy waste can add hundreds of dollars to your annual heating and cooling expenses. Proper insulation and maintenance on your ventilation system can reduce your heating and cooling expenses by up to 20 percent.

Weatherizing, or sealing air leaks around your home, is another way to reduce your heating and cooling expenses. The shield or "building envelope" between the inside and outside provides a barrier to weather, air, and moisture.

The most common sources of air leaks into your home are vents, windows, and doors. Ensure there are no cracks or openings between the wall and vent, window, or doorframe to prevent these leaks.

You can apply caulk to seal air leaks between stationary objects, such as the wall and window frame, and weather stripping for cracks between moving objects, such as operable windows and doors.

Weather stripping and caulking are simple air-sealing techniques that typically offer a return on investment in less than a year. Air leaks can also occur through openings in the wall, floor, and ceiling from plumbing, ducting, or electrical wiring.

Hot air rises and escapes through small openings, whether through ducts, light fixtures, or the attic hatch. As the natural flow of heat is from warmer to cooler areas, these small openings can make your heating bill even higher if your attic is not sufficiently insulated.

Some approaches to energy efficiency, such as the Passive House standard , include a specific standard of thermal performance for the building envelope. Consider fully insulating your home to get the most out of weatherization. Insulation plays a crucial role in lowering your utility bills by retaining heat during the winter and keeping heat out of your home during the summer.

The level of insulation you should install depends on the area of your house. Your attic, walls, floors, basement, and crawlspace are the five main areas where you should consider adding insulation.

Consider receiving an energy audit to help you determine if you need to add insulation. An energy auditor will look at your building from the outside.

They'll examine various components, including windows, walls, and eaves, to see if they can spot any significant issues causing leaks into or out of your home. The auditor will check out the attic if you have one to look at a few things. Most importantly, they'll inspect your insulation to ensure it's correctly installed and applied evenly between your walls.

They'll also evaluate the holes where electrical lines run to see if they're properly sealed or could be a source of leakage. The auditor will examine your furnace and water heater. If either is on the older side, it's likely a candidate for an upgrade.

They'll also probably look at the filter in the furnace to ensure it doesn't require replacement. They'll check connections in the ducts in your basement to try and locate any possible leaks where you may be losing heat and energy.

Most professional audits will include a blower door test. This device allows them to locate air leakage and test air quality in your home. During a blower door test, all the windows and doors are closed, and they'll use a blower door machine to depressurize the house. At that point, the auditor often uses an infrared camera to see where cold air may leak into your home and identify opportunities for air sealing.

What you pay for a professional energy audit often depends on the company and size of your property some companies offer fixed rates, while others will charge more for a larger home.

Even as a paid service, the upfront cost for an energy audit and the following energy efficiency updates are usually worth it when you save on your electricity bills down the line.

In fact, by making energy efficiency upgrades in your home, you can save between 5 and 30 percent on your energy bills, according to the DOE. Combining solar power and energy efficiency can maximize your financial benefit in the long run. Your solar panel system produces renewable energy on your property, but as with any technology, it will degrade and produce less energy over time.

An energy audit will help you maintain lower electricity bills as your solar panel system ages. Some solar loan products enable you to bundle financing for your solar panel system and energy efficiency measures in one package.

In many cases, these financing options offer lower interest rates, a higher maximum loan amount, or other incentives to make it easier for you to do both. Washing clothes is a necessary chore and part of the weekly routine of most Americans, but it's also energy-intensive.

According to Energy Star , heating water uses about 90 percent of the energy to operate a clothes washer. Fortunately, some claim that washing in cold water can increase the lifespan of your clothes!

Many home systems, like your HVAC, use filters that must be replaced or cleaned regularly. Clean filters are more efficient and put less strain on your system, but this step often gets overlooked. It's best to refer to the manufacturer's recommendations for your specific equipment, but in general, you'll want to clean them every month or two.

Along with other household chores, heating food is necessary but energy-taxing. Using a toaster oven instead of a regular oven can be an energy-saver if you have smaller portions.

Overall, microwaves are the most energy-efficient ways to reheat food. Using light from the sun is an intuitive way to reduce energy consumption.

North and south-facing windows allow for more glancing light that produces heat and limits harsh light in the winter. While east and west-facing windows allow for more direct sunlight, they aren't as effective at letting heat in.

Trees and nearby structures can also shade a building's surfaces and block winds from different directions.

While it may seem obvious to bundle up when going out in the winter, doing so inside can also help save on your heating costs. If you stay warm by wearing more clothes indoors, you can reduce the energy needed to heat your home. Luckily, you don't always need to purchase new energy-efficient products to reduce energy consumption in your home.

Energy conservation can be as simple as turning off lights or appliances when you're not using them! Performing household tasks manually also avoids the use of energy-intensive appliances. For example, hang-drying your clothes conserves the energy your clothes dryer would use otherwise.

Heating and cooling costs typically impact utility bills the most, so reductions in the intensity and frequency of those activities offer the most significant savings. Energy monitors help you understand where most of your electricity is going in your home and which appliances use the most electricity daily.

Below are some examples of ways you can leverage renewable energy sources and reduce your dependence on fossil fuels:. Solar panels can help you use available energy from the sun to power your home, so you can harness that energy to power your home. You can install solar batteries when you install solar panels, allowing you to store the extra solar energy your panels generate when the sun goes down as well as other benefits like increased energy savings.

An alternative to having two different HVAC systems to heat and cool your home, air source heat pumps are a type of heating and cooling system that moves heat inside during the winter and outside during the summer.

An HVAC system uses the most energy of anything in the home. Heating and cooling use about half of your home's energy, according to the U. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. It varies greatly depending on location and home size. Department of Energy. Electricity usage is typically highest during the summer months when homes and offices use air conditioning to stay cool.

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