Summer Energy Saving Tips
When you are away from home for more than two days:
- Turn off your electric water heater at the circuit breaker.
- Unplug appliances that use power in the stand-by mode, such as TVs, VCRs,
microwave ovens, computers, fax machines and printers.
If you can’t stand the heat, don’t get out of the kitchen — do
something about it!
- Turn off the heater on your dishwasher and let the dishes air dry.
- Use your microwave oven instead of your cooktop.
- Change incandescent lights to cooler fluorescent lights. Every
compact fluorescent replacement saves you an average of $30 in its lifetime.
Clean the dust from the coils and motor of your refrigerator to help it
run cooler. Be sure there is 2 inches of room on all sides to vent the heat the
refrigerator produces.
Save $5 to $7 dollars a month by disconnecting a seldom-used freezer or
second refrigerator. Clean out the contents and remove the doors so that
children can't hide in the refrigerator or freezer.
After your house has been closed up during warm days, use your windows and
fans to move hot air out and bring cooler evening air into your home.
If you use an air conditioner, clean the filter and be sure the unit
is properly sealed in its opening. If you have a furnace with a whole-house
circulating fan, clean the filter monthly to reduce dust and improve efficiency.
Let the sun work for you. Dry your laundry outside on sunny
days. It costs 20 cents to 30 cents per load to dry laundry in an electric dryer
at home. The average family can save about $4 per month on the electric bill by
hanging clothes outside to dry.
When you do use your electric dryer, try to do it at night. Your house will be
cooler and you will avoid the peak electricity-use hours of 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Call Tacoma Power at 253-502-8377 for more energy-saving ideas.
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