Environmental Tips

Turn Off The Lights – By turning off lights when they’re not needed, you can reduce your energy consumption and help reduce air emissions.  Not using four 60-watt incandescent light bulbs for two hours a day saves about $15.00 per year.

Adjust Your Thermostat – Use a programmable air-conditioning thermostat. Simply adjusting your thermostat at night or when no one is at home can reduce your cooling and heating costs.  To reduce energy consumption, set the thermostat at 78 degrees or higher in summer, and at 68 or lower in winter.

Use Compact Fluorescent Lights – Compact fluorescent light bulbs use 67% less energy than incandescent bulbs and can last up to ten times longer.  The average fluorescent light bulb has a lifespan of 6,000 hours.  Replacing the incandescent bulbs in your most frequently used light fixtures with compact fluorescent bulbs can save more than $60 per year in electricity costs.

Recycle Electronics and Batteries – Electronic waste is growing at three times the rate of other trash.  Americans discard 1.5 million computers annually.  Make sure used electronics are donated, reused or recycled.  Always use rechargeable batteries which can be recharged up to 1,000 times and recycled.

Recycle – The average American generates about seven pounds of garbage daily.  By recycling paper, metal, plastic and other household goods, you reduce waste, conserve energy and preserve our natural resources.

Cook Efficiently – Help reduce energy consumption and air emissions by making sure that pots and pans are not smaller in diameter than the stove’s burners.  A 6-inch pot on an 8-inch burner wastes over 40% of the burner’s heat as well as the energy it takes to generate that heat.

Adjust Settings on Your Refrigerator – Of all household appliances, refrigerators consume the most electricity, accounting for 9% of the average home’s total energy consumption in America.  To save money and energy, keep your frig’s thermostat between 38 and 40 degrees. 

Fix Leaks – Check faucets regularly and immediately fix any leaks.  A faucet leaking at one drop per second can waste up to 1,661 gallons of water each year.  If every household fixed just one leaky faucet, we would reduce water use in America by over 13 billion gallons per year.

Wash Full Loads – Ensure that you launder only full loads as opposed to small or partial loads.  Washing full loads of laundry can save the average American household over 3,400 gallons of water each year.  In addition, by using cold water for laundry instead of hot or warm water, you can save more than $30 annually.

Lower the Water Heater Thermostat – For maximum efficiency, turn the thermostat on your home’s water heater to 120 degrees.  You’ll save energy and still have plenty of hot water when you shower.

Plant Shade Trees – Planting deciduous trees on the south and west sides of your house and around your air conditioner will help you save energy by keeping your home shady and cool in the summer and will still allow the sunlight to shine through to warm your home in the winter.

Composting and Mulch – Spreading a thin layer of compost on the grass every spring and mulch around all of your trees keeps your landscaping beautiful and saves money.  Compost and mulch cuts the need for watering in half and makes plants more resistant to drought, disease and pests reducing the need for pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.

Maintain Your Vehicle – With proper maintenance – such as changing oil, checking tire pressure and replacing oil filters – you can reduce your car’s emissions and improve gas mileage up to 5%.  A 5% improvement saves up to 35 cents per gallon of fuel used.

Drive the Speed Limit – By slowing down and avoiding aggressive driving, you can improve your fuel economy by 5% in town and up to 33% on the highway.  Slowing down also helps to reduce air emissions.