Bedroom Energy Saving Tips

"Changing to fluorescent lightbulbs is the easiest thing you can do and it's a no-brainer. At my old house in Montana, the power company gave us an incentive of $1 off each bulb. I googled CFL calculator and it told me how much energy I'd save per bulb. I put in the number of bulbs and the average price for energy in my region and I was blown away. I wrote a letter to the editor telling how it would save me $1000 in energy costs and 21,000 pounds of CO₂." -- Chris R, Anchorage AK

"To make a window quilt, measure a window and go to a fabric store. Buy a pre-made product called 'Warm Windows' for $20 a yard, or just some quilted batting. Choose the fabric you want facing into your house. Then sew them together. The really easy way to hang it is to put a dowel rod across the top. It can either roll up on itself, or you can sew two strings down the back-side through small rings so you have accordion blinds. If you put weights in the bottom, it rolls up easier. We put it down at night in the winter time to keep the heat in and allow passive solar coming in during the day. And it keeps out the heat in the summer. This is really useful here in New England where we have temperature extremes and we don't tend to be at home during the day because we're at work." - Kathy W, Lyme NH

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Bathroom Energy Saving Tips

"We didn't have any septic so we designed a gray water system. It has a kitchen sink, bathroom sink and shower. They drain into a 35 gallon pickle barrel. We took a knee-high panty hose to catch the gunk. We have a spigot that runs to a hose. We then use that water for our gardens. We have a dozen garden strips and we don't use any well water. For the two of us, it would only take two days to fill the barrel up, even with low flow aerators on the taps. So that's pretty scary - just washing hands, showers, washing dishes. It's really an eye-opener how much water is not used. We find the garden does much better with the gray water than the rain water." -- Kathy W, Lyme NH

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Living Room and Home Office Energy Saving Tips

"I unplug my stereos and our coffee pots and most everything that's electronic except our clocks because most of these things we don't use on a 24 hour basis. I read a tip somewhere that said even if you are not using something - if your VCR is flashing, it's using energy. And it's such an easy thing to do." -- Kristy J, Manassas VA

"When I got my computer, the technician set it up so it goes asleep - I think it's after 10 minutes of non-use. If you touch the mouse or the keyboard, it doesn't come on, but if you touch the 'on' button it comes back to where you were before." -- Kathy T, Ypsilanti MI

"I never leave my cellphone plugged in. And I always turn off the power strip on my computer because it sucks extra energy up, which goes no where and does nothing." -- Kristin J, Washington DC

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Kitchen and Laundry Energy Saving Tips

"To reduce clothes drying time, I stick a clean, dry towel in the dryer with my wet clothes. The towel absorbs moisture. I also started hanging my clothes outside. I read that the sun is a natural bleacher."

"We started using cloth diapers. We launder them at night to save energy. To offset our energy even more, we purchased renewable energy from our local electricity supplier. It makes us proud to know we are not contributing to our landfills, and that we are getting our electricity from wind, solar, and low-impact hydro." -- Erin M

"We remodeled the kitchen and bought Energy Star appliances (refrigerator and dishwasher) as well as our cabinets coming from Forest Stewardship Council wood. When we put in new floors we used bamboo. And almost all furniture we've bought has been 'second-hand' (i.e. off of craigslist.org). When replacing light bulbs, we ALWAYS put in CFLs. We also insulated the house with reflective insulation." -- Corey Shott, Takoma Park MD

"Our 20-year-old fridge started to leak, and rather than have it repaired, we chose to replace it since we had heard old fridges use a lot more energy. We used the Energy Star refrigerator search to find the most energy-efficient model. It didn't cost any more than other fridges." -- Robert W, Reston VA

"I try to only buy fair trade and/or organic but specifically the Endangered Species Chocolate because a portion of their proceeds go to help protect and preserve approximately 20 endangered species all over the world. It tastes very good. And dark chocolate is very good for you." -- Emily G, Boston MA

"I bought an Energy Star front-loading efficient washer and dryer. I use a special low-suds detergent and cold water. The washing machine really lets you manipulate spin rate, time etc. I like to do as quick washes as much as possible. When I'm washing my dog Henry's blankets for example, I don't want to use a full cycle. Occasionally when I take it something out and it's still sopping wet, I can put it in for a quick spin, which takes less energy in dryer." -- Jennifer G., Alexandria VA

"I use the microwave instead of the oven. It actually saves energy." -- Danielle B, Washington DC

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Garage and Yard Energy Saving Tips

"We never warm up the car before we get in it. If we are at a stop light and we aren't the first person in line, we turn it off. There is a 10 second rule that Vermonters are trying to spread around. It's called Idle-free Vermont. Idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel than it takes to re-start it. We have a lot of one-lane bridges in our town so it happens a lot in our town. Schools and daycares are very concerned about idling and even at the dump there is a sign that says don't idle while you drop off your stuff." -- Margaret F, Huntington VT

"We bought a hybrid Honda Civic because we were concerned about our fuel use. As an added benefit, in our area you can drive in the HOV lanes if you have a hybrid, which cut down my husband's commute time." -- Carla B., Reston VA

"I lived in a neighborhood where there was a lot of construction. I gathered up wood from the roadside where people were throwing it out and made a wooden compost for our leaves. By re-using the wood rather than buying from the store, I saved the energy of cutting and transporting it, as well as saving a tree!" -- Gloria B, Dartmouth NS

"I take the bus and walk to work. We just got our first car - a Toyota Yaris that gets 40 miles to the gallon." -- Mike W, Washington DC

"The wheel fell off my old gas mower and rather than repair it, I bought a push mower because I read that one gas mower emits as much pollution as 11 cars. That was from People magazine so it has to be true! (laughing) The huge side benefits were I got more exercise because you take a little more energy to push it and I could actually have my son out in the yard with me. He was always petrified of the gas mower because it's nasty and filthy and noisy." -- Georgina P, Silver Spring MD

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Heating and Cooling Energy Saving Tips

"We switched to a programmable thermostat. We did that when we first moved into the house because we knew it would save us electricity and money. It took me about 15 minutes to unscrew it and screw it back on and program it. Now we have it set so it comes on in the morning when we are going dressed and goes off when we leave, and comes back on when we get home in the afternoon." -- Glennette C., Washington DC

"Our old water heater was on the fritz, so we got a new one called a Trinity. It's supposed to be 95% efficient. It does have a tank but the tank doesn't lose much heat. There are tankless on-demand water heaters, but based on our water use, the salesman thought having a tank would be important. It will pay itself off in about six years." - Margaret F, Huntington VT

"We heat our house with little corner wood stoves. It becomes an issue to spread around the heat, so we have these little fans to circulate more heat around the house. But at some point the fire dies down and there is no point having the fan still running. We bought a timer at a hardware store for $10 to turn off the fan in the middle of the night. You don't have to program anything - it's a dial." -- Kathy W, Lyme NH

"When I chose my apartment, I made sure I was on the north side of the building to reduce the amount of sun heating up the place. I have a big tree covering my roof so there is less heat in the summer. In winter, my floor is always warm because heat rises from the tenants below. One day I noticed some cold air blowing through my fireplace so I just closed the damper. I also went ahead and changed over to the digital programmable thermostat. It shuts off before I leave for work around 8am and it doesn't come on until about 15 minutes before I get home. I do these things not only for energy savings but for economic reasons just as much. I saw about a 10% drop in my electricity bill." -- Brad N, Marietta GA

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