CONSERVATION GUIDE

Lighting

One of the easiest and cheapest places to start saving energy is with lighting.

-Replace your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lights. Compact fluorescents use less wattage (about 1/3 as much electricity) as incandescent bulbs while producing greater lumen output. Although slightly more expensive, a compact fluorescent will easily pay for itself by lasting up to ten times longer than regular bulbs. By substituting compact fluorescent bulbs for a quarter of the incandescent bulbs used in high-use areas, you can cut the amount of electricity you use on lighting by half – saving money and the environment.

-Replace outdoor lighting with a motion-detector equipped fixture. Outdoor lights that are left on all night can add unnecessary costs to your power bill. Motion detectors solve this problem!

-Replace old appliances with more efficient models. Though buying a new appliance isn’t cheap, replacing an old dishwasher – or an old refrigerator, washing machine, air conditioner, or furnace – with a new energy efficient model can really save energy and money. Look for “Energy Star” products as a minimum; some models can even be more efficient. And though buying a new appliance is a major investment, many states and utility companies offer substantial credits or other incentives to replace an outdated appliance with a more efficient one.

Water Heater

-Lower the water heater to 120 degrees and drain any sediment. Heating cold water is one of the most energy intensive tasks in the house, and so is a great place to save energy. Many water heaters are set too high - your water heater should be set at or slightly above 120 degrees to prevent bacteria from building up. Experts also recommend draining a gallon or so of water from your water heater a few times a year to reduce sediment and increase efficiency.

-Add insulation to the water heater. Insulation will reduce the amount of time it takes for hot water to reach the tap, saving water and energy. Most hardware stores sell pre-made insulator “jackets” for $10-15 that can be easily wrapped around one’s water heater. Experts estimate that adding insulation to you water heater and any exposed pipes can knock up to 15% off the costs of heating water.

Heating and Air Conditioning

Home heating and air conditioning is the single largest use of energy for the average customer.

-Clean air vents and window units regularly and replace filters often to prevent blockage and increase the efficiency of the unit. You can use your garden hose to remove lint, dust and leaves from outdoor units. Keep shrubs and other objects away from outdoor units to allow the fan to circulate air properly.

-Replace old heating and cooling systems with new efficient models. Within a short time, the efficiency will more than pay for itself and you will be decreasing harm to the environment.

-Check for and seal cracks or gaps. Since experts estimate that all of the tiny gaps and cracks in a building are roughly equivalent to a one- foot square hole punched in your wall, sealing any cracks or gaps with caulking and weather stripping, and installing storm windows can greatly improve energy efficiency.

Become water conscious and learn new habits. Using water wisely saves money and reduces water system demands. Following are some simple ways to conserve water:

Indoor Water Use

Use your water meter to detect leaks. Start by turning off all faucets and water using devices and make sure no one uses water during the testing period. Take a reading on your meter, wait 30 minutes, then take a second reading. If the dial has moved, you have a leak.

Commodes

-Older toilets (installed prior to 1994) use 3.5 to 7 gallons of water per flush and as much as 20 gallons per person per day.

-Replacing an older toilet with a new model can save 7,900 to 21,700 gallons of water per year, cutting both your water and wastewater bills.

-Toilet testing: Toilets can account for as much as 40% of all indoor water use and leaks in the average household. Check them by placing a few drops of food coloring in the tank. If after 15 minutes the dye appears in the bowl, the toilet has a leak. Leaky toilets can be repaired inexpensively by replacing the flapper.

-Install an ultra low-flow toilet that requires only 1.6 gallons per flush.

-When installing a low-flow toilet in areas with a low drainage gradient, such as basements, consider a pressurized model.

-Reduce the amount of water used by an older toilet by placing a one gallon plastic jug of water or two one quart bottles in the tank to displace toilet flows. Or you can install a “dam” that partitions off a section of the tank so it can’t fill with water. These methods can save over 1,000 gallons of water per person per year.

Faucets/Showerheads

The third highest use of indoor water is bathing and because most of us use warm water, it’s also the second highest use of energy in the home.

-Check for leaky faucets. Dripping faucets can usually be repaired by replacing the rubber ring or washer inside the valve.

-Install a water-efficient showerhead with a flow rate of less than 2.5 gallons per minute. (Replace an existing showerhead if a 1 gallon bucket placed under the flow takes less than 20 seconds to fill).

Low-flow shower heads are a worthwhile investment that will reduce the amount of hot water you use and hence the energy needed to heat it.

-Install aerators on your kitchen and bathroom faucets to reduce indoor water use by as much as 4%.

-Turn off the water when brushing your teeth or shaving and save more than 5 gallons per day.

-Clean vegetables in a sink or pan partially filled with water rather than running water from the tap.

-Re-use the water that vegetables are washed in for watering houseplants or for cleaning.

-If you wash dishes by hand, rinse them in a sink partially filled with clean water instead of under running water.

Outdoor Water Use

-Wash your car with a bucket of soapy water and use a nozzle to stop the flow of water from the hose between rinsings. Consider washing your car on the lawn. The rinse water will water the lawn and be diverted from storm drains. Make sure you use and earth-friendly, biodegradable soap!

-Clean driveways and sidewalks with a broom instead of a hose.

-Check for leaks in outdoor faucets, pipes and hoses.

-Prevent the creation of leaks by shutting off and draining water lines to outside spigots in the winter.

Quick Conservation Tips

• Turn off lights and machines when not needed
• Replace light bulbs with lower wattage or compact fluorescents
• Install occupancy sensors and/or timing systems that turn off the lights when no one is the room
• Install a time thermostat to reduce heating and air conditioning during unoccupied hours
• Caulk, weather strip, add invisible plastic layers on windows, and purchase storm windows to save money while keeping warmer in the winter and cooler in summers
• Have your heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems cleaned, serviced or replaced
• Upgrade ceiling insulation to at least R-38. Upgrade walls insulation to at least R-11
• Seal duct joints with mastic or high-quality duct tape, and insulate ducts in unconditioned spaces to reduce the air and energy lost in the course of distributing air to the rooms
• Wrap your water heater to reduce your water heating costs, if your water heater is more than 10 years old
• When replacing windows, choose windows with solar control low-E glass
• Replace old appliances with Energy Star labeled models
• Check often for water leaks in indoor and outdoor faucets and spigots
• Put water saving devices in restrooms and on kitchen faucets
• Install low flush toilets and reduce your water use by more than 2 gallons per flush
• Turn water off while shaving, brushing teeth, rinsing dishes; use dishwasher/washing machine only when full, keep showers short
• Wash clothes with cold water- as much as 90% of the energy used to wash clothes goes into heating water

Green Your Office!

• Use natural light whenever possible.
• Turn all equipment off whenever you can! You can cut your computer’s or copier’s energy use by 65-75% just by turning it off at night. Keep it clean, too, inside and out.
• Install timers/occupancy sensors on lighting systems and office equipment.
• Consider a multi-function machine — a fax, copier, scanner and/or printer in one.
• Purchase office machines that are Energy Star products. This logo, part of an EPA program, guarantees that the machines power down to 30 watts or less when they are inactive. Choose a low-voltage computer, with a low-energy hard drive and good power management features. Consider a low-resolution monitor, a monochrome monitor, or a liquid crystal display monitor.
• Purchase an ink-jet plain paper fax for the lowest energy use, recyclability of paper, or a fax attachment to a laser printer. Also use half page cover sheets, and stick-on fax labels.
• Choose a printer with a double-sided print capability and post instructions at the station to maximize employee use.
• Use e-mail or internal faxes instead of paper faxes when possible.
• Buy chlorine-free, high recycled content printing paper and tissue products.
• Buy remanufacture or refillable toner cartridges for copiers.
• Reuse envelopes, bags and mailers.
• Have boxes of unused stationery made into note pads.
• Stock your office kitchen with glasses, plates and silverware
• Did you know that in 1995 alone, recycled toner cartridges kept over 21,000 tons of trash out of landfills? Find a local business that does printer cartridge recycling or contact the manufacturer of your current toner cartridge and ask about a cartridge recycling program.

For additional energy conservation tips:

www.bhglive.com/homeimp/docs/energcon.htm
www.homeenergy.org
www.acdoctor.com/energy_savers/overview.htm
www.doe.gov

For additional water conservation tips:

www.waterwiser.org
www.enviroscapes.com/
www.epa.gov/ow/