Subscribe: A Fan of Fans: Save Energy and Money
We installed ceiling fans to save fuel–did you know that ceiling fans can reduce your energy bill by as much as 15% both in the winter as well as in the summer?
Just hit the reverse switch and the current will push down the hot air that has risen to the ceiling, heating the room more efficiently. And more efficient heating equals big savings as energy costs rise.
On most summer days, we just used our ceiling fans and then turned on our whole house fan in the evening on the hottest days.
Home Depot has great guides to selecting a ceiling fan and installing a ceiling fan and even has a section of video instructions so you can do this project yourself and save even more money. If you need a little more guidance, you can check out the home improvement clinics at your local Home Depot.
With these guides, we were enjoying our new fan in just a couple of hours. The ease of the project will depend on your attic access and whether or not you have an existing electrical box.
And good air circulation does more than just save you money and protect the environment, it may also reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) for babies. A recent study suggests that using a fan may cut the rate of SIDS by as much as 72% (Find out more ways to reduce the risk of SIDS).
Now that I know about the heating and health benefits of using ceiling fans, I’ll keep using mine through the winter.
Money and fuel are both finite resources, so I am always looking for energy-saving solutions that are better for the environment and for my budget.
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Win It: The Home Depot is offering a $50 Gift Card to one Mamanista reader.
Just leave a comment on this post by November 24, 11:59 PM EST, letting us know how you conserve energy at your house.
If you would like a second and third entry, just subscribe (and confirm your subscription) to our e-mail digest and/or our semi-monthly newsletter (if you are already subscribed, you are eligible) and leave a separate comment letting us know you are a subscriber.
Win More: Do you have energy-saving tips to share? Submit an original video that shows how you save energy in your home at homedepot.com/youtube and you might win a $5,000 gift card and up to $2,000 in insulation or radiant barrier insulation for your home!
We use energy efficient lightbulbs for everything!
Turn down the heat when not at home. Nothing new in that.
I open the blinds when it is chilly outside to let the sun warm up the house (keep them closed during summer), use energy efficient light bulbs, use ceiling fans to circulate the air and make sure there are no leaks around windows and doors.
We keep our heat down during the night.
I am also an Email Digest subscriber. Thanks for the terrific giveaway!
I turn off the lights when I am not using them. I also try to keep my heat and air set a reasonable temperatures.
Keep the lights off when we leave the house
Short showers, turn the water off while soaping up.
We’ve turned down the heat this year and I put up graphic signs (pretty and perfect for non-readers) to remind the entire family to turn off those lights when they leave a room!
We try and turn lights off when not in use, open up the house and not use the AC, and turn down the water heater temp..
I take our clothes out of the dryer before they’re dry, and I always turn off appliances and lights.
We do several things. We use energy efficient light bulbs; we turn off lights when we leave a room; we save using large appliances (dishwasher, washer/dryer) for early morning or late night. During the day, all the blinds are open so we don’t need to use lights, and the heat from the sun lets us run the heat less (it’s normally set to 65 degrees).
We do more stuff, but I don’t want to write a novel. :)
I go behind everyone turning off lights and other electrical things.
turn off all the lights when not in the room. ac/heater is off while not at home.
I installed a programmable thermostat to regulate the heat/air conditioning when we’re away from home. I also have installed several CFL lighbulbs.
Turning everything off before I leave for work. And keeping the heat down in the winter by dressing warm.
We’ve replaced our light bulbs with evergy efficient ones.
We have also put power strips in each of our room so can turn them off except when charging our phone, ipod etc. So as to not drain power just by have the cords plugged in.
One day we turned everything off we oculd in the house and then took the kids al outside to watch the power meter run, then we went back in the house turned on all of the lights, the tv’s the stero, etc. Then went back outside and you could see the power meter running faster. It was a good object lesson on how much power gets used when things get left on. The kids (we have 6) have been much better about turning things off now.
We have changed all our lightbulbs to energy efficient bulbs. It saves energy & our electric bill. We also use ceiling fans instead of running the AC all the time.
We use flourescent lightbulbs everywhere, and always turn lights off in rooms we’re not using at the moment.
I agree that celing fans help–we have them in 3 rooms. We also replaced our lightbulbs with the new energy efficient ones and we keep the thermostat at appropriate levels.
We use ceiling fans, power strips (to easily turn off our computers/tvs @ night) & the energy saving bulbs are a must. This month we saved $100.00!
Energy efficient appliances, ceiling fans, energy saving light bulbs, and setting the thermostat down in the winter help us save energy.
I tack up a queen sized flannel sheet over the sliding glass door. During the day I use a ribbon to bring it together and tie it in the middle, allowing sun to shine through. I actually had a neighbor comment on how darling it was and where did I buy it! :)
I subscribed – I’d LOVE a Home Depot Gift Card and all the great ideas from your newsletter!
keep lights off in rooms your not using.
we use CFL lightbulbs, recycle, and buy less food.
We keep the temperature low in the winter and high in the summer, and off when it’s temperate.
By keeping the heat set at 60.
I conserve energy by keeping the shutters closed in the summer and having them open in the winter (so sun light comes in). Also I hang the clothes to dry on the line at night. Especially my cloth diapers!
I turn off the power-switch on the power strips before going to bed.
We have switched almost all of our light bulbs to energy efficient ones; this summer, we line-dried almost all of our laundry. I have the heat set at 66 in the winter, the air set at 76 in the summer, and I use ceiling fans. Thanks!
We keep the lights off when not in use and use heavy bedding to keep warm at night.
At our home we have good natural light and we hardly ever have to turn on a light in the daytime. If we are not watching TV it is turned off and never kept playing when no one is in room watching it. At night we turn lights off when exiting that room. Also we cut heat or air off on days when it is not needed. We dress cool in summer and warm in winter in our home. We are replacing our light bulbs with the newer efficient ones. We are not cheapos’ we just don’t like to waste our earths precious energy.
When we go to sleep we shut the heat off and also when we go out for any length of time
WE TURN THE HEAT DOWN WHEN WE LEAVE FOR WORK
I had my husband winterize all the windows. It is an older home and we used the foam for all areas where we could feel a draft.
I shut the heat off during the day when everyone is at work and I shut off lights all the time! Plus I read that plugged in appliances suck electricity so I unplugged my toaster, toaster oven, coffee pot and can opener. I only plug them in to use them and then unplug again.
I always turn any extra lights off. I fuss and fuss if someone leaves a room for an extended period of time and leaves the lights on or the tv.
We use ceiling fans during the summer rather than the air all the time. We open the curtains to let the sun warm the house when it is cool out and leave them closed when it is hot out to avoid the house heating up. We also burn wood all winter to avoid running the furnace.
We have energy saving light bulbs throughout the house.
I turn off lights when we leave EVERY room.
I am a subscriber and save energy by having just replaced our furnace and water heater with energy effecient models!!
we use energy efficient lighting and I have cut down on our shower times
I use the diswasher, washer, dryer and oven at night during non-peak hours!
We turn off all the lights unless we are in the room. Also turn the heat down to 55 at night. During the day, it’s kept at 62. It’s actually comfortable which tells me that this house is well insulated.
Turn the thermostat down to 62 in the winter and 80 in the summer
subscriber
We switched to effecient light bulbs and keep lights on at night to a minimum!
I use both of my ceiling fans all the time and have put in the new curly light bulbs, I also turned my thermostat down and wearing warmer clothes. Thank you for the giveaway.
I have become very conscious of the packaging of items I buy – and use reusable cloth bags at the grocery store.
We use ceiling fans rather than a/c when possible, only turn on a/c a couple hours a day during the summer and use energy efficient light bulbs.
I save energy in my place by cutting down the time I turn the heat on, by wearing extra clothes when I am cold.
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I am an email sub’ to your blog.
I am a sub’ of your monthly newsletter.
We have water saving shower heads.
We use energy efficient lightbulbs for all of the lights in our house! Thank you for the chance to win such a great prize
I am a subscriber :)
I have changed a good amount of light bulbs in our house from incadescent to dimmable flourescent bulbs. Winter we are dialed down to 65 during day and 62 at night. I like the cool nights for sleeping
We use ceiling fans and power strips to turn off tv’s that aren’t being used. Love the light bulbs also.
We have a digital thermostat that automatically turns the heat down during the day. When it’s light out we never turn the lights on, we just open all the curtains. Everything gets shut off when we leave a room.
I’m a subscriber! Thanks!
I am a subscriber
My husband just put plastic on all the windows for winter,an put new door strips to prevent any leakage of air,an we keep the theromstat at 66 during the winter
I like to keep the windows open as much as possible to utilize the natural air flow. We use fans as well – I somehow feel I breathe easier when they’re on! Earlier this year we also went around and replaced all our old bulbs with energy efficient lightbulbs.
Thanks for this great giveaway!
We don’t run the A/C or Heater during the day while we’re gone.
And I’m a subscriber!
I do all of our laundry one load right after another so th dryer stays warm. Thanks for the chance.
I am a subscriber.
We use a programable thermostat.
We’ve got the fancy fancy lightbulbs haha, and we keep the lights off as much as possible.
I try not to use my dryer very much. Instead, I hang our clothes up. We also try to be conservative when using our air and heat.
We turn off all lights when not using, use energy-efficient bulbs and hang out the washing to dry during the summer.
I always hang my clothes out whenever possible to reduce my familys energy consumption
We unplug infrequently used items like the toaster and treadmill. There really is no reason to keep these things “warmed up.”
We are really trying to turn lights off when not in use but we also switched to cfl’s, just in case. Also, unplugging any electronics not in use to stop “ghost” electricity waste. THanks for the great contest!
We burn candles at night time. It saves alot on the electric bill.
This family is huge on conserving energy. We switched all our light bulbs to energy efficent ones. We have a LG energy star washer/dryer. We keep lights/tv off as much as possible. We save water by not running diswasher everyday also. OK this sounds gross but my husbend told me not to flush during the night and wait until morning because every flush wastes a gallon of water. I’m pregnant and go every 5 min so that’s why I got that speech but I bet it will make a difference in our water bill. Thanks.
I subscribe
Just upgraded to energy star applainces and I’ve put my tv/dvd etc on a powerbar so there no extra electricty use dot keep them on stand by
i keep shutting off lights no one is using and getting into trouble because of it
I love squiggly lite bulbs and we have a programmable thermostat! And I am the light police in our house turning off unnecesary light switches!
We use CFL’s and try not to heat or cool the house too much.
We usually do not run the heat or air conditioning in the months of September and October – we use the ceiling fans instead. We also use low watts bulbs whereever possible
Keep all unnecessary lights or tvs turned off!!
All our light bulbs are energy efficient,wash all my laundry in cold water,turn off lights,turn down heat and air.
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we bought a thermostate, thats computer controlled and we programmed it to heat the house up from 6 am- 10 :30 am until sun comes out. then at night it heats back up at 8pm -11 pm at night. then when at night it cools down and we use blankies.
also, we put a extra layer of installation in the attic.
we are hoping to be able to spray foam the seal plate on the house.
We replaced the weather striping around the windows and doors
We use energy saving lightbulbs, wash everything in cold water and air dry as much as possible. We also plan to insulate our water heater.
one of my favorite stores
i’m subscribed
energy efficient light bulbs, turn lights off when not is use, unplug items not in use..thanks for the opp!
Did you know how much cool or warm air we loss when we run the exhaust fan in our bathrooms? I sure didn’t until I read tips on conserving power in a magazine recently! So we try to use our exhaust fans sparingly now.
one easy way is to keep closet doors closed
storm windows
We live off-grid, so we are very careful (and conscious!) of how much power we use.
One example: our TV and DVD player are plugged into a power bar, which we turn off whenever not in use to eliminate phantom loads.
I’m also a subscriber! Thanks : )
I use energy saving bulbs only.
We use energy efficient light bulbs, try to turn off any lights we don’t need and we keep the temp down low in the winter.
We turn off things that are not in use. WE use CFL bulbs. We keep the heat as low as we can!
We have been trying to train the kids to turn off the lights and tv when they are not in the room. We have also been trying to teach them to conserve water. Thanks for the contest!
I unplug electronics that are not in use (i.e., DVD player), and I never turn on the light when I go to the bathroom at night. lol
I’m a subscriber.
To conserve energy we close vents in room we aren’t often in and we recaulked our windows this year too.
Turn off the lights and keeping the thermostat turned down a couple of degrees in the winter.
I use candle instead of lights.
In my house we always turn the light off when we leave a room, I get yelled at if I don’t!! And we take short showers, recycle, and we also wash our clothes in cold water.
lights off, items unpluged, conserve water and gas, recycle
Thank you for offering this great giveaway.
We conserve energy by making sure all lights are put off in whatever room we are not using. We also use energy efficient bulbs throughout our home. We also keep our thermostadt on 62 during the winter to help conserve our energy costs.
Thanks so much.
We are careful to keep lights off when rooms are not in use and keep the heat down when possible!
cjnedrow@gmail.com
I am a subscriber!
cjnedrow@gmail.com
We use the high efficiency light bulbs, or at least we are installing them as our other bulbs die. We also unplug anything we arent using with the exception of the TV. Its just a pain to reprogram its color settings and such.
We unplug everything electric (that we can) at night time, we have thrown out all of our “normal” light bulbs and we Never turn on the heat in the winter! (& I’m in Canada, but not the cold part of Canada)
I’m subscribed!
Thanks
With the high cost of heating an older home, My husband and I have ran around doing everything we could to lower the cost! We have changed windows, added insulation and even changed our light bulbs!
I turn off the lights whenever I can!
I subscribed!
We keep all lights in empty rooms off, we also switched over the energy saving bulbs. We also burn candles when watching TV. I was only in cold water and hang stuff like sheets, tableclothes and towels outside to dry.
Don’t need lights in a room;turn them off.Not using the computer tonight;turn it off.
we bought a digital thermostat so we can set the heat to react when we are here and when we are not
My hubby seals up the windows to keep the cold air out and to keep the heat in.
Turn the lights out, and my dad put tint on the windows a few years back and that really seemed to make a difference.
We live in a very cold climate and it is a must to seal up windows and doors.. Would be surprised how little you need to do to save a lot of $$$$
Programmable thermostats
energy efficient lightbulbs and turn down my heat when I am not home and when I go to bed sometimes I just wear a sweater and just keep it turned down
I have changed most of light bulbs to florescent bulbs.
We installed an attic fan in the window that really pulls all the hot air out of the house in the summer. We’ve eliminated the need for air conditioning on most summer days.
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I subscribed to your monthly newsletter.
I keep the heat turned down and open to curtain open to let the sunlight in.
I close the vents in unused guestroom and keep the door shut.
We set the thermostat so low my fingers get down right chilly. But, I can always throw on a blanket!
New furance, lower heat temp. and blinds open when the sun is out during the winter, to take in the heat.
energy efficient light bulbs, we keep the heat or air at a reasonable level and turn it off and use our fans when we can. We turn off lights when we leave a room and even the tv if we leave.
Lights out until dark. Doors open when outside is colder then inside.
We use energy efficient light bulbs & we turn them off when we don’t need them!
Thanks for the contest :-)
We switched to flourescent bulbs in most of our fixtures & keep the thermostat at 70.
We conserve energy by using a programmable thermostat and energy efficient lightbulbs.
Thanks for the giveaway!
We use energy efficient light bulbs and turn lights out when we leave a room.
we use ceiling fans to keep from using the ac too much
This is a great giveaway. I’m hoping that people will read through all the postings and get more ideas on how to conserve energy. We do several things; we changed all the light bulbs to the long term energy saving bulbs, we unplug EVERY item in the house when not in use, we wash practically everything in cold water, we take 3 minute showers (on timers), we’ve changed our toilets to the energy effecient dual kind to conserve water, we use the crock pot for cooking alot more because it doesn’t use as much energy as the oven, we keep the heat at 60 during the night and at 68 during the day, we installed double paned energy efficient windows (what a difference!)and we double insulated the attic. These are just the things that come to my immediate mind. We have been vigiliant about energy saving in our home. It is very important to us. I hope this gives others some ideas as well.
e try to use and reuse and I am a BIG fan of freecycle, if you haven’t tried it you can give and get free items that can be reused
Snuggle with mate on a cold night!!!
We added insulation to help conserve energy.
I hang my wash to dry outside, weather permitting.
Extra blankets in the winter, keeping central air at a certain level, closing lights when rooms are not in use, washing in cold water… etc.
My household uses a HE washer and dryer, energy saving fluorescent bulbs, and we are part of Toronto, Ontario’s PeakSaver program just to name a few ways we try to conserve energy.
Keep the heat down, wear wool, and snuggle with the cats
heat down during the night
I have ceiling fans in almost every room. I recycle most things. I use energy saving light bulbs. We practically never turn on the heat or the air conditioning (unless its freezing or sweltering–which luckily it doesn’t very often in Southern California)
We changed all our light bulbs to energy efficient bulbs.
I am a subscriber.
We use surge protector/ power strips to eliminate all that “vampire” power used by electronics that are “off” but still drawing power (e.g. all those devices with a little glowing red light on them)
Thanks!
We use the curly light bulbs that save energy. We watch TV with the lights off. I use an energy efficient washing machine. Thanks for your giveaway!
I turn out a lot more lights, and I replaced almost every bulb with new energy-efficient bulbs.
We zoned the heating and cooling. We only heat or cool the rooms we are using. I can heat only the bathroom in the morning and then leave for work.
We unplug electronics when they are not in use, turn off the light when we leave the room, and have been using candles instead of the heater.
We use energy efficient lightbulbs for everything!
use energy efficient lightbulbs, turn off lights when not in use. Try to hang clothes up to dry outside when nice out.
I’m a subscriber!
To conserve energy we turn off lights & small appliances/electronics when not in use/needed, use energy efficient light bulbs, keep my thermostat set at 68 degrees/natural gas heating (ND winters brrr!), during summertime we leave our windows open at night to cool the house so air conditioning in rarely needed, cold water used in washing clothes, walk or bike when possible vs driving our vehicle.
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Just replaced 16 yr old windows with new Energy effcient ones.
We just installed a new Honeywell programmable thermostat.
chuck_paz (at) yahoo (dot) com
I turn down the furnace thermostat at night and use an electric fireplace in the bedroom.
Old fashion clothes lines in place of a gas or electric dryer will save a lot.
I unplug appliances and other things that I don’t use everyday–make sure lights are off when no one is in room and open windows when cool
I changed to all CF bulbs
Energy efficient appliances and decided not to add air conditioning to our house.
Lignts off, heat down…no lights on unless someone is in the room (except for night lights)…heat gets turned down at night and when we are not home.
Thanks for entry!
am subscribed. thanks again
With a programable thermostat.
We turn off the lights as we leave the room to save electricity
I make sure I always have full loads for washing clothes and dishes. I’m using CF bulbs where possible and I make an effort to turn lights off when not needed.
We’re slowly saving money to replace all our appliances with Energy Star appliances. In the meanwhile we have installed compact fluorescent lightbulbs in the house.
We hang our clothes to dry outside.
We keep our heat down and use more blankets.
I’ve replaced all my lightbulbs with energy efficient lightbulbs and I keep those off in rooms that are not in use.
We use a woodburner during the winter months. Stays nice and warm…and saves money.
Energy efficient lightbulbs and turn off the lights when I leave rooms.
We use energy efficient lightbulbs for everything and Always dry our clothes outside
We switched out our bulbs and unplud items not being used.
We take quick showers, turn off lights when leaving the room, and use cold water to wash almost all clothes. Thanks!
Turn off the vampire electronics and energy efficient lightbulbs.
I keep the thermosat on 57 degrees at night and when at work and when home about 62 degrees in the winter. I wear layers inside or use a portable heater since only in one room at a time. All clothes get washed in cold water and heavy items like towels and sweatshirts get hung outside. We installed energy efficient windows and back and front doors. We insulated the attic and basement. I unplug the TV’s and dvd & stereo when not in use. We use the ceiling fans mostly in the summer and jump in the pool to cool off and cook outside on the grill.
I am always running around making sure that lights and other electrical appliances that are not in use are turned off. Additionally, we are slowing switching our bulbs to energy efficient ones.
I keep afghans and blankets around so everyone can grab one if they’re cold. We turn the heat down low at night and if we’re gone. We actually plan a trip to Home Depot today to buy
door insulation kits, because they are very drafty.
smchester at gmail dot com
I keep all the lights out when not in the rooms.
We throw on an extra blanket and turn down the thermostat 4 degrees at night.
This summer we switched all our light bulbs to flousescent and have saved $30 a month on our electric bill!
We unplug everything when not in use.
I use energy efficient light bulbs, use ceiling fans to circulate the air and make sure there are no leaks around windows and doors.
When I remodeled, I put skylights in my new bathroom, guest room and office. I rarely need to turn on the lights in those rooms since they have ambient light all day.
I use low wattage light bulbs, cold cycle in the wash, keep the thermostat on 65 in the winter.
We use the new light bulbs. We have energy efficient appliances. In the summer, I keep the curtains closed to keep out the hot sun, but in the winter, the curtains are kept open to help warm the house.
We do a few things:
1. our 3 year old is a light police in her house and her job is to always supervise what lights are on.
2. we only wash clothes in cold water
3. we only use the dishwasher since it uses water more efficiently
4. we bathe the girls together.
5. we use the new bulbs in lamps
6. we recycle
7. We open windows for air
8. we stopped using paper towels and only use towel rags and since we use organic spray cleaners, we can wash with our regular loads of laundry.
jennifer august at yahoo dot com
We use the new energy-efficient light bulbs.
We replaced all our light bulbs with low energy ones.
We use the energy-efficient bulbs.
I have the kids always make sure they turn the lights off.
We installed fans.
We don’t live in an enormous house.
Only run the washer, and dishwasher when its full.
Take short showers.
Hopefully installing a new on demand water heater soon. (fingers crossed.)
Unplug anything that is not in use.
etc., etc.
Thanx for the contest.
I have started using energy efficient light bulbs and have installed a programable themostat
keep heat lower and not turn on lights in rooms we are not it
I had “Radiant Barrier” sprayed in the attic of my new home.
We don’t use the heat unless absolutely necessary!
cfl bulbs, turn off thermostat when not home
We use energy efficient lightbulbs and I keep my heat down
We have switched to CFL bulbs throughout the house, we have ceiling fans in almost every room to circulate the air, and we winterize the windows and doors
use energy efficient lightbulbs everywhere. Leave the heater down and use a small heater in gthe room where we are during the day.
Keep the heat set low and wear extra layers of clothes.
I’m nearly finished putting up the window plastic for the winter (really helps keep the gas bill down), and we switched the light bulbs to the energy saving type.
We have energy saving bulbs throughout the house.
we use a programable thermostate
We unplug energy “vampires” (plugged in appliances we aren’t using)
I only wash large loads of clothing. I turn off the shower water during soaping up. Unplugged everything that isn’t being used. Upgraded and adjusted thermostat.
We use a programmable thermostat, most of our lights are on sensors that turn them off after no motion in the room for a set amount of time. We also just installed a heat pump.
I keep lights turned off that aren’t needed.
I am a subscriber
We are using in the bedrooms heavier lined curtains on the windows
We’ve replaced all our lightbulbs with energy efficient ones, we put a sweater on instead of turning on the heater, and we turn all lights off if we’re not in a room. Thanks for offering this contest!
suzila@gmail.com
Keep heat down and wear a sweater!
We have switched to florescent bulbs, we use “energy saver” appliances, we have a blanket wrapped around our water heater, I turn off all un-needed lights and appliances, and I run the dishes and laundry during off-peak times.
We turn our heat off at night, unless it is extremely cold out. Brrrr. Some of our windows get covered with plastic in the winter. We do not use the new energy saving light bulbs, because of the mercury in them. Waiting for a much safer option. Thank you.
turn off the lights when no one is in the room, use “energy saver” bulbs. wear sweats to help keep warm
We’ve turned the thermostat down and our replaced all light bulbs with energy savers.
I do not keep the heat high, just enough so there is not a chill. I do the laundry and also the dishwasher at night.Wel also watch that we do not leave lights on.
I figure every litle bit helps. :)
All of our lightbulbs in the house are the energy efficient ones and we only leave lights on in the room we’re using.
We installed CLFs, and two ceiling fans.
Thermostat set at 85 for the summer lowering to 80 about an hour before bedtime, 65 for winter, lowering to 55 at bedtime.
We have single glazed windows, so invested in solar screens, makes it much more comfortable in the summer and also works as an insulating layer in the winter.
Laundry and dishwasher before noon or after 8pm, (full loads only).
We have an energy star thermostat.
We have CFLs.
We added insulation to the attic.
We keep it a bit cooler in the house in the winter and wear warmer clothes!
We close off all room that we don’t use to save on heat and use energy effcient lighting. Use bath water for two or more people to bath.
I have started using energy efficient light bulbs and have a programable themostat. We have added insulation recently
We don’t use the furnace at night; rather, we use nice blankets and each other’s warm touch.
I turned the thermostat down in the winter and up in the Summer and have replaced all light bulbs with energy savers
besides switching to cfl bulbs we also installed power strips for most of the electronics in the house, when we are not using them we turn off the power strip so we do not use the “stand-by energy” that is wasted after the electronics like cellphones and flashlights are done charging. we also heat with wood so we do not have to use the electricity or oil furnace much.
Cool in winter and warm in summer. cfl
I was raised in a home where if an appliance wasn’t in use, it was not plugged in until you were actually going to use it. My mom was green before the trend! I’ve definitely continued this and notice a marked difference in my electric bill compared to my neighbor. We also use CFL’s, and everyone sits down for their meals at the same time so the oven and or microwave isn’t always running all day at different times.
Go around and turn out the lights and tv my husband leaves on all day.
We hold off on turning on the heat for as long as we can by wearing sweaters and big yummy socks, cuddling up more and big mugs of hot tea go a long ways.
We use those low energy light bulbs. They are good.
We use the energy saving light bulbs and we also just bought a pellet burner – which works awesome!
We buy energy efficient appliances and use a programable thermostat.
I unplug a lot of things I do not use regularly.
Saves me maybe $10 a month on my electric bill.
we dont use the dryer to dry clothes, we hang them out
A setback thermostat. Otherwise it would run all day! Thanks for a great contest!