1. Whenever anything is plugged into an outlet, electricity is being pulled out.  When you’re done using chargers for phones and laptops, unplug them.

2. When you aren’t using them, electronic devices like computers, game systems, plasma TVs, and DVD players still use energy, which can add up to about 40% of your electric usage.  Don’t leave them on standby or in sleep mode.  Turn them completely off.

3. Plug all your appliances and battery chargers into a power strip, so you can switch it off or just pull one plug when you leave home.

4. Cold showers would be going too far, but washing your clothes in cold water cuts laundry energy use in half.  Consistently removing lint from the filter before you use the dryer saves money, too.

5. Most of the average household’s hot water goes for showers.  Take ten-minute showers instead of half-hour ones, and save 50% on your water heating.

6. If you’re going to leave your house for a significant period of time, turn the heat down to 58 degrees.  You’ll use a lot less energy warming it up again than you would use keeping it warm the whole time you were gone.

7. Keeping the refrigerator full of food will help it use less energy.

8. Saving energy is an excuse to quit washing dishes by hand and buy a dishwasher.  Even pre-rinsing dishes uses up about 20 gallons of hot water each day.  Scrape the food off instead, and put your dishes straight into the dishwasher.

9. Lower your heat setting by one degree, and save 3% when the heating bill comes.

10. Buy Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) to put in place of conventional bulbs.  CFLs use as much as 75% less energy than regular incandescents do, and they also last 10 times as long.  The average American household would save $180 each year by switching to CFLs.

11. For greater efficiency, locate your refrigerator where it will not be in direct sunlight, and keep kitchen window coverings closed, particularly in the summertime.  Also, do not place the refrigerator next to the stove or dishwasher.

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