Creating Cool Energy Habits

Some of the best things in life are free. Like the easiest ways to save energy. While some old habits are tough to break, the cool energy habits listed below cost little or no money yet can save substantial amounts of energy.

Hang out more (with a clothesline)
We hang together, or we hang separately—Benjamin Franklin’s wise advice still holds today. Using Hawaii’s trade winds and sunshine to dry your laundry is the best way to go. You’ll save energy – and wear and tear on your clothes! A typical O‘ahu family will save about $300 per year based on typical usage.

Turn off the lights
Dad was right on this one. Turn it off when you leave the room.

Appliance timers
Appliance timers allow for automatic control of air conditioners, lamps, TVs, and appliances. Many models will simply plug in to a conventional wall outlet and allow multiple on-off settings per day.

Eliminate “Phantom Loads”
Sounds scary, doesn’t it? Phantom loads are just devices that suck energy even when they are not in use, such as certain cell phone chargers, computer equipment, and devices that have a “standby” mode. Use a power strip to eliminate these phantom loads. Better yet, put the devices on a power strip with a timer so you can program it to automatically cut off the power at times when you are not using it. Using a power strip to turn off your computer can save 50 kWh and $15 per year.

Some like it hot (but not too hot)
Turn down the temperature of your electric water heater to the warm setting (120°F). Install tank insulation, a heat trap, or a timer on your electric water heater (cost: less than $100).

Air dry dishes
Letting dishes air dry instead of using a dishwasher's heated drying cycle can save around 110 kWh and $33 per year.

Keep cool inside
Limit the amount of time you keep the refrigerator door open and avoid opening the oven door while baking so your kitchen appliances don't have to work so hard to get the job done. Also, don't keep your refrigerator or freezer too cold. Recommended temperatures are 37° to 40°F for the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator and 5°F for the freezer section. If you have a separate freezer for long-term storage, it should be kept at 0°F.

Shorten showers (or shower with a partner!)
Cutting just two minutes per shower could save 1,500 kWh and $460 per year. A low-flow showerhead can save valuable hot water as well (and the new designs keep the water pressure up).

Don’t be a drip
A drop each second can waste about 2,000 gallons of water a year. A leaking hot water faucet wastes both water and up to 400 kWh or $120 per year if you have an electric water heater.

Wash clothes in cold water
Switching from Hot Wash/Warm Rinse to the Cold/Cold cycle on a standard, top-loading washing machine for just two loads a week can save 225 kWh and $68 per year.

Seal it up
Make sure your refrigerator door seals are airtight. Test them by closing the door over a piece of paper so it's half in and half out of the refrigerator. If you can pull the paper or bill out easily, the seal may need replacing, or you might consider buying a new ENERGY STAR unit. To check newer magnetic door seals for leaks, check with the manufacturer.

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