Much energy is wasted by air escaping and coming in through cracks around windows and doors. To reduce this waste, just go to your local home improvement store and pick up some weatherstripping to install yourself. It’s a fairly quick and easy task that will save you money over time.


By drying loads back-to-back, you take advantage of retained heat, thus using less energy. Also, put the dryer on the lowest heat setting for most loads (only towels and blankets may require a higher setting).

Most showers use 2-4 gallons of water per minute (depending on the shower head). By cutting your 10-minute shower in half, you could save 10-20 gallons of water. Also, if you have children, try switching them to quick showers instead of baths (which use much more water). In addition, check your water heater setting. It should be 120-140 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep it at the lowest setting that still feels comfortable for you.

Instead of lighting the entire living room or bedroom just to read a book, try using a small reading lamp. No matter what you’re doing, try to light as small a space as possible. And take advantage of natural light when you can.


Do not leave your holiday lights on all day while you are at work – or all night while you are sleeping. Choose a specific time (a couple hours in the evening) to enjoy the festive lights and then turn them off.


These lightbulbs use approximately 75 percent less energy than regular lightbulbs and last 6-10 times longer.


Do you really need to keep the electric can opener and toaster plugged in 24/7? No. And the phone charger that’s plugged into the wall with no phone attached to it? That’s wasting energy, too. Just because a device is not “on” does not mean it is not consuming electricity.


We are, unfortunately, in the habit of leaving the TV and computer on all day – even if we’re not paying attention to either of them. Both of these devices consume a large amount of electricity, contributing to our carbon footprints and energy bills.