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Free Tips
Get an energy audit
Reset your thermostats and reduce heating
system usage
Reset your thermostats and reduce cooling
system usage
Tune your refrigerator
Use other large appliances wisely
Turn down your water heater and reduce hot water
usage
Turn off unneeded lights and turn off or unplug
other equipment when it is not being used
Drive smart
Reduce, reuse, and recycle
Get an energy audit. Energy audits can
lead to the adoption of zero-cost and low-cost conservation and efficiency
measures, as well as to the identification of high-return investment opportunities.
Every month, a portion of your electric bill goes to support local energy
efficiency programs. To take advantage of your contributions to these programs,
contact the Cape Light Compact or Nantucket Electric and arrange for an
audit to identify cost-effective ways for improving your energy efficiency.
If you are natural gas customer, contact Keyspan and arrange for additional
energy assessment services and rebates:
- Cape Light Compact: All Cape & Vineyard consumers are eligible
to participate in the Compact's efficiency programs. Call 800.797.6699
to arrange for an audit, and visit the Compact's
website to learn more about its efficiency services and incentives
for different types of consumers.
- National Grid: All Nantucket consumers are eligible to participate
in National Grid's efficiency programs. Visit the company's
website to learn more about its efficiency services and incentives
for different types of consumers.
- Keyspan: All Keyspan customers are eligible to participate
in the company's efficiency programs. Call 800.292.2032 to arrange for
a home energy a'udit or 800.843.3636 to arrange for a business energy
audit, and visit the company's
website
to learn more about its efficiency services and incentives for different
types of consumers.
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Reset your thermostats and reduce heating system usage.
Heating systems consume more energy than any other single end-use system:
- Switch controls to "energy saving" settings, if available.
- Prevent "overheating" in rooms you occupy by turning down the thermostat
at night and turning it back up again in the morning.
- Turn down the thermostat when you leave the house for more than
1 hour.
- Reduce wasted heat in unoccupied rooms by closing doors and turning
thermostats down.
- Move furniture away from radiators and vents to increase heat output
and air circulation.
- Use ceiling and other fans to improve circulation of heated air.
- Open and close your window shades, drapes, or other coverings to
take advantage of solar heat gain during the day and to keep heat in
at night.
- Clean your windows to increase solar heat gain.
- Check and clean air filters frequently.
- Minimize use of bathroom and kitchen ventilation fans.
- Close your chimney damper when the fireplace is not in use.
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Reset your thermostats and reduce cooling system usage.
Air conditioners can be very energy-intensive:
- Switch controls to "energy saving" settings, if available.
- Prevent "overcooling" in rooms you occupy by resetting your thermostats
and/or turning off the system as comfort is achieved and outdoor temperatures
drop.
- Reduce wasted cooling of unoccupied rooms by closing doors and turning
thermostats off.
- Move furniture away from vents to increase cooling output and air
circulation.
- Use ceiling and other fans to improve air circulation.
- Close your window shades, drapes, or other coverings to prevent
solar heat gain during the day.
- Check and clean air filters frequently.
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Tune your refrigerator. These appliances
can account for a significant percentage of electricity usage:
- Switch controls to "energy saving" settings, if available.
- Prevent "overcooling" by using a standard household thermometer
to check and adjust the operating temperatures of your refrigerator
and freezer; the refrigerator should be about 37 degrees
F and the freezer about 3 degrees F.
- Check the gaskets around your refrigerator and freezer doors to
ensure that they are clean and sealed tightly - if you close a door on
a sheet of paper and then can remove the paper easily, you may need
to clean or adjust the gaskets or adjust the doors (or purchase new
gaskets).
- Improve air circulation and heat dissipation by removing accumulations
of dust and dirt from vents and condenser coils and by ensuring that
your refrigerator is not touching a wall or countertop.
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Use other large appliances wisely.
Dishwashers, washing machines, and dryers can all consume significant quantities
of energy:
- Switch all appliance controls to "energy saving" settings, if available.
- Make sure your dishwasher is full before turning it on, and allow
the dishes to air dry instead of using the heating cycle.
- Make sure your washing machine and dryer are full - but not overstuffed - before
turning them on, use warm or cold water settings, and use air dry settings.
- Use a microwave instead of a conventional oven when possible.
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Turn down your water heater and reduce hot water usage.
Water heaters can require a lot of electricity or heating fuel:
- Reset your water heater's thermostat to 120degrees
F or slightly higher as necessary.
- Take shorter showers and shallower baths; and take showers instead
of baths.
- Use the "Cold" and "Warm" settings on your clothes washer, rather
than the "Hot" setting.
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Turn off unneeded lights and turn off or unplug other equipment
when it is not being used. Reducing wasted energy can produce significant
savings:
- Switch all controls to "energy saving" settings, if available.
- Hit the light switch when you leave a room, and turn off unnecessary
outdoor lights when you go to bed.
- Unplug TVs, entertainment systems, appliances, and other equipment
when you are not using them; many of these systems continue to draw electricity
even when they are "off."
- Shut down your computer, printer, and other peripheral devices when
you are done with them for the day.
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Drive smart. As gasoline prices
rise, the advantages of using fuel efficiently increase:
- Inflate your tires to recommended air pressure; if your tires are
not fully inflated, your vehicle's engine must consume more fuel to
travel at the same speed.
- Maintain steady driving speeds, ease off the gas pedal in anticipation
of the need to slow or stop, and minimize rapid accelerations.
- Follow the speed limit on the highway; at higher speeds, it takes
more fuel to overcome wind resistance and road friction.
- Close your windows and use internal vents to reduce wind resistance
on the highway.
- Avoid idling during warm weather and minimize idling during cold
weather.
- Plan your daily errands to minimize distance traveled, and park
your car wisely at malls and shopping centers to eliminate short trips.
- Carpool when possible.
- Walk or ride your bike instead of using your car to make short trips.
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Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Buying less
stuff, using resources more efficiently, and helping transform paper, cardboard,
glass, plastics, metals, and other materials into new products can reduce
the overall amount of energy for which you are accountable:
- Stem your tide of junk mail and request electronic copies of bank
and other statements.
- Use both sides of the paper.
- Separate recyclables from your trash stream and visit recycling
centers at your town's landfill and other locations.
- Donate toys, clothes, and other reusable products to charities,
rather than tossing them in the trashcan.
- Use drop-off boxes at the grocery store (for plastic bags), the
office supply store (for ink cartridges), and other locations.
A recycled plastic bottle puppet
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