Easy Ways to Save Energy

Energy Saving Tips -A home that saves energy is a home that saves money. Take the power into your own hands — browse our collection of tips and tools below to keep your home operating efficiently.

At Home

• Turn your thermostat down. Lowering your heating temperature is the most effective way to save energy. Each degree you lower your thermostat can reduce your heating energy consumption by as much as two percent.
• Turn heat off in unoccupied rooms. If you can adjust heat on a room-by-room basis, reduce the temperature to 55 degrees in rooms you’re not using.
• Replace furnace filters regularly. As an air filter works, dust and particulates stick to it, making it harder for air to pass through. The result is your system works harder, and your energy bill goes up.
• Stop drafts. Make sure your doors and windows are kept closed during the winter. Install or repair weather stripping or caulking to eliminate cold drafts.
• Turn lights off when a room is vacant. Replacing traditional bulbs with LED bulbs can also save you money, as LED bulbs are 80% more energy efficient.
• Turn electronics off. When you’re not using stereos, televisions and other electronics, turn them off. Turn off computers and monitors, or set them to go into sleep mode if they are idle.
• Reduce unnecessary exterior lighting. Turn off unnecessary ornamental lighting. Turn off exterior lighting during the day.
• Turn your hot water heater down. Setting water heating thermostats to 120 degrees reduces standby loss and lowers the risk of scalding.
• Reduce hot water use. Showers use less heated water than baths. Try shortening your showers by a few minutes. Install low flow showerheads and faucet aerators if you don’t already have them. Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when full.
• Call us at 888-883-9879 or email rebates@esgroupllc.com for information on all of our energy efficiency programs.

At Work

• Turn off equipment and tools. Turn off unneeded computers, printers, and copiers at night. Turn off processing equipment during off shifts or when it is not needed. Activate energy-saving features on computers, copiers and printers to save energy during the workday.
• Turn off lights when you leave a room. Flip off the light switch at night, or during lunch and when out of your work area. The most savings occurs when you manually switch off lights every time you leave an area.
• Turn off electric space heaters. Always turn off all electric heaters at night, at lunch, and on weekends. For fire safety, disconnect unattended heaters.
• Reduce exterior lighting. Maintain photo cells or set timers so exterior lights are off during the day.
• Reduce work area lighting. The human eye is highly adaptable to reduced lighting levels. Lights near windows can often be completely off during the day.
• Turn lights off after hours. After business hours, turn on only the lights in occupied work areas. If you get to work early or work after regular hours, use only the lights you need.
• Adjust the thermostat. During occupied hours, set thermostats at 68-70 degrees for heating and 74-76 degrees for cooling. After hours, adjust the thermostat to 55-60 degrees for heating and 80 degrees for cooling.
• Close doors and windows. When the weather is either hot or cold, air from outside can have a big impact on energy bills. Keep doors and windows closed when heating or cooling is needed.
• Use window blinds. Direct sunlight can overheat spaces, making the building’s air conditioner work harder. Close or tilt blinds to block direct sunlight. Close blinds at night in winter to reduce heat loss.
• Provide building system training for operation and maintenance staff. Smart operators make a big difference in the comfort and energy efficiency of a building.
• Perform regular maintenance. Regularly change filters, add an economizer for HVAC systems, reset time clocks for daylight savings time, clean lamps and light fixtures, and tune up air conditioning units on a regular basis.