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Take advantage of this weekend's Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday - where Texas shoppers get a break from state and local sales taxes when they purchase certain energy efficient appliances. |
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Set your thermostat at 78 when you are home and 85 degrees when you are away.
Each degree cooler or warmer will increase your energy use by 6 to 8%. |
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Clean or replace air conditioner filter and coils or
have your air conditioning unit serviced to cut 15% of cooling costs.
And make sure to turn your system off if you leave for the entire weekend. |
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Eliminate wasted energy. Turn off your lights when you leave the room. And sit down with your kids and challenge them to do the same. |
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Unplug or recycle that spare refrigerator in the garage if you don’t truly need it — this extra appliance adds 10-25% to your electric bill. Or take advantage of the sales tax holiday to replace it with a more efficient model. |
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Install a programmable thermostat.
It can save up to $160 per year and pays for itself in 6-9 months. |
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Replace two (or more if you can) incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, which use one-fourth the energy and last up to seven times longer.
90% of the energy used by incandescent bulbs produces heat, not light.
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In the morning, close your blinds and drapes so the house stays darker and thus cooler. |
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Seal cracks, gaps, leaks and add insulation to save up to 20% on home cooling costs. |
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Find or download your past summer electric bills and make a 2010 summer goal to use less kilowatts and save money! |
