No one wants to pay more than necessary on their monthly utility bill. Small changes to habits, like unplugging a phone charger when not in use, can add up to big savings. Consider these 30 tips as some of the easiest steps you can take to reduce energy use and save. Every little bit helps.

1. Shut down your computer station (and TVs, etc.) at night.
2. Replace incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient LEDs.
3. Unplug your gadgets when not in use – even ‘Standby Mode’ uses power.
4. Employ power strips to cut the feed on all those plugs at once.
5. Shut your doors – don’t heat or cool the outdoors.
6. Seal the gaps under doors to minimize waste even more.
7. Turn off the lights in the house in areas that are not in use – rooms, hallways, etc.
8. Use natural light, especially in daytime.
9. Upgrade to automatic lights or timers outdoors.
10. Choose solar-power landscape lighting over hard-wired elements.
11. Spare the dryer and hang wet clothes in the sunlight.
12. Wash clothes in cold water. Only use hot water for very dirty loads.
13. Don’t launder partial loads. Use full loads to reduce energy use.
14. Give your dishwasher a break and wash dishes by hand.
15. When you use the dishwasher, make sure it’s running with a full load.
16. Invest in a pressure cooker to reduce cook-time.
17. Using lids on pots will help make cooking faster and more efficient.
18. Match your cooking pot to the right size burner. Using a larger burner with a small pot wastes heat.
19. Reduce cooking time by completely thawing ingredients first.
20. Plan ahead so those foods can thaw in the fridge, helping keep it cool.
21. Purchase smaller capacity appliances when possible.
22. Give your AC a break in favor of ceiling fans pushing down cool air.
23. Open window coverings on south-facing windows in winter for warming sunlight.
24. In hot weather, close the shades to block the heat.
25. Replace the filter on your HVAC regularly (i.e. once a month).
26. Repair and seal cracked windowpanes ASAP.
27. Invest in a programmable thermostat and put it to best use.
28. Raise your thermostat so your AC runs less while it’s cool overnight.
29. Look for the Energy Star label when buying new appliances.
30. Save about 10% of energy use for each degree you raise your thermostat.

TAKE CHARGE.

Save on your Electric bill and Request our Farmers EC Home Energy Efficiency Guide in the Efficiency hub.