We use a lot of energy in our homes, much more than we need to. We heat in summer and we cool in winter, we refrigerate, we do laundry, we turn on lights and we operate a large array of entertainment devices. So what can we do to use less energy?

HEATING

1.Wear warmer clothes.
2.Use fewer rooms.
3.Insulate.
4.At night and cloudy days, close the curtains.

5.Lower high ceilings.
6.If you don't move about much use a radiation heater.

COOLING

1.White is cooler. Drive a white car, paint your house white, use white curtains or blinds. If you have a black tar roof cover it with white pebbles.

2.Turn off as many appliances as possible. Your AC uses as much energy as all your appliances combined just to neutralize the heat they produce.

3.Close your curtains on sunny days (white reflects sunlight).

4.Open windows to let cool air come through.

5.Don't overdress.

6.Plant shady trees outside your windows.

REFRIGERATION

1.Don't overstuff your fridge. If you buy sodas in bulk only put them in when you're about to use them. The less there is in your fridge the less it has to work.

2.Eat what's in your fridge. The longer you leave things in there needlessly the more energy they consume (needlessly). Also keeping things in the fridge a shorter time means you can keep the fridge at the highest temperature setting.

3.Don't place your fridge in the sun, next to heaters, ovens or other places that get hot.

4.Keep your fridge clean, it works more efficiently that way.

LAUNDRY

1.Use energy-efficient programs.

2.Sort your laundry and only wash when you have a full load.

3.On hot days hang your laundry out to dry instead of using your dryer.

LIGHTS

1.Buy energy efficient bulbs.

2.Install motion detectors to turn lights on and off in hallways and staircases.

3.Put timers on lamps in inconvenient places or on those you sometimes forget to turn off.

COMPUTERS

1.Turn off you computer, screen, printer and speakers at night.

2.Use the energy saving settings on your computer.

3.Don't put your computer in the sun or other hot places. It will spend a lot of energy on cooling.

RECHARGING

1.Charge all your rechargeable appliances on one power strip. Put a timer on the power strip, powering it only a couple of hours a night. Your appliances will keep sucking power even though they are fully charged if you don't cut of power.

2.Try and use as much battery power as possible before recharging.

RANDOM APPLIANCES

1.Don't keep your appliances on standby.

2.Unplug appliances you don't use. A lot of appliances have little clocks inside that consume power even if you don't use them.

3.If unplugging is too much work use timers so the appliances won't consume power at night.

4.Keep your appliances clean and oiled, that way they use less power.

If your energy bill is still too high, move to a smaller house, buy a smaller TV, a smaller fridge, do your laundry at the laundrette and when you're hot go for a swim. That's how they did it in the old days.

Learn more about this author, Joost Steffensen.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

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