• Use microwaves and toaster ovens to cook or warm leftovers. You’ll use less energy than cooking with a conventional oven.
  • Pull the plug on that second fridge located in the hot garage or utility room.
  • Set your refrigerator temperature between 0 and 5°F. Use the power-save switch if you have one.
  • Repair refrigerator door seals if you feel cold air around the closed door or if moisture is collecting.
  • Replace a refrigerator bought in 1990 with an ENERGY STAR®-qualified model – energy-efficient models cost less to operate than older refrigerators.
  • Dust your fridge the next time you dust your house. Check the coils behind the refrigerator — and use coil vacuums or dusters to clean it off and keep costs down.
  • Keep your freezer full – it uses less energy than an empty one. For maximum savings, consider filling your freezer with gallon containers of water.
  • Choose energy-efficient appliances. They don’t just save you money, but they’re good for the environment because they use less energy.
  • Replace your refrigerator. Choose models with improved insulation and power-saving switches.
  • Wash and dry several loads at once, so that your dryer isn't completely cooled down when it heats up for the next load.
  • Avoid over-drying your clothes. It wastes energy, plus causes static and wrinkling.
  • Separate wash loads into light and heavy fabrics for the shortest drying times. Or better yet – air-dry your lightest fabrics.
  • Vent your dryer to the outside to reduce the workload on your air conditioner.
  • Wash full loads of clothes when possible. When smaller loads are necessary, use less water.
  • Hang dress clothing to air dry on portable laundry racks; they will also look better.
  • Clean the dryer lint filter before every load to keep your dryer running efficiently.
  • Set your dishwashers on economy mode, to use less water and electricity.
  • Turn off your dishwasher after the wash cycle — and let your dishes air-dry. You'll save energy and keep your dishwasher from heating up your kitchen.
  • Keep the oven door closed while cooking – the temperature can drop by as many as 4 degrees each time you open the oven door.
  • Grill out more often during the summer. Using the oven in the heat of summer forces your AC to work harder, which raises your energy bill.
  • Use copper-bottomed pots and pans that use heat more efficiently when cooking on the stove.
  • Keep stove reflector pans clean to reflect more heat upward while cooking.
  • Turn off your oven or burners when food is almost ready and let existing heat finish the cooking for you.
  • Use tight-fitting covers on pots and pans when cooking on the stove to shorten your cooking time and save energy.
  • Match your pot size to the burner on your stove. Heat is lost when small pots are used on large burners.
  •  Turn off kitchen and bath fans immediately after use.