Energy saving tips for families.
Here are some energy saving tips for the Week of October 17:
Home Cooling Tips
- Maintain your air conditioner for maximum efficiency by cleaning its filter and vents regularly. Replace filters that look worn.
- Place lamps or TV sets away from the air conditioning thermostat. A/C thermostats sense surrounding heat from nearby appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
- Consider room air conditioning units to cool individual rooms instead of one single large unit to cool several rooms. Individual units can save energy by allowing you to cool only the rooms needed.
Water Heating Tips
- Take short five-minute showers instead of tub baths. Filling the bathtub full of water uses over 25 gallons of hot water.
- Repair leaking faucets. A drop each second can waste about 1,661 gallons of water a year. A leaking hot water faucet wastes both water and energy.
- Install low-flow restrictors in older faucets and showerheads. They will reduce water flow to one to three gallons per minute, thus reducing your hot water costs.
Refrigerator Tips
- Allow ample sapce on each side of the refrigerator/freezer and around condenser coils for air circulation. Air flow increases energy performance.
- Limit how often and how long you open the refrigerator/freezer door. Plan ahead and remove all ingredients for each meal at one time. Each time a refrigerator or freezer door is opened, its compressor has to run longer to replace the cold air that spills out.
For more energy saving tips, look under Programs. Click on Administration and click on Hawaiian Electric Home Energy Challenge. Energy tips taken from 101 Ways to Save Money.
