Appliances
STRATEGY: Use the following tips to operate your appliances wisely. If your electric bills seem extraordinarily high, contact your local utility to see if they have a meter you can borrow to check the consumption of your appliances You may find some older appliances consuming higher than normal amounts of electricity. Replacing them with new more efficient appliances is your next step.
REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER:
Refrigerators account for the largest portion of appliance energy consumption. Replacing an older refrigerator with a new energy efficient model could cut your operating costs in half. An inefficient refrigerator also adds a considerable amount of heat to your kitchen in the summer.
Operating Tips:
• Place the refrigerator away from heat sources such as the range, oven, heat registers and direct sunlight. Don't block air circulation around the refrigerator.
• Set the refrigerator temperature at 34-37 degrees and freezer temperature at 0-5 degrees.
• Vacuum the vents and coils twice a year. Dust makes them work harder to cool.
• Cut down the number of times you open the door.
• Keep refrigerators and freezers full but not overcrowded. Allow enough space between food for air circulation. Keeping your refrigerator or freezer filled will help your food stay cold if the power goes out.
• Keep liquids tightly covered or evaporation will cause frost to build up.
• Turn on the energy saver switch unless moisture begins to condense on the refrigerator.
• If you have a manual defrost model, don't let frost build up more than 1/4 inch.
• Replace gaskets that don't seal tightly.
• If your refrigerator or freezer will not be used for a long period, clean it out, unplug it and leave the door open.
• Don't run a second refrigerator or freezer if not essential.
Refrigerator Buying Tips:
• Compare "EnergyGuide" labels for operating costs.
• Frost-free units consume almost twice as much energy as manual defrost models, but only if you keep the manual unit defrosted. If you buy a frost free refrigerator, select one with an energy saver option.
• The larger the capacity, the more it costs to keep the same amount of food cold. The size needed depends on family size, shopping habits, family members' ages and eating habits.
• Side-by-side units generally consume more energy than refrigerators with the freezer on the top or bottom.
Freezer Buying Tips:
• Compare "EnergyGuide" labels for operating costs.
• Chest freezers are more energy efficient than upright models, since they don't lose as much cold air when you open the door.
• Don't buy a larger freezer than your family needs. Do you prepare food in advance? Have a garden? Buy large supplies of seasonal fresh food? Entertain frequently? These factors should be considered.
RANGE:
Pilot lights on a gas range can consume up to 50% of the annual energy consumption of the range. You may want to try lighting the burners by hand, especially in the summer when the pilot lights add unwanted heat into the kitchen.
Operating Tips:
• Keep burner reflectors, burner tips, and bottoms of pans clean.
• Use the oven instead of the range when cooking several dishes at the same time.
• Use the microwave when warming foods up.
• Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator overnight before cooking them.
• Place the pan on the burner before turning the burner on.
• Match pan size to burner size, and cover pans with lids whenever possible.
• Use pressure cookers when possible.
• Use only the minimum amount of heat and water needed to cook your food.
• Don't boil water for six cups of coffee if you only plan to drink two.
Buying Tips:
• Glass top units are less efficient than surface elements.
• If you are selecting a gas range, buy one with an electronic ignition.
OVEN:
Operating Tips:
• Don't use the oven for small cooking jobs.
• Rearrange oven shelves before preheating the oven.
• Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator before cooking.
• Cook several foods in the oven at the same time if possible.
• Lower the oven temperature by 25degrees when baking with glass or ceramic dishes.
• Most foods don't need a preheated oven.
• Avoid peeking; the oven temperature lowers up to 25 degrees each time you open the door.
• Turn the oven off a few minutes early and use retained heat to finish cooking.
• Use the self-cleaning feature when the oven is already hot from previous use.
• Replace oven door seal if it leaks heat.
• Never use the oven to heat the kitchen.
Buying Tips:
• The most energy efficient units are the self-cleaning types. They have more insulation than other models.
• Ovens with windows save energy by reducing peeking, but the smaller the window the better.
MICROWAVE OVEN:
Operating Tips:
• Use the microwave for single dishes and warming things up. For large quantities or several dishes use the oven or range.
• Use the range for high liquid foods over four cups.
• Defrost foods in the refrigerator overnight when possible instead of using the microwave.
DISHWASHER:
Operating Tips:
• Scrape the dishes before placing them in the dishwasher so you can use the shortest cycle possible to clean the dishes.
• Clean the filter screen over the drain regularly.
• Don't use the rinse and hold cycle.
• Run only full loads.
• If you don't have a booster heater on your dishwasher, turn your water heater temperature down as low as possible while still getting your dishes clean.
• Open the door and allow the dishes to dry naturally instead of using the dishwasher's drying cycle.
• In the summer, use the dishwasher early in the morning or late in the evening when it's cooler outside.
Buying Tips:
• Compare "EnergyGuide" labels for operating costs.
• Compare water usage when shopping for a dishwasher.
• Buy a unit with an air dry and a short cycle selector.
• Select one that has a booster heater so you can turn the water heater temperature down.
WASHER:
Operating Tips:
• Wash in warm or cold water and always rinse in cold. Rinsing in warm or hot water doesn't get your clothes any cleaner.
• Select the water level to match the load size or wash only full loads.
• Don't over wash clothes. Use short cycles for lightly soiled and delicate clothes.
Buying Tips:
• Compare "EnergyGuide" labels for operating costs.
• Select a model with a variety of settings for water level and temperature, including a cold rinse option.
• Compare models for water usage
• Look for a suds saver feature and install a suds saving tank so you can wash several loads of lightly soiled clothes with the same water.
DRYER:
Operating Tips:
• Clean the lint filter after every load.
• Dry similar fabrics together.
• Don't overload, but dry full loads.
• Don't over dry your clothes.
• Plan washing and drying so the dryer can be reloaded while it is still warm.
• Dry clothes outside whenever possible.
• Install a diverter on an electric dryer to vent the warm exhaust into the home in the winter if humidity is not a problem. This diverter should not vent near the dryer or the furnace. Never vent a gas dryer into the house, its exhaust contains harmful products of combustion.
• Add an electronic ignition to a gas dryer.*
Buying Tips:
• Choose a dryer with a variety of settings for different fabrics.
• It should have an easy to reach lint filter.
• Select a dryer with a moisture sensor that will shut it off when the clothes are dry.
• If purchasing a gas dryer, select one with an electronic ignition.
• Gas dryers cost considerably less to operate than electric dryers, but you lose the benefit of venting into the house in the winter.
WATERBED:
Operating Tips:
• Keep the bed covered during the day.
• Use a mattress pad so you can get by with a lower water temperature.
• Insulate under and around the sides of your waterbed mattress with 1 inch extruded polystyrene.
*The items marked with an asterisk (*) are, for the most part, only marginally cost effective and may be done for reasons other than energy savings.
