Transportation

When you drive your car, truck or motorcycle, it’s important to reduce the amount of pollution you are causing because it can help preserve your gasoline. Remember to drive sensibly and refrain from speeding and accelerating or braking rapidly. If you cannot afford to buy a fuel-efficient vehicle, schedule your errands into one trip so your engine stays warm and doesn’t have to work harder from having a cold start for each separate trip. Also, keep your tires properly inflated and check your alignment, because these factors can improve your gas mileage by 3.3 percent.

Appliances & Electronics

Even though your toaster and television might not be in use, it still draws a small amount of energy when it’s left plugged into the wall. Use power strips to stop your appliances and electronics from wasting energy. Also, always clean out your dryer’s lint trap and air-dry your dishes and clothes when you can. If you are able to update your appliances, make sure to choose ones labeled with the Energy Star®.

Heating & Cooling

Heating and cooling your home can be one of your top five housing expenses. Make sure your windows and doors have a tight seal so the hot or cold air from your house can’t escape. Also, clean and replace your furnace filters and dust your registers so they don’t become blocked. During the summer, try using a fan instead of your air conditioning, and during the winter, try to dress warmer while you’re in the house.

Lighting

Avoid using lights during the day by hanging up shear curtains and opening the blinds. Take advantage of three-way lamps, so you can adjust the amount of light you need. Installing timers for your outdoor lights can prevent you from having them on during the day when they’re not needed. If you are moving into a new home or thinking about re-painting yours again, consider lighter colors for the walls since they will reflect light better than the darker paints.

Saving energy just takes some initiative and thought. For example, instead of letting your air conditioning unit roast in the summer sun, shade it with a tree or a bush. You can save energy by being creative or by just being practical enough to fix a leaky faucet.

Even though your laptop might not be connected to the charger, the charger is still drawing a small amount of energy from the outlet since it’s plugged in. This is true for all electronics and appliances. In order to prevent these small amounts of energy from turning into significant amounts that are being wasted, it’s beneficial to use power strips so you can unplug several items with one plug. Trading in these items for more energy efficient ones is also a step in the right direction. One tip with your dryer is to clean out the lint trap after every load so you avoid having to run it through the cycle again.

Whether it’s summer or winter, your heating and cooling can become your top expense. Updating your windows and doors or reinforcing the seals can prevent hot or warm air from escaping, which reduces the need for your heat or air to run so often. Or you can choose to use a fan in the summer and wear layers of clothes around your home during the winter.

Lighting is essential, but you don’t necessarily need lights during the day. Instead, open the blinds or use shear curtains. An option for gloomy days is to use a three-way lamp, because you can adjust and direct the light where you need it most. Or if you’re in the process of painting your walls, choose lighter shades that will reflect natural light.

Conserving energy can be accomplished in the simplest tasks such as planting a tree to shade your air conditioning unit. The more small steps like this that you take to become more efficient, the more impact you will make.