How to Conserve During Energy Awareness Month
October is Energy Awareness Month—a time to consider reducing your energy consumption, saving money, and making your home more energy-efficient. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that appliances and home electronics are responsible for about 20 percent of your energy bills.
Be part of the solution by taking these simple steps:
- Swap out your old refrigerator for an energy-efficient one. According to Energy Star, older refrigerators can cost up to $100 or more to operate. In addition, take part in refrigerator recycling incentive programs.
- Conserve energy by washing your clothes in cold water and air-drying them. According to Yahoo! Green, washing your clothes in cold water and air-drying them can save you about $60 a year. If you must use the machine, consider drying full loads and don't over-dry.
- Eliminate "standby" power being used by your computer, TV, and phone charger. Standby power is the wasted energy that devices consume while turned off but still plugged into a power outlet. You can unplug each appliance when not in use, or you can invest in Belkin's Conserve Energy-Saving Surge Protector, a surge protector with a remote control that makes it easy to eliminate standby power. Depending on your home setup, you can save up to $50 per room a year.
- Conserve's wireless remote control keeps you from having to reach below desks, behind home theater equipment, or around furniture.
- With this handy remote control, you can easily turn off your surge protectors, thus shutting off the power to the devices that consume standby power, such as TVs or computer monitors, when you are done using them.
- Two "always on" outlets allow you to leave on devices that typically need to stay on, such as your alarm or DVR.
To learn more about ways to make your home more energy-efficient, visit
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=popuptool.atHome