Energy Saving Tips

Here are some great tips I found for saving energy:

• Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's drying cycle.
• Turn off your computer and monitor when not in use.
• Plug home electronics, such as TVs and DVD players, into power strips; turn the power strips off when the equipment is not in use (TVs and DVDs in standby mode still use several watts of power).
• Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120° F.
• Close your curtains and shades at night; open them during the day.
• Turn off the lights in any room you're not using, or consider installing timers, photo cells, or occupancy sensors to reduce the amount of time your lights are on.
• Take advantage of daylight by using light-colored, loose-weave curtains on your windows to allow daylight to penetrate the room while preserving privacy. Also, decorate with lighter colors that reflect daylight.
• Idling gets you 0 miles per gallon. The best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it. No more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days is needed. Anything more simply wastes fuel and increases emissions.
• Clear out your car; extra weight decreases gas mileage.
• Use air conditioning only when necessary.
• Get regular engine tune-ups and car maintenance checks to avoid fuel economy problems due to worn spark plugs, dragging brakes, low transmission fluid, or transmission problems.

I found these and more on this web site:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/index.html
Check it out they have a lot of good ideas that will save you $$$$