All the ways to save electricity and money at home.
Energy Efficiency is key to lowering utility bills and reducing our carbon footprint. This is an exhaustive list of all the smart ways you can reduce your electricity consumption when it is needed the most.
Are you ready to maximize your earnings? Here is a master list of all the ways you can reduce your energy usage during peak demand. Using less energy is good not only for your wallet but also for the planet! When there is too much electricity demand, the grid will be overwhelmed, and utilities will have to resort to powering up Peaker Plants. Peaker Plants only provide occasional power when demand is the highest. They are extremely expensive to maintain and emit tonnes of pollution to nearby communities. Instead of wasting so much money to power up plants that only damage the health of your community and your planet, we want to change the narrative and instead pay individuals to lower their energy demand when it is needed the most.
Want to get paid for doing the things on the list? The more watts you save, the more you earn. Sign up for our free program here.
Below we are an exhaustive list of ways you can save energy overall and room by room in your household.
Overall Reduction
- Turn off unnecessary lights and use natural light whenever possible.
👉 For example, when working in the morning, you should switch off the lights and open the curtains for the sunshine. A single south-facing window can illuminate 20 to 100 times its area. Turning off one 60-watt bulb for four hours a day is a $9 saving over a year.
👉 At night, you can use Task-specific lighting. Turn off ceiling lights and use table lamps, track lighting, and under-counter lights in work and hobby areas and the kitchen.
- Switch those old lightbulbs into LED lights. LED is more energy-efficient and cost-saving than incandescent and fluorescent (CFL) lightbulbs.
- Unplug unused devices.
👉 Standby power can account for 10% of an average household's annual electricity use. Unplug unused electronics and save $50 a year. Learn more about vampire power by reading our buzz blog.
- Invest in smart-home devices to remotely control the temperature and electricity usage of your home.
👉 Smart thermostats, smart plugs, and smart light bulbs will keep your home energy efficient! Read our buzz blog to learn more about smart home devices.
- Plan a day outdoors and switch everything off before you leave the house.
👉 Too hot indoors? Work or relax at your local café or take a stroll in the park
👉 You can also visit cooling centers around New York City. These are public spaces (usually libraries) with air conditioning during heat waves. Find one near you here.
- More tips coming soon
Want to get paid for doing the things on the list? The more watts you save, the more you earn. Sign up for our free program here.
Below we are an exhaustive list of ways you can save energy overall and room by room in your household.
Overall Reduction
- Turn off unnecessary lights and use natural light whenever possible.
👉 For example, when working in the morning, you should switch off the lights and open the curtains for the sunshine. A single south-facing window can illuminate 20 to 100 times its area. Turning off one 60-watt bulb for four hours a day is a $9 saving over a year.
👉 At night, you can use Task-specific lighting. Turn off ceiling lights and use table lamps, track lighting, and under-counter lights in work and hobby areas and the kitchen.
- Switch those old lightbulbs into LED lights. LED is more energy-efficient and cost-saving than incandescent and fluorescent (CFL) lightbulbs.
- Unplug unused devices.
👉 Standby power can account for 10% of an average household's annual electricity use. Unplug unused electronics and save $50 a year. Learn more about vampire power by reading our buzz blog.
- Invest in smart-home devices to remotely control the temperature and electricity usage of your home.
👉 Smart thermostats, smart plugs, and smart light bulbs will keep your home energy efficient! Read our buzz blog to learn more about smart home devices.
- Plan a day outdoors and switch everything off before you leave the house.
👉 Too hot indoors? Work or relax at your local café or take a stroll in the park
👉 You can also visit cooling centers around New York City. These are public spaces (usually libraries) with air conditioning during heat waves. Find one near you here.
- More tips coming soon
Reduce Energy in the Kitchen
- Skip the heat-dry setting for the dishwasher.
👉Air-dry your dishes by leaving the door of the dishwasher open. That heat-dry setting is expensive and uses a lot of electricity. De-select it and, based on one load of dishes a day, save up to $27 for the year.
- Use the microwave, crock pot, or toaster oven to cook or heat dishes.
👉Heat your dishes in an energy-efficient appliance. A microwave takes 15 minutes to do the same job as 1 hour in an oven. Use a microwave instead of your oven 4 times a week and save ~$15/year.
- Wait for your food to cool before placing it in your fridge.
👉Placing warm or uncovered food in the fridge requires the compressor to work harder and use more energy. Instead, store food in small, shallow containers with lids, and wait for your food to cool completely before transferring it to the refrigerator.
- Reduce heat in the kitchen by making low-heat dishes.
👉Avoid using the oven in summer – try salads, smoothies, or tacos. You'll reduce the heat in your home and save on your home cooling costs. Click here for some summer low-heat recipes.
- Unplug unused kitchen appliances, such as toaster, coffee maker, or electric kettle.
👉Things like the toaster and coffee maker still use energy when plugged in, even if they aren’t used.
- more tips coming soon.
- Skip the heat-dry setting for the dishwasher.
👉Air-dry your dishes by leaving the door of the dishwasher open. That heat-dry setting is expensive and uses a lot of electricity. De-select it and, based on one load of dishes a day, save up to $27 for the year.
- Use the microwave, crock pot, or toaster oven to cook or heat dishes.
👉Heat your dishes in an energy-efficient appliance. A microwave takes 15 minutes to do the same job as 1 hour in an oven. Use a microwave instead of your oven 4 times a week and save ~$15/year.
- Wait for your food to cool before placing it in your fridge.
👉Placing warm or uncovered food in the fridge requires the compressor to work harder and use more energy. Instead, store food in small, shallow containers with lids, and wait for your food to cool completely before transferring it to the refrigerator.
- Reduce heat in the kitchen by making low-heat dishes.
👉Avoid using the oven in summer – try salads, smoothies, or tacos. You'll reduce the heat in your home and save on your home cooling costs. Click here for some summer low-heat recipes.
- Unplug unused kitchen appliances, such as toaster, coffee maker, or electric kettle.
👉Things like the toaster and coffee maker still use energy when plugged in, even if they aren’t used.
- more tips coming soon.
Image by constellation. Energy Saving Tips for the Kitchen.
Reduce Energy in the Living Room
- Purchase a LED TV that uses less energy.
👉Switch your TV for one that is energy-efficient. View a list of these cost-saving TV here.
- Turn off the lights or unplug lamps when watching shows or movies.
👉Get the full movie theater experience and watch your TV shows and movies in the dark to save energy!
- Purchase a LED TV that uses less energy.
👉Switch your TV for one that is energy-efficient. View a list of these cost-saving TV here.
- Turn off the lights or unplug lamps when watching shows or movies.
👉Get the full movie theater experience and watch your TV shows and movies in the dark to save energy!
Reduce Energy at Your Work Desk
- Turn off your computer and monitors at the end of the workday.
👉Don’t just set these devices to "sleep" mode since they will still run passively and use up energy. Turning them off entirely when you don’t use them anymore is more energy-efficient!
- Unplug your devices once they’re fully charged.
👉If you have the habit of letting your laptops/phones plugged in even when they’re at 100%, please drop it. Charging fully charged devices causes unnecessary energy waste, plus - using the battery instead of constantly plugging in is better for your devices.
- Adjust your laptop’s settings to "power-saving" or "best battery life."
👉With this mode on, you can use your laptop in the most energy-efficient fashion possible, and your battery will also last longer.
- Laptops over desk computers!
👉 Laptops have batteries and don’t require constant plugging like computers. Thus, if possible, get your tasks done on the fully charged laptop and shut your desk computer down (until needed).
- Use natural lighting if possible and turn off your desk lamps
👉Natural lighting helps you save electricity and does better for your eyesight than artificial lighting.
- Turn off your computer and monitors at the end of the workday.
👉Don’t just set these devices to "sleep" mode since they will still run passively and use up energy. Turning them off entirely when you don’t use them anymore is more energy-efficient!
- Unplug your devices once they’re fully charged.
👉If you have the habit of letting your laptops/phones plugged in even when they’re at 100%, please drop it. Charging fully charged devices causes unnecessary energy waste, plus - using the battery instead of constantly plugging in is better for your devices.
- Adjust your laptop’s settings to "power-saving" or "best battery life."
👉With this mode on, you can use your laptop in the most energy-efficient fashion possible, and your battery will also last longer.
- Laptops over desk computers!
👉 Laptops have batteries and don’t require constant plugging like computers. Thus, if possible, get your tasks done on the fully charged laptop and shut your desk computer down (until needed).
- Use natural lighting if possible and turn off your desk lamps
👉Natural lighting helps you save electricity and does better for your eyesight than artificial lighting.
Reduce Energy in the Bathroom
- Skip the blow dryer and other heat-styling tools. Instead, air-dry your hair and use heatless styling tools.
👉By choosing to air-dry your hair, you save on the electricity used to power your hairdryer. It's also better for your hair! Overusing your hair dryer or other heat-styling tools can eventually damage your hair.
- Take shorter showers and try to use cold water in the summer.
👉 Long and hot water showers are expensive. By shortening your shower by just four minutes, you can save up to 4,000 gallons of water per year. This can cut your bill by about $100 annually. Taking shorter showers will help lower your gas or electric bill.
- Turn the water off when shaving, washing hands, brushing teeth
👉If you use electricity to heat up your water, then reducing your hot water usage by 5% can save about $19.
- Turn off your exhaust fan after 20 minutes
👉Bathroom exhaust fans remove hot, humid air from your bathroom, which helps maintain a comfortable and healthy home environment. These fans don’t need to run continuously, though. The average bathroom fan will remove humidity within 15 to 20 minutes. There’s no reason to leave the fan running longer than that. Adding a timer switch to your fan allows it to do its job without wasting energy.
- More tips coming soon
- Skip the blow dryer and other heat-styling tools. Instead, air-dry your hair and use heatless styling tools.
👉By choosing to air-dry your hair, you save on the electricity used to power your hairdryer. It's also better for your hair! Overusing your hair dryer or other heat-styling tools can eventually damage your hair.
- Take shorter showers and try to use cold water in the summer.
👉 Long and hot water showers are expensive. By shortening your shower by just four minutes, you can save up to 4,000 gallons of water per year. This can cut your bill by about $100 annually. Taking shorter showers will help lower your gas or electric bill.
- Turn the water off when shaving, washing hands, brushing teeth
👉If you use electricity to heat up your water, then reducing your hot water usage by 5% can save about $19.
- Turn off your exhaust fan after 20 minutes
👉Bathroom exhaust fans remove hot, humid air from your bathroom, which helps maintain a comfortable and healthy home environment. These fans don’t need to run continuously, though. The average bathroom fan will remove humidity within 15 to 20 minutes. There’s no reason to leave the fan running longer than that. Adding a timer switch to your fan allows it to do its job without wasting energy.
- More tips coming soon
Image by constellation. Energy Saving Tips for your bathroom.
Reduce Energy in the Laundry Room
- Avoid using the washer and dryer during peak demand.
👉 Air-dry your clothing and try to use the washer at night or early in the morning when energy demand is low.
- Wash your clothing with cold water
👉About 90% of the energy used by the washing machine during laundry goes towards heating the water. Using cold water to wash some of your clothes save you money and energy.
- For smaller clothing items, try hand washing them with Woolite and air drying them.
👉 If you can hand wash some clothing, you can reduce the laundry you must do.
- Avoid using the washer and dryer during peak demand.
👉 Air-dry your clothing and try to use the washer at night or early in the morning when energy demand is low.
- Wash your clothing with cold water
👉About 90% of the energy used by the washing machine during laundry goes towards heating the water. Using cold water to wash some of your clothes save you money and energy.
- For smaller clothing items, try hand washing them with Woolite and air drying them.
👉 If you can hand wash some clothing, you can reduce the laundry you must do.
Reduce Energy in Garage
- Invest in a more energy-efficient garage door opener
👉 More modern garage door openers are quieter and use 75% less power than older versions.
- If you have an old and relatively empty fridge in your garage, try unplugging it and moving any food or drinks inside to a different fridge.
👉 Many people often have old refrigerators stored in their garages, and many are surprised to learn how much those cost them. This is because refrigerators use a lot of energy to run.
-Make sure all the lights are off in the garage.
👉As long as you aren't using the garage at night, you can see reasonably well without turning the lights on.
- Invest in a more energy-efficient garage door opener
👉 More modern garage door openers are quieter and use 75% less power than older versions.
- If you have an old and relatively empty fridge in your garage, try unplugging it and moving any food or drinks inside to a different fridge.
👉 Many people often have old refrigerators stored in their garages, and many are surprised to learn how much those cost them. This is because refrigerators use a lot of energy to run.
-Make sure all the lights are off in the garage.
👉As long as you aren't using the garage at night, you can see reasonably well without turning the lights on.
Did you know? You can get paid for doing everything on this list when it is most needed. Be rewarded for using less electricity when demand gets too high.