| Home Energy Facts |  |
- Microwaves use around half the energy of conventional ovens, and are most efficient for small portion or defrosting.
- Believe it or not: every time you open your oven door during cooking, you lose at least 25-30˚ of temperature.
- Washers and dryers can account for as much as 25 percent of the energy used at your home.
- As much as 90 percent of the energy consumed by washing machines goes toward heating the water.
- Washing machines use about 15 percent of all water used in home. Each wash cycle uses 32 to 59 gallons - as much as two showers.
- If your home thermostat is set between 65˚F and
72˚F during winter months, you can save as much as
three percent of the energy used
by your furnace for each degree you lower your thermostat. - Dust on a light bulb or dirt on a glass fixture can reduce the light given off by 10 percent.
- Even the paint color you choose can affect your energy use. A white wall
reflects 80 percent of the light that hits it; a black wall reflects
just 10 percent. The more light reflected by walls, the greater the chance that the light can be "recycled" by striking the wall, bouncing
off and illuminating the room. - 80 percent of the energy your dishwasher uses is for heating water.
- A standard showerhead uses five to seven gallons of water per minute, so
even a five minute shower can consume 35 gallons. Energy
efficient showerheads can reduce water use by half or more, typically cutting the flow rate to 2.5 gallons per minute or less. - A heated waterbed can use as much energy as a large refrigerator.
Leaving it unmade in the fall or winter can double that by allowing the
heat to dissipate into the air. - You can save 10 percent or more of your heating and cooling costs by insulating and tightening ducts.
- About 15 percent of the energy you use for heating your home goes to warming the air that leaks in through the cracks.
- Efficiency counts. The most effective new appliances typically use half the energy of the more wasteful ones.
- Choose a refrigerator with a freezer on top rather than a side-by-side unit. On average, the savings amount to 20 percent.
- Between 15 and 30 percent of the energy your water heater uses goes to keeping a tank of water hot, just in case you need it.
- A double-pane window retains twice the heat of a single-pane window.
- 40 percent of the energy you use in your home is for heat.
- Turn off the water faucet when brushing your teeth. This simple act can save 9 gallons of water every time you brush.
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