Top 10 Ways for Renters to Reduce Energy Costs
July 1st, 2009
Categories:Green Real Estate
Rent an apartment, townhouse or home? These tips will help you reduce the amount of energy used every month and help you save money.
Here’s the quick and simple
- Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
- Room Air Conditioners
- Programmable Thermostat
- Vampire Devices
- Showers vs Baths
- Air Registers
- Drapes
- Scraping vs Washing Dishes
- Laundry with Cold Water
- Keep from Over Drying Clothes
1. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs)
By replacing your five most frequently used light bulbs with Energy Star qualified CFLs can save more than $65 per year in energy costs.
Energy Star Qualified CFLs:
- Provide high-quality light output
- Use 75% less energy
- Last 6-10 times longer
By turning off just one 60-watt incandescent bulb (that would have burned for eight hours) can save about $15 per year!
2. Room Air Conditioners
If you have considered purchasing a room air condition, stick with an Energy Star qualified model. They use 10% less energy than the standard models. In the winter be sure to insulate it from outside with a tight fitting a/c unit cover. Also, be sure the window units fit tightly in the window so outdoor air is not getting in.
3. Programmable Thermostat
By installing a programmable thermostat and properly programming it, you can save up to $150 per year in energy costs. Not to mention the countless headache you’ll save yourself by not getting up all the time to change the temperature.
Below is the pre-programmed setting for an Energy Star qualified programmable thermostat.
4. Vampire Devices
Consumer electronics make up 15% of the household electricity use. Because many devices continue to draw power even when they are turned off, its important to unplug the devices.
If you are looking for an easier way to control vampire devices, buy a power strip with a switch designed to completely cut off power to the devices.
You can also purchase devices to measure the amount of energy a specific device or power strip uses over a period of time. These are great devices when you want to figure out just how much energy devices like your computer or cell phone charger use over a period of time.
5. Showers vs Baths
A ten minute shower can use less water than a full bath. First you’ll need a new 2.5 gallon-per-minute (low-flow) shower head. The new shower head will save up to $145 each year on electricity.
6. Air Registers
When furniture (or dirt) block an air register, air can’t circulate freely. This forces the air conditioning unit to work harder to accomplish the same goal.
7. Drapes
During the winter open up the drapes and/or shutters and allow the sun’s heat naturally warm the house. During the summer, close the drapes/shutters to reduce the amount of heat that enters the home.
8. Scraping vs Washing Dishes
You can save a lot of water by scraping dishes instead of rinsing them before loading them in the dishwasher. Newer dishwashers can take care of the food debris on the dishes, what’s left can be handled by the detergent and wash cycles. If possible use the air dry option and only run the dishwasher with a full load of dishes.
9. Laundry with Cold Water
- Hot water accounts for 90% of the energy your machine uses to wash clothes
- Switching to cold water can save an over $40 annually
- Washing with full loads can save more than 3,400 gallons of water each year
10. Keep from Over Drying Clothes
- Look for a moisture sensor that will automatically turn the dryer off when the clothes are done
- Dry clothes made of similar fabrics so they dry at the same time
- Operating a dry for an extra 15 minutes per load can cost up to $34 each year
- Clean the lint trap before every load to keep the heat moving efficiently through the dryer
- Keeping the lint trap clean can also save up to $34 each year
Related posts:
- 6 Tips to Cooling and Heating Your Home Efficiently
- The Basics of Owning a Green Home in Arizona
- Got SRP? Expect to Pay More in November
- Draining Dollars from Water Heating Bills
- Survey Results: Downpayment and Closing Costs are the Biggest Obstacles
In addition to room air conditioners you could also do a solar attic fan. Powered by the sun (hence solar) cools you attic which in turn lowers the temperature of the rest of your house.
If you are going to install low flow shower heads you might as well install low flow faucet aerators as well. Typical faucet aerators like shower heads can start at 5 gallons per minute flow rates. Typical low flow starts at 2.2 gallons per minute and goes all the way down to .5 gallons per minute. You can find these at any local hardware store.