| 1 |  Using LED holiday lights instead of incandescent lights is a bright idea! |
| 2 | Curtains can be energy-savers. Use heavy curtains, especially ones with insulation liners, that go all the way down to the floor. Ensure they don’t interfere with heaters or vents. |
| 3 |  Seasonally work with your window coverings to make your home more energy efficient. In the winter open window coverings during the day to let in direct sunlight and in the summer close them during the day to keep direct sunlight out. |
4 | Wrap your electric hot water tank with an insulating blanket, especially when located in an unheated area. Wrap hot water pipes with insulating wrap and fix leaking faucets. |
| 5 | Cut out cold drafts by installing plastic window film or removable caulking on windows not in use during the winter. |
| 6 |  Use energy-saving small appliances, and use the big ones less often. Electric kettles, toaster ovens, or microwaves use much less electricity than stoves and ovens. Learn how to calculate energy costs
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| 7 | Do you still have an old fridge sitting in the basement? If that fridge is 15 years or older it is probably costing you well over $150 a year in electricity costs. And you can't just throw it out, because it's full of chemicals and CFCs ... and besides, have you ever tried to lift one of those things? saveONenergyOM Fridge & Freezer Pickup |
| 8 | Don’t overcool your food. Is the temperature of your refrigerator and your freezer set for only as cold as you need? Defrost your manual-defrost freezer regularly to ensure it operates at maximum efficiency. |
| 9 |  Take a quick shower instead of a bath. A typical bath uses about 75 litres of hot water, while a five-minute shower with an energy efficient showerhead will use about half that amount. |
| 10 |  Landscape for energy efficiency. Planting trees for wind barriers and shade, installing energy efficient windows, air conditioners and furnaces can also provide large energy savings. |
| 11 | Wash your clothes in cold or warm water. Did you know that 85-90% of the energy used by washing machines is used to heat the water? |
| 12 | Go for the full load. Run your dishwasher and washing machine only when you have a full load, and use the energy-saving cycle, if your appliance has one. |
| 13 |  Dry naturally. If you have the space, use old style clothes drying racks which also add humidity to the dry winter air in your house. When the weather is right, use an outdoor clothesline to dry laundry, if permitted by your municipality. |
| 14 | Change furnace filters regularly. You should do so every other month or monthly if you have pets. A dirty furnace filter reduces air flow and makes your furnace work harder; clean filters can save up to 5% of energy use. |
| 15 |  Use fans as a cool alternative to air conditioners. Install ceiling fans to help keep rooms cooler, instead of using an air conditioner. Make sure they blow downward in summer, and upward in winter. |
| 16 | Use air conditioning responsibly. How low do you really need to go? During a typical summer in Ontario, 20% of all the energy consumed in the province is for air conditioning. The combined benefits of everyone setting their temperature a little higher would be impressive. And remember, air conditioners cool people, not homes. Don’t run the A/C when you’re not home. |
| 17 |  Turn off the lights. An unlit light does not use energy. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs whenever possible – they use 75% less electricity and last much longer than incandescent styles. Motion sensors can also help you ensure those lights go off when you’re not in the room. |
| 18 | Turn down the lights. Dimmer switches help you use only the amount of light – and electricity – you really need. And remember, keep your lights clean – a cleaner bulb is a brighter bulb. |
| 19 |  Seal the deal on electricity savings. Weather stripping and caulking around windows, ducts and doors can cut your heating and cooling bill by 10%. Beef up your insulation. Larger projects such as increasing ceiling insulation to R-30 standards can cut the home heating and cooling cost of a properly sealed home by 20-25%. Purchasing an R-2000 or ENERGY STAR® home could save you 30 – 40% of the energy of a home built to the minimum Ontario Building Code standards. |
| 20 | Use special tape to seal leaky heating ducts – it’s easy to apply and keeps the hot or cool air going to where it’s needed. |
| 21 |  Ghost bust your phantom power by purchasing a power bar to turn off computers and the peripherals, TVs, stereos, DVD players and the like. Spot the phantoms by looking for the telltale red and green LED lights on your equipment – if you see one glowing, the power is still flowing! |
| 22 | Put your pool pump on a timer so that it’s working 6-8 hours a day, rather than 24/7. Use a solar blanket to keep the heat from escaping from your pool at night. |
| 23 | Unplug your old patio lights and replace with solar lights. |
| 24 | Ready to go the extra mile for energy efficiency? Consider investing to improve your home’s energy efficiency. With increasing energy costs, pay-back periods are becoming shorter and the benefits are being realized more quickly. And some financial institutions are even offering preferred rates on loans to improve the energy-efficiency of your home. |
| 25 |  Plan your savings. Having a professional energy audit of your home can provide you with a plan to improve your home’s energy efficiency and help you maximize your investment.
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