Efficiency Tips: Appliances
Refrigerator / Freezer
- Adjust temperature settings for different seasons. Check refrigerator setting by placing a thermometer in a jar of water and leaving in refrigerator overnight. In the morning, the temperature should read 34 to 40 degrees F. Adjust settings if necessary. Temperature settings usually need to be reduced in winter. The freezer should be between 0 and 5 degrees F.
- During winter, freezer space often goes unused. Your refrigerator continues to use energy, however, to freeze this space. Take empty milk jugs, or other plastic containers, and fill them with water. Place them outside until they freeze, then put them in your freezer. This will fill the empty space and reduce the area to be kept cold.
- Manual defrost refrigerators are generally more efficient than automatic defrost models, but only if they are properly maintained. The freezer should be defrosted if ice buildup is thicker than 1/4 inch.
Refrigerator should not be located near the stove, dishwasher, heat vents or exposed to direct sunlight. Check to be sure that air flow around your refrigerator is not obstructed. - If your refrigerator has an energy-saver (anti-sweat) switch, it should be on during the summer and off during the winter.
- Never run frost-free refrigerators with freezer compartments in unheated areas with air temperature below 60 degrees F.
- Keep your refrigerator at 37° - 40°F and your freezer at 5°F.
- Keep your refrigerator filled to capacity, but don't overcrowd to the point where doors cannot be closed or air cannot circulate.
- Vacuum the condenser coils (underneath or behind the unit) every three months or so.
- Check the condition of door gaskets by placing a dollar bill against the frame and closing the door. If the bill can be pulled out with a very gentle tug, the door should be adjusted or the gasket replaced.
- Do not put uncovered liquids in the refrigerator. The liquids give off vapors that add to the compressor workload.
- Allow hot food to cool off before putting it in the refrigerator.
- Plan ahead and remove all ingredients for each meal at one time.
Washer / Dryer
- Match water level and temperature settings on your washer to the size of your load. Don't fill the whole tub for a few items. Newer machines have automatic water level settings which adjust to load size.
- Call your water utility and ask them how "hard" or "soft" your water is. You may be using up to six times as much clothing detergent as you need. Your appliance manuals will tell you how much you need for your water type.
- As much as 90% of the energy used by your washing machine is used to heat the water. For most washing applications, warm wash and cold rinse are just as effective as hot wash and warm rinse. The rinse temperature doesn't affect the quality of the cleaning.
- Avoid using too much detergent. Follow instructions on the box. Oversudsing makes your machine work harder and use more energy.
- Clean dryer lint screen after each use. Lint build up greatly reduces efficiency.
- Overloading the dryer lengthens drying time. Clothes should dry in 40 minutes to one hour.
- Choose a 'perma press' (cool-down) cycle. No heat is supplied in the last few minutes, but drying continues as cool air is blown through the tumbling clothes.
- Keep the dryer exhaust vent on the outside of the house clean. It should be clear of cobwebs and lint. The moveable shutters should move easily - they're designed to prevent cold air, heat and insects from entering the vent when the dryer is not operating.
- Dry multiple loads back to back. Because the dryer takes time and energy to warm up to drying temperature, stop-and-start drying uses more energy.
- Using a clothesline or indoor drying rack will save energy and reduce fabric wear on your garments (the lint on the lint screen is your clothing being broken down).
Air Conditioner
- Set your thermostat to 78°F, or as high as comfort permits. When the weather is mild, turn off the AC and open the windows.
- Close your blinds and curtains during the hottest part of the day.
- Close cooling vents in unused rooms and keep doors to unused rooms closed.
- Check and clean or replace air filters every month.
- Clean the outside condenser coil once a year.
- Reduce your usage by 10-20% by caulking and weather-stripping your doors and windows.
Insulate your house.
- Schedule periodic maintenance of cooling equipment by a licensed service representative.
- Attics must be ventilated to relieve heat buildup caused by the sun. If necessary, improve attic airflow by adding or enlarging vents.
- Install a ceiling fan in the largest room of your house. This will allow you to lower the setting on your air conditioner 3 to 6 degrees, which will save up to 25% of energy costs of home cooling. (Be sure to reverse the fan rotation in winter to "clockwise"'.)
- When turning on your air conditioner, avoid using the coldest setting. Let the air conditioner warm up for a while before lowering the temperature setting. The room will cool just as fast.
- Keep leaves and other debris off the condensing unit, and gently brush webs and dust from condensing coils. Ensure that airflow is not obstructed; allow 18" open space clearance from the condenser.
- If buying a new air conditioner, choose a model with an Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) of 10.0 or higher.
Range / Oven
- Develop the habit of "lids-on" cooking to permit lower temperature settings.
- Carefully measure water used for cooking to avoid having to heat more than is needed.
- Begin cooking on highest heat until liquid begins to boil. Then lower the heat control settings and allow food to simmer until fully cooked.
- Cook as much of the meal in the oven at one time as possible. Variations of 25°F still produce good results and save energy.
- Use the self-cleaning cycle only for major cleaning jobs. Start the cycle right after cooking while the oven is still hot, or wait until late in the evening when electricity usage is low.
- Use the burner which is the closest match to pot size. Heat is lost and energy is wasted if burner size is larger than pot size.
- Keep drip pans under conventional coil burners clean. Don't line drip pans with aluminum foil - they can reflect too much heat and damage the elements.
- Only preheat when baking. There is no need to preheat the oven for broiling or roasting.
- Make sure the oven door seal is tight. Rearrange oven shelves before turning your oven on - and don't peek at food in the oven!- each time the door is opened, about 20% of the inside heat is lost.
- Turn oven off a few minutes before food is ready, and let oven heat finish the job.
- Gas stoves: electronic ignition (piezo) will use about 40% less gas than a pilot light.
- Use the microwave whenever possible - it is the most energy efficient way too cook or heat small amounts of food.
- Sun (Solar) ovens are the most energy-efficient cooking appliance, as they require no fuel of any kind to cook, yet reach temperatures of 360° - 400°.
- Hybrid solar ovens have all the benefits of a solar oven, with the added convenience of an energy-efficient electric backup for use when sun power is not available. When used in 'electric' mode, these units use 75% less energy than conventional electric range.
