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Each of these tips costs less than $25.
Home
- Buy and use a CFL or LED light bulb. In fact, buy 5 CFLs and place them in your most frequently-used fixtures. You'll save $65/yr from the energy savings of those 5 bulbs!
- Check your furnace or AC filter every month, and clean and replace as needed. Dirty filters increase your bills and shorten the life of the appliance.
- Insulate your hot water tank, hot water pipes, and exposed ductwork in basements, attics, and crawlspaces.
- Seal and weatherstrip doors and windows.
- Try this test: Close your refrigerator door on a dollar bill. If you can pull it out
easily, you may need to replace the door gasket. Tight sealing gaskets
keep cold air in and lower energy costs.
- Buy low flow showerheads and aerators for your faucets, and replace leaky faucets. The less hot water you use, the more money and energy you will save.
- Install plastic sheeting over your windows to help conserve on winter heating costs.
- If you have turned your furnace way down, use small space heaters for short periods to warm up areas where you spend the most time.
- Purchase clotheslines and drying racks to help with drying your clothes. The cheaper wood racks might need to be lightly sanded with very fine-grit sandpaper so they do not snag your clothes. To be safe, turn clothes inside out.
- Also shake or snap the excess moisture from fabrics before hanging them up to dry – they will dry less stiff. If drying in the sun, turn clothes inside out to reduce fading.
Transportation
- Keep your tires properly inflated. It can save up to 7 cents per gallon and improve mileage by 3%. Your tires will also last longer.
- Check and replace air filters, and change your oil regularly.
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