Wash your laundry in less water | If your clothes washer has a water level-selector, use the lowest practical level for each load of clothes.
Savings: varies
Cost: FREE |
|
Wash your laundry in cold water | By washing your clothes in cold water instead of hot, you'll save almost 90% of the energy needed to run a normal load of laundry and your clothes will come out just as clean. Switching from the warm/warm setting to the cold/cold setting on just 50% of your loads can deliver significant savings.
Savings: up to 50 kWh* per bill, about $62 per year
Cost: FREE
*For the average household with an electric water heater switching to cold water for 4 loads of laundry per week. |
|
Turn down your water heater temperature | By turning down your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit you'll prevent scalding as well as save energy. Before you do so, be sure to check your dishwasher manual, older models may require water hotter than 120 degrees.
Savings: up to 20 kWh* per bill, about $25 per year
Cost: FREE
*For the average Snohomish County household with an electric water heater. |
|
Run full loads of dishes | By running the dishwasher only when it’s full you’ll save water and the energy needed to heat the water (about 80% of that used to wash a load of dishes). Skip the pre-rinse, not required by most newer dishwashers, and use the energy saving cycle settings to save even more.
Savings: up to 10 kWh* per bill, about $12 per year
Cost: FREE
*For the average Snohomish County household with an electric water heater. |
|
Take shorter showers | Reduce your shower time. Even eliminating just a couple minutes per shower can really add up since every minute you cut from your shower time saves an average of 2.5 gallons of water and the energy used to heat the water.
Savings: up to 20 kWh* per bill, about $25 per year
Cost: FREE
*For the average Snohomish County household of 2 people with an electric water heater that reduce their shower times by two minutes. |
|