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Energy Saving Tips
Want
to know how you can 'Reduce your Juice'? Check out the useful tips below
to find out how to get started.
Download
the Reduce
the Juice pledge options and how they can help you to conserve money
and blue barrels.
Here are
some more useful tips that you can do today to start conserving energy,
saving money and Reducing your Juice.
For
Homeowners:
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| 1. |
To save
money on heating costs, reduce the temperature of your home a few
degrees at night and when you leave for the day. Also consider turning
down the thermostat when you are away for more than a day. |
| 2. |
Use
area rugs on cold floors - if your feet are cold, your body will feel
cold. |
| 3. |
Clean
warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed; make
sure they're not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes. |
| 4. |
Clean
or replace the air filter on your furnace every month to improve efficiency. |
| 5. |
To save
more on central AC costs, try cooling your home to only 24ºC
or 25ºC instead of the low 20's. Each degree below 26ºC
will noticeably increase your electricity use! |
| 6. |
Don't
place lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat. The
thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the
air conditioner to run longer than necessary. |
| 7. |
Plant
trees or shrubs to shade air-conditioning units but not to block the
airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity
than the same one operating in the sun. |
| 8. |
Use
a ceiling fan to supplement or even as an alternative to air conditioning
- ceiling fans generally use very little electricity. Make sure your
fan is blowing air downwards in summer. |
| 9. |
Keep
blinds, shades and drapes closed during the hottest part of the day
in the summer. (And open south-facing blinds on sunny winter days!)
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| 10. |
Turn
off unnecessary lights in the house (they produce a lot of heat which
works against the AC.) |
| 12. |
Avoid
running large appliances such as washers, dryers, and electric ovens
during peak energy demand hours from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00
p.m. to 7:00 p.m. |
| 13. |
Buy
Energy Star appliances, products and lights. |
For
Business:
| 1. |
If possible,
install a programmable thermostat allowing you to set the temperature
lower during non-working hours and on weekends in the winter and set
the air conditioning lower as well. For each degree below 24ºC,
your air conditioner uses 3-5% more electricity. The same goes for
heating. |
| 2. |
Turn
off all unnecessary lights, especially in unused offices and conference
rooms and turn down remaining lighting levels where possible. |
| 3. |
Set
computers, monitors, printers, copiers and other business equipment
to their energy saving feature. Place all electronic equipment on
a power bar and turn off the power bar at the end of the day. Most
electronic equipment draws power even when turned off, often referred
to as "Phantom Load". |
| 4. |
Minimize
energy usage during peak demand hours from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. |
| 5. |
Buy
Energy Star appliances, products, and lights. |
| 6. |
Consider
placing outdoor signs on a timer so they only run until midnight or
1:00 am, saving electricity during non-peak hours. |
Tips
for Kids and Teachers
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| 1. |
Choose
an energy monitor for your classroom every week who will make sure
that energy is being used properly. |
| 2. |
At
home, hold a ribbon up to the edges of windows and doors. If it blows,
you've found a leak. Tell your parents. |
| 3. |
When
you leave the room, turn off the light. |
For a more
extensive list of tips please download the Ministry of Energy's 'Conserve
Energy and Save Money' brochure which the students handed out while
going door to door during the summer.
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