Investing in and maintaining energy efficient appliances can be one of the most influential things any resident can do to lower energy costs and maintain and healthy home. Some tips on maintaining some of the most common and most energy consuming appliances are:

Refrigerators/Freezers:

• Regularly clean condenser coils for safety and energy efficiency.
• Make sure both refrigerator and freezer doors seal tightly. If one can place a piece of paper between the door and the unit when closed and easily slip it out, that means cold air can also escape.
• Make sure both refrigerators and freezers are away from heat sources. This could make them work harder to keep food cold.
• Temperatures in refrigerators should remain between 37-40° F. Freezer temperatures should fall between 0-5° F for long term storage, and 10-15° F for short term storage.
• Replace any refrigerator that is over ten years old.

Ovens/Ranges:

• Avoid the self-cleaning features of oven when at all possible. These functions reduce overall savings. If one does plan to use the self-clean option, it should be done no more than once per month, and directly after the oven has been in use to maximize the energy efficiency of the function.
• Clean all pilotless ignitors on gas ranges with that feature to ensure flawless ignition.

 

Clothes washers/dryers:

• Use cold water settings whenever possible.
• Check hose fittings on a washer, along with water-intake and drain lines to keep clear of metal or sediment deposits.
• Clean the lint filter of a dryer after each use to reduce fire hazard and decrease dry time.
• Try to only dry full loads of clothes since the same amount of energy is exhausted to dry partial loads.

Furnaces:

• Replace filters promptly when the manufacturer instructs. This not only improves the efficiency of the furnace, but is vital to keeping a home healthy and toxin free.
• Make sure all connections and ducts are leak free.

Water heaters:

• Insulate water heaters with a blanket of fiberglass insulation. Make sure not to cover exhaust
vents and air intakes on gas models, or access to thermostat panels on electric ones.
• Regularly flush the water from a water heater’s tank to remove sediment and scale.

 

 

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