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Microwaves use around 50% less energy than conventional ovens; they're most efficient for small portions or defrosting.
Believe it or not: Every time you open your oven door during cooking, you lose 25 to 50 degrees- or more.
Washers and dryers can account for as much as 25% of the energy you use at home (including the hot water for the wash).
As much as 90% of the energy consumed by washing machines goes to heating the water.
Washing machines use about 15% of the water in homes that have them. Each wash cycle uses 32 to 59 gallons- as much as two showers.
During the winter, you can save as much as 3% of the energy your furnace uses simply by lowering your thermostat 1 *F (if it's set between 65 *F and 72 *F).
Believe it or not: Dust on a light bulb or dirt on a glass fixture can reduce the light it gives off by 10 percent and make it seem that you need a brighter, higher wattage bulb.
Even the paint color you choose can affect your energy use. A white wall reflects 80 percent of the light that hits it; a black one reflects just 10 percent. The more light the walls reflect, the greater the chance that the light can be "recycled" by striking the wall, bouncing off, and still illuminating the room.
80 percent of the energy your dishwasher uses is for heating water.
Most people use 60-watt incandescent bulbs on their porches or in their back yards. But incandescent's are about the least efficient way to light, and they burn out after only 750-1000 hours.
A standard shower head uses about 5-7 gallons of water per minute (gpm)- so even a 5-minute shower can consume 35 gallons!
Energy efficient shower heads help reduce water use by 50% or more. They typically cut the flow rate to 2.5 gpm- or less.
A heated waterbed can use as much energy as a large refrigerator. Leaving it unmade in the fall or winter can double that by letting the heat dissipate into the air.
Evaporation can be a major source of heat loss from hot tubs. When only 5 gallons of water evaporate, they chill the remaining 500 gallons by 1 *F. Then the water has to be heated again.
You can save 10% or more of your heating or cooling costs by insulating and tightening up ducts.
About 15% of the energy you use for heating your home goes to warming up air that leaks in through the cracks.
Efficiency counts. The most effective new appliances typically use 50% less energy than the most wasteful ones.
Choose a refrigerator with a freezer on top, instead of a side-by-side unit. On average, the savings amount to 20%.
Water pumping is one of the largest uses of electricity in the arid Western states. So every drop of water we conserve also saves electricity.
Between 15 and 30 percent of the energy your water heater uses goes to keeping a tank of water hot, just in case you need it.
Even during a mild winter, you can lose as much energy through one single-pane window as a 75-watt light bulb uses running seven hours a day, 365 days a year.
A double-pane window retains twice as much heat as a single-pane window.
40% of the energy you use in your home is for heat.
Laser printers use 300 watts of energy; inkjets use only 10 watts, for similar quality.
Turn off the water faucet when brushing your teeth. This simple act can save 9 gallons of water every time you brush.