TAMU Office of Energy Management – http://energy.tamu.edu
Conserving Energy: the NEW Aggie Tradition
During the Summer:
- Raise the thermostat’s setting to the highest comfortable level. An average savings of 3% can be achieved for every degree raised. A thermostat setting of 78º F or higher is recommended.
- The best solution when you leave your home is to turn off the air conditioner. A good solution is to raise the thermostat up six degrees. Turning the air conditioner off could save up to 8¢ to 12¢ per hour.
- Use fans to keep cool. Fans use about one tenth the energy of an average air conditioner. The gentle breeze from a fan helps remove moisture from the surface of your skin and allows you to feel cooler.
- Wear lighter (thinner) clothes so less body heat is trapped by clothing.
- Close shades and/or blinds when direct sunlight hits your windows.
- On cooler days, open windows and use fans.
- Do heat producing tasks in the early morning or late evening. Try not to wash and dry clothes or cook during the heat of the day. These tasks will heat up your home when the air conditioner is working its’ hardest to keep your home cool.
- Keep air vents or air registers clear from all objects such as furniture, a TV, stereo equipment, boxes, etc.
During the Winter:
- Lower the thermostat’s setting to the lowest comfortable level. An average savings of 2% can be achieved for every degree lowered. A thermostat setting of 68º F or lower is recommended.
- Lower the thermostat even lower while you’re sleeping. An average savings of 1% can be achieved for every degree lowered over an 8 hour period.
- Wear heavier (thicker) and layered clothes so more body heat is trapped by clothing.
- Open drapes and blinds during the day to let the sunlight warmth inside. Close drapes and blinds at night to help keep the heat inside.
Lighting:
- Turn off lights when not in the room.
- Use compact fluorescent bulbs where possible. Compact fluorescents use an average 75% less energy and last an average 10 times longer when compared to incandescent bulbs.
Cooking:
- Use a microwave rather than the oven whenever possible. The microwave heats food faster with less energy.
- Keep pots covered while cooking. As an example, cooking spaghetti without a lid uses 3 times as much energy.
- Use pots and pans that match the burner size.
- Use the smallest pan and burner needed for the job.
- Use the low or medium flame or burner setting. Cooking seldom requires a high flame or burner setting.
- Keep the oven and burners cleaned.
- Don’t be an “Oven Peeker”. Every time you open the oven, the temperature is lowered 25 to 75 degrees.
- Don’t preheat the oven if food requires more than an hour of cooking time.
- Turn off the oven 5 minutes before food is done.
Water Conservation:
- Take short showers. Not only will you reduce water usage, but you will also reduce the costs of heating the water.
- Do not leave water running while brushing teeth or cleaning a razor.
- Report leaky faucets, running toilets and water leaks to the University Apartment Maintenance as soon as possible.
- Do not use toilets as a trashcan which can waste up to 7 gallons of water.
General Tips:
- Turn off any electrical appliance that is not being used, such as computers, coffee makers, stereo equipment, radio, TV, lights, etc.
- Wash and dry full loads of clothes.
- Don’t overload a clothes washer.
- Use cold water when washing clothes.
- Clean the clothes dryer lint filter after each use.
- Line dry clothes which will save approximately 27¢ to 32¢ per load.
- When purchasing appliances, look for the Energy Star Label.
- Report maintenance issues to University Apartments Maintenance.