Appliances and Electronics 
· The average American home produces 9,900 pounds of CO2 per year and spends 20% of its energy bill on powering appliances.
· Many appliances, such as cell phone chargers, TVs, and coffee pots draw electricity even when they are off. This can amount to 5%-10% of the total electric bill.
· You can buy electricity produced from wind or solar sources, for an additional cost, from the utility to support renewable energy production.
· You can perform an energy audit on your home
o Alliance to Save Energy has a free do-it-yourself guide online
o So does the EPA
· Air-conditioning
o Full-house systems are more efficient because there is less heat loss between the room that is cool and the other rooms
o Consider installing awnings and planting deciduous trees on the south and west sides of the house to help cool the house in the summer
o When buying an A/C look for an EER rating of more than 11 and SEER ratings of more than 14, as recommended for Energy Star designation
o Keep the coils on your AC clean for max efficiency
o Evaporative coolers use 75% less energy than an AC and can cool air by 20 deg. They work best in dry climates, such as Colorado, but do use a large amount of water.
o Whole house or ceiling fans are also very effective and use 90% less energy than AC
o Use a programmable thermostat and turn the AC off when you leave for a long time
· Fridge
o Energy Star refrigerators consume 40% less than conventional ones
o A full fridge uses less energy than an empty one, so keep it stocked
o Top mounted freezers use less energy than side by side models
o Set your fridge at 35 - 38 deg. F and your freezer at 0 deg F
· Air filters and cleaners
o Avoid ozone producing cleaners and ionizers
o A room-by-room air filter system is better than a whole house system because it can work year round, whereas the whole house system only works when air is running through the ducts.
o HEPA filters are best
o Make sure to clean or replace filters regularly
· Vacuum
o HEPA filters work well or look for even more effective ULPA filters if you have allergies
· Dishwashers
o Only run it when the dishwasher is full
o Unless you are very careful when hand-washing, a dishwasher will use less water (6-15 gal per load) for the same amount of dishes
§ Look for Energy Star dishwashers that use 6 gallons or less per load
§ Skip the pre-rinse and just scrape the food off to save water
o Air or hand dry dishes instead of drying in the dishwasher to save energy
· Washing Machines
o If you are buying a new one look for the Energy Star label
o A new dryer should have an MEF (Modified Energy Factor) around 1.7
o New top and front loading machines can be efficient
o Use cold water as much as possible, you don't need hot water
· Dryer
o Use a clothes line instead of a drying machine
§ New legislation in Colorado prohibits HOAs from restricting the use of retractable clothes lines, among other energy efficiency measures.
o Clean the lint trap before every use to increase efficiency
o Dry natural and synthetic fibers separate to reduce static and the need for anti-static sheets
· Stoves
o Gas is greener than electric, but needs to have electric ignition
o Induction stoves are the best electrical option. They heat using electromagnetic waves applied to the pot. The surface of the stove remains cool.
o Always use a lid
o Don't set the flame so high that it goes past the pot
o Match the pot to the burner size
o Use high quality cookware like copper, cast iron, stainless steel or anodized aluminum
· Ovens
o Convection ovens cook food 25% faster than regular ones
o Self-cleaning ovens are designed to keep the heat in better than conventional
o Consider a pressure cooker which can cook faster and takes 75% less energy
o Slow cookers are also energy efficient
o Toaster ovens take half the energy to run than a full size one
· Batteries and Chargers
o Find out where to recycle them in your area
o Use rechargeable batteries
§ Every rechargeable battery saves 500-1000 regular batteries
§ Rechargeable Batteries can be recycled at many locations.
· Cell phones
o Unplug the charger when the charge is full, don't leave overnight.
o Functioning phones can be donated to EcoCell
§ Erase all personal info
· Computers
o Look for the EPEAT environmental label
o Recycle the computer
o Use the sleep and hibernate function and turn the computer off entirely overnight and on weekends when not in use
· TV
o Flat screens (LCD) use slightly more power than old fashioned TVs but are more environmentally friendly overall
§ Plasma TVs use double the energy of an LCD
o Use a power strip because a TV set to off can consume as much as 1/5 the energy of when its on.
· Flashlights
o Use an LED flashlight and save 90% of the energy compared to an incandescent flash light
o Use hand-crank or solar powered flashlights
