Energy Saving Ideas

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For Your Residence (Dorms, Apartments)

Unplug appliances that are not being used. Most idle appliances -- TVs, VCRs, CD players, microwaves -- continue to consume energy when switched off and account for 5 percent of total domestic energy consumption.
Turn off computer monitors and hard drives when not in use. Set your computer monitor to sleep after 10 minutes of inactivity.
Close blinds (and windows) after sunset in the winter to keep in heat.Leave them open during summer days instead of turning on extra lights.
Turn off lights when no one is in the room. Ten percent of the average home's electricity costs can be controlled with the flip of a switch.
Recycle - It takes lots of energy to make new newspapers, aluminum cans, plastic bottles and other goods. Recycling these items uses less energy than it takes to make them new. Recycle at Stanford.
Replace incandescent light bulbs with Energy Star® compact fluorescent light bulbs, especially in high use light fixtures. Compact fluorescent lights use 75% less energy than incandescent lights.
Don't buy halogen torchieres.Operating at temperatures up to 1000 degrees F, these lamps burn a lot of electricity and can pose a serious safety threat. Halogen torchieres are banned on the Stanford Campus!
Shorten showers. Showers account for 2/3 of water heating costs
Run only full loads of laundry Save on electricity and other water heating costs.

For Your Office and Classroom

Avoid using personal space heaters.Such heating units use a lot of energy, cause breakers to trip, and are dangerous when left unattended.One space heater can consume the same amount of power that it would take to run fifty-six 4-foot fluorescent lamps!The average space heater consumes about 93% of the load a 20-amp circuit breaker can handle. Combined with the use of another appliance (such as a personal computer), a space heater can cause the circuit breaker to trip. If not properly safeguarded, such sudden power outages can damage electronic equipment and cause data loss. For information on safe and efficient radiant space heaters, please visit: Energy Ideas.
Turn off lights when leaving offices, classrooms and conference rooms.
Enable the sleep settings on your computer monitor. Screen savers do not save energy but sleep settings do.
Turn off PCs, monitors, printers, copiers, coffeepots, and lights every night and on weekends. If you can't turn off the whole computer, turn off the monitor and the printer.
If appropriate, use ink-jet printers -- they consume 95% less energy than laser printers. Similarly, laptops use 90% less energy than desktop computers.
When purchasing PCs, monitors, printers, fax machines and copiers, look for Energy Star models.
Print double-sided and use email instead of sending memos and faxes. Saving paper saves energy because it takes 10 times more energy to manufacture a piece of paper than it does to put an image on it.
Be aware of peak power usage periods. Try to minimize your energy use during peak demand hours from noon to 6 p.m.
Wear layers to be comfortable at various temperatures and to avoid resetting thermostats.

Changes You Can Make In Your House

Turn down your thermostat. For every degree you lower your heat in the 60-degree to 70-degree range, you will save up to 5% on heating costs. Set the thermostat back to 55 degrees or off at night or when leaving home for an extended time to save between 5-20 percent of your heating costs.

Plug your home's leaks. Install weather-stripping or caulk leaky doors and windows and install gaskets behind outlet covers.
Use appliances efficiently. Do only full loads when using your dishwasher and clothes washer.Clean your clothes dryer's lint trap after each use. Use the moisture-sensing automatic drying setting on your dryer if you have one.
When buying new large appliances, choose Energy Star®-certified models. For example, a new Energy Star®-refrigerator uses about 20% less energy than a standard new refrigerator, and 46% less than one made in 1980. A new Energy Star® clothes washer uses nearly 50% less energy than an standard washer.
Calculate your home's energy use and potential savings from Energy Star® labeled appliances.

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