Make Adjustments: Fall Savings to Last Year-Round

This entry was posted in Blog on by .

Now that the back-to-school buzz has finally faded into filled assignment books and new achievements to hang on the fridge, you can focus on new ways to be successful: energy efficiency. Make energy efficiency your next priority by making some simple changes in your day-to-day life. Energy efficiency is easy, and once you start saving, the savings will only continue.

There are many ways you can get your work done—be it housework, meeting that upcoming deadline, or helping your child memorize spelling words—while saving energy. By altering the way that you consume energy, you will conserve. Once you make the small changes, the energy-saving measures do the work for you and allow you to finish the rest of your own work.

You can save money and energy simply by changing your light bulbs. This fall, do your work under LED or CFL lighting. LED stands for light emitting diode light bulbs, and CFL bulbs are compact fluorescent. Use them in your home, dorm room, or apartment to save up to $10 annually for each incandescent bulb that you replace.

Stop the “vampire” power sucker, also known as standby power loss. Your home electronic devices, such as clock displays or plugged-in chargers, use energy even when turned off. Use an advanced power strip to minimize this unnecessary power use. This special power strip cuts off the power to your electronics when they are not in use, which can save you up to $30 in annual energy.

Once you use these energy-saving tricks in your routine, you will already be smarter about saving energy. Continue this awareness by using ENERGY STAR® qualified lamps to do your work. ENERGY STAR has countless appliances that conserve energy, but switching a desk lamp is among one of the easiest. By trading that old lamp for one that will save up to $50 worth of energy in its lifetime, you will save both energy and money.

Here’s another easy tip: adjust the power management settings on your computer. Activating and customizing power management settings on your computer can save up to $50 annually in energy usage. Find out how to manage these settings on the ENERGY STAR website.

While you’re updating your old, power-sucking electronics, you can also recycle them. Recycling old electronics helps the environment in multiple ways: the old electronics do not end up in landfills, and this helps save energy that is used to produce products made from recycled materials.

Finally, MassSave’s Energy Saving Fundraiser program is offering you and your community’s school energy-saving benefits. It is a comprehensive effort for Massachusetts public and private schools to raise funds while educating teachers, faculty, and students about energy conservation. Your community school keeps 100% of the money that is collected through this fundraiser. Find out more about MassSave’s program.

This fall, make the small changes to save big-time. If you use these tips in your home, you will not have to alter your lifestyle to achieve energy efficiency. Energy efficient measures save the earth’s energy while saving you money. Keep learning about all of the available energy-saving options to constantly improve your energy usage.