Free or Cheap Ways to Conserve Energy at Home

Over the last decade, people have learned just how important it is to save energy. New energy saving appliances are available and manufacturers have created new energy efficient windows along with a number of other products to help cut energy consumption. However, some homeowners are not financially able to make this type of major change to their home.

Others rent and cannot do any major repairs to the home but that doesn't mean you can't still conserve energy. Simply change a few of the bad habits you've acquired through the years and this could make a major difference.

Here are a few free or cheap ways to conserve energy in your home:

• Turn off the lights when you leave a room even if you plan to return in a few minutes. You may get busy doing something else and not go back into the room when you plan to.
• Unplug appliances such as toasters, cell phone chargers, laptops and coffee makers when not in use. All of these use electricity even after they are turned off when left plugged in.
• Turn off the television set when you're not actually watching it. If you like hearing sounds in the background, turn on the radio because it uses less energy.
• Take advantage of the sleep mode on your computer and office equipment and unplug these items when you don't plan to use them for a while.
• Check the filters in your heat and air conditioning unit every month. Clean them or replace them as needed and this will conserve energy. When these filters are clogged, the heating and cooling unit will use more energy to achieve the desired temperature.
• Changing the way you do your laundry can help save energy. Washing your clothes in full loads only and using cold water when possible will save lots of energy.
• Line dry your clothes when appropriate but when using the dryer, use the lowest setting that will thoroughly dry the clothes and always clean out the lint trap after each use.
• Set your thermostat between 78 and 82 degrees in the summer and set it between 68 and 72 degrees in the winter to conserve energy.
• When washing dishes in a dishwasher, instead of washing partial loads, wait until the unit is full and use the air-dry feature instead of heat dry.
• Close off the air vents in rooms that are not in use and shut the doors. This will save the energy needed to heat and cool these rooms.
• Use fans to help circulate the air and the heat throughout your home.
• Adjust the temperature on your hot water heater. As long as the temperature reaches around 130 degrees, you'll always have plenty of hot water but it won't take as much energy to heat it.

These are all simple changes that anyone can make regardless of your budget or where you live. The more changes you make, the less energy you'll use and as a result, you'll save money too.