39 Ways to Reduce Your Electric Bill Vent your clothes dryer to the outside. Keep air conditioner filters clean. Aluminium mesh filters may be washed, while fiberglass filters should be replaced. Keep air vents clear of obstructions. Close the drapes on the sunny side of the house during the day. Keep storm windows closed when the air conditioner is on. Set the thermostat to the highest comfortable temperature. We're not suggesting you spend the rest of your life sweating, but even a one-degree change can save you money. If you cool with window A/C units, place them on the north side of the house. When possible, clear vents of obstructions and shut doors to unused rooms. It could really hurt when the electric bill comes if you waste hot water. After all, 20 cents of every dollar you spend on electricity goes to water heating. Be sure you have an energy-efficient electric water heater. To check, just read the label or contact our Customer Service Department. Set the water heater thermostat at 130 degrees if you have an electric dishwasher or 120 degrees if you do not. Always turn off the circuit breaker before you adjust the thermostat on an electric water heater. Insulate the pipes going into and out of the tank. Replace the water heater if it is an older model. Turn the water heater off when you are gone longer than a weekend. Wash full loads of clothing in the coolest water possible and rinse clothes in cold water. A low-flow showerhead can reduce water use by 50 to 70 percent. Repair leaky faucets. One drip per second equals 200 gallons per month. Drain a gallon of water once per year through the faucet at the bottom of the water heater, as doing so removes sediment that decreases energy efficiency. Run the dishwasher only when it is full. Compact fluorescent lamps can replace bulbs in most table lamps and will save up to 75 percent in lighting energy, produce more light and last up to 10 times longer. For more light, use one large bulb rather than several small ones. A 100-watt bulb produces more light with less energy than two 60-watt bulbs. Tungsten-halogen incandescent bulbs cut lighting costs by 15 percent. Use low-watt bulbs where lighting is not critical. Dimmer switches are more efficient. Place floor lamps and hanging lamps in corners. The reflection off the walls will give you more light unless you paint your walls black. Turn off outdoor lighting during the day. Turn off all lights, televisions, stereos and radios when nobody is in a room. Standing in front of an open refrigerator while you decide what you want wastes a lot of energy. The refrigerator and freezer account for 8 cents of every electric dollar. Look for more energy-efficient models with features like power-saver switches and improved insulation. Keep the temperature between 36 and 40 degrees in the refrigerator and zero and five degrees in the freezer. Use a refrigerator/freezer thermometer to check the settings. Place the refrigerator away from the stove, dishwasher, heat vents and direct sunlight. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the amount of air space needed around the refrigerator. Keep the freezer full. The fuller the freezer, the less cold air you lose when opening the door. Defrost manual-defrost refrigerators or freezers when the frost becomes a quarter-inch thick. Plan meals so that several things can cook in the oven simultaneously. Try using a pressure cooker, as it can reduce the cooking time of a regular pot on a burner by one-third. While the microwave is great for reheating leftovers, takeout food or cooking a single dish, a conventional oven may be more economical if you are cooking several items. Baking or microwaving defrosted food uses one-third less energy than starting with frozen food. Make sure you clean your lint filter after every load and dry full loads of clothing without overloading. Stop the dryer as soon as clothes are dry or use the moisture sensor control to automatically shut off the dryer. Overdrawing wastes energy and sets in wrinkles. Dry loads one right after another. You will use less energy because the dryer is already heated. Select a cycle with no final drying time or stop the dishwasher after the final rinse. It is always a good idea to keep appliance manuals handy so you can refer to them for care information and possible energy-saving tips.