What You Can Do to Help With Sustainability

Simple and Practical Tips to Help You Save Energy in Your Home or Residence Hall

Household Appliances

• Only run your dishwasher when full.
• Always wash your clothes in cold water.
• Replace your old light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). These CFLs use 75% less energy and can last about 10 times longer.
• Always turn off appliances and lights when you are not using them. Do not continue to charge an appliance when it is already fully charged.
• If you’re in the market for new products, look for ones with the Energy Star label, which means they meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and U.S. Department of Energy.

Heating and Cooling

• Reduce heat or raise air conditioning settings when you are not in the house.
• Use fans to keep cool instead of air conditioning, or shade all windows in your house. Shade windows with awnings, pergolas, or white shades to keep out direct sunlight.
• Consider using only one refrigerator/freezer in your home.
• Make sure all the cracks and holes around your doors or windows are fixed. This can be done by weather-stripping or caulking.
• Insulation is key in reducing the amount of air leaving or coming into your home. Make sure the insulation in your attic is between 12-15 inches deep.

Technology and Computers

• Older, larger monitors use up significant wattage. Consider upgrading to an LCD screen or a portable laptop to use less energy. If you choose to upgrade, don’t forget to recycle your old computer in a responsible manner!
• Put your computer in sleep mode or turn it off completely when not in use. The small surge in energy when a computer starts up is still less than the energy used when a computer is running for long periods of time.
• Don’t use screen savers—they don’t “save” energy, and actually make your computer use more energy than sleep mode. Sleep mode uses 70-90% less energy than when your computer is on.
• For devices and appliances you don’t use daily (chargers, external hard drives), connect them to a surge protector separate from electronics you use every day. Switch off the surge protector when you’re not using them.
• Run software and security updates during the day to avoid leaving your computer on overnight.
• Set printers to sleep mode. They return to active status quickly when new print jobs are submitted.
• When buying your next computer, consider making it a laptop model. They often use less than 1/4 of the energy of their desktop counterparts.