| Light Bulbs | | |
 | Turn off unused lights and other appliances that give off heat. Lighting alone account for as much as one half of the load of the air conditioning unit. Use low wattage but efficient lamps. |
| Clean flourescent tubes as frequently as possible. Dirt and dust may reduce lamps brightness for up to 50%. |
| Change incandescent to fluorescent. An incandescent bulb is much better a heater than a light source. Almost 80% of the electricity used to light it up is converted into heat. |
| Television |  |
| Turn off the television if nobody is watching and unplug it if using transformers. As much as possible, avoid letting your TV in standby mode for it consumes electricity as well. |
| Air Conditioners |  |  |
| If you leave the room for a long time, turn off your air conditioner. It uses less current to bring the temperature down again when you return, than if you left it running. |
| Use a small electric fan to spread cooled air around your room. This prevents the cooled air from layering and settling to the floor. |
|
Choose an air conditioning unit
with high Energy Efficiency
Ratio (EER). High EER has a
more efficient motor than the one
with lower EER, and consumes
less electricity.
|
| Refrigerators and Freezers |  |  |
| Defrost refs and freezers regularly. More than 1/4-inch ice build up of frost puts up an extra load on the compressor motor. |
| Check refrigerator if it is not losing its cool because of a leaking gasket. Test the gasket by closing the door on a peso bill. If the bill slips out when you pull on it, either the gasket needs a replacement or the door needs adjusting. |
| Frequent opening and closing of refs contributes to frost or ice buildup and causes compressor motor to work overtime. As much as possible, keep door closed. |
| Dont set the thermostat colder to get it started on the theory that it will freeze faster. |
| Choose the right size or capacity of refrigerator suitable to your need. Large capacity ref has bigger motor compressor that requires more power to run. |
| Choose a refrigerator with high Energy Efficiency Factor (EEF). High EEF has more efficient motor than the one with lower EEF, and consumes less electricity. |
| Kitchen Appliances |  |  |
| Do not boil water in an open pan/ pot. Covered pot/pan will boil it sooner over less heat. Once it is boiling, keep it with a low flame as possible. |
| Always clean range top, burners and reflectors. It helps to produce more heat consuming less energy. |
| Switch the electric stove to low when the food begins to boil. |
| Turn off electric stove shortly before cooking time is up (or finished). The heating element will stay hot just enough to finish the job without using more electricity. |
| Never put small pans on large heating elements (on electric stoves) or big burners (in gas stove). Flame or heat that exceed the diameter of the pan is lost in the air. |
| Have all ingredients ready when cooking to avoid frequent switching on and off the electric stove. |
| Laundry Appliances |  |  |
| Avoid washing partial loads. Wait until you meet machine capacity. |
| Pre-soak dirty clothes, probably the night before. Avoid having to run the washing machine twice. |
| Wash heavy and light weight laundry separately. Heavy laundry requires different setting. |
| Electric clothes drier uses large amount of energy to dry clothes. Practice using the old-fashioned clothes line. Clothes get a fresh sunshine smell in fine weather. |
| Iron clothes during off-peak hours (before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m.). This helps lessen the demand for electricity during peak hours. |
| Do all the ironing at one time, say once or twice a week. |
| Dampen clothes moderately. Excessive moistened clothes take longer to iron. |
| Turn off flat iron shortly before ironing the last piece. It will stay hot just enough to finish the job. |
