Appliances Overview

Appliance Overview

Always wash and dry clothes in full loads. This contributes to maximizing the efficiency of your washer and dryer.
If possible, dry towels and thicker items separate from others.
Using the auto-dry cycle on your dryer ensures that you are using just the right amount of heat to dry your items. Using the timer setting may actually use more heat and energy than is needed.
Make sure to clean your lint screen every time you do dry a load. This helps the dryer to "breath" easier an operate at a greater efficiency.
By utilizing the cool-down cycle of your dryer, you take advantage of any heat leftover. This heat is wasted when not using this cycle which is more energy lost.
Whenever possible, dry your clothes on a line or rack. These methods are always free!

Try to keep your fridge and freezer close to the recommended temperatures. These are 37°- 40°F for the fridge and 5° F for the freezer. Separate freezers for longer term, such as chest freezers, are better kept at 0° F. You can check the teperatures of the fridge and freezer by placing a thermometer in a cup of water or between frozen items respectively. Take note of the reading after it has been in the unit for a day or so.
Check that your unit is sealing correctly. To test this, you can take a dollar bill, or similarly size strip of paper, and close half of it inside the unit with the other half sticking out. If the paper pulls out easily, your unit is not sealing as well as it could and is leaking cold air. Possible causes are the seal or the door adjustment if applicable.
Uncovered liquids and food items make the fridge work harder because of the moisture they release. Be sure to use covers whenever possible.
Make sure to defrost you unit at regular intervals. This is recommended anytime frost builds up to a point beyond 1/4" - 1/2".

Making sure to power off computers and other office equipment when not in use helps to avoid wasted energy.
Energy Star computers use anywhere from 70% - 35% of the electricity as their counterparts. When making a purchasing decision, look for the logo.
Whenever possible, utilize the low-power options on your devices. Not only does this save in energy, but it may also prolong the life of your device and will even run cooler.
Screen savers do not actually use any less power. Rather than utilizing this option, turn it off, to sleep, or hibernation mode.
Modern computer equipment does not last any longer by leaving it on. Although older systems may have, now-a-days this just represents lost efficiency.

Rather than rinsing dishes, scrape off left-over food into the trash. Soaking is really only useful for food that is burnt or dried to the dish.
Run you dishwasher with full loads to maximize its efficiency. Under-filling reduces its efficiency and over-filling reduces can reduce its effectiveness.
Rather than using heat or automatic dry, try drying your dishes by air. Some washers may have a switch that says air-dry, others may need to be turned off after the final rinse.