Conservation: the First Step to a Renewable Energy System
 The first step in converting to a new renewable energy system is to conserve your power usage. This will translate into cost savings when you are ready to buy. For every $1 spent on energy efficiency, you can save up to $5 on your solar system cost. Here is a pie chart estimate of the average energy use for a household. Download this document in printable PDF format.
If cost is not an issue, you can skip this first step and move to Step 2, and decide what kind of system you'll need.
Ways to Conserve Energy
How to Cut Heating Costs
 1. Insulation - One of the most cost-effective ways to make your home more energy efficient and comfortable is to add insulation. An underinsulated attic may be the largest
source of energy loss as heat rises up and through the ceiling, into and out of the attic. Walls are the second place heat looks to escape, especially in older homes where insulation could be worn or settled, or simply uninsulated. Insulated window blinds or curtains can also help contain heat at night. Remember even double pane windows have very little insulative value. Click here for more information about to use insulation wiith passive solar.
2. Seal air leaks. Sealing air leaks to keep the cold air out by adding storm windows or caulking gaps around the outside of windows will stop the draft from entering your insulated home.
3. Use setback thermostats. These can be installed and programmed to lower household temperatures according to your needs. You can also manually setback your thermostat. By lowering room temperatures by five degrees for an eight to twelve hour period, you can save five percent on your heating bill.
4. Use passive solar techniques. Passive Solar techniques capture the sun's energy to warm your home and avoid capture of the same energy when it is necessary to keep the house cool. House design which takes into account the changing angle of the sun, from winter to summer, can dramatically lower your energy costs.
 Lower Water Heating Costs
Water heating is a major energy expense in a home. It usually accounts for 13% of your utility bill. There are six ways to reduce your water heating energy consumption: Water heating is a major energy expense in a home. It usually accounts for 13% of your utility bill. There are six ways to reduce your water heating energy consumption:
1. Insulate the water heater. You can save money by wrapping your gas or electric hot water heater in an insulative jacket. Wraps are readily available at hardware stores and can be installed by the homeowner.
2. Lower water heater thermostat. Lower the thermostat to 120 degrees F, to optimize efficiency. And if you have an electric water heater, a timer can be installed to regulate heating cycles.
3. Insulate pipes. Too much heat is lost from the pipes coming directly from the hot water heater, and even more is lost in unheated crawl spaces. Pipe insulation greatly reduces heat loss in these areas. Users will spend less time waiting for hot water at the tap and it will lead to less waste. On demand hot water circulation is an exciting innovation in this area and can maximize efficiency.
4. Install aerators at the faucets. These reduce hot and cold water flow while maintaining the original water pressure.
5. Install low flow shower heads. These help reduce water use by up to 50 percent.
6. Use less hot water. The 15 percent of energy that used to heat water in an average home can be lowered considerably by using a simple formula of insulating and conserving. By maximizing household efficiency, you will save.
Energy Efficient Lighting
 Use compact fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs use 70 percent less energy than incandescents without sacrificing any light. And while lasting up to ten times longer than conventional bulbs, the savings more than pay for initial costs. Besides changing all of your bulbs, there are other things you can do. Use daylight for reading, working and living. Evaluate your light usage. Low wattage task lighting can replace high energy general overheads. Lighter colors on the walls reflect more light and skylights can be an added improvement to darker areas.
 Energy Efficient Appliances
Buy an energy efficient refrigerator. Newer Refrigerators are much more energy efficient than the old green refrigerator at grandma's house. New refrigerators don’t have to be expensive to be efficient. Check the Energy Guide stickers as well as the price tags. And last but not least, consider a smaller unit because, with refrigerators, bigger is not better
Refrigerators are infamous for using way too much energy. If replacing your old unit with a modern high efficiency model is not an option, keep your old fridge tuned up by cleaning the ventilation grilles and give it some room from the wall to allow for ventilation. Use the energy saving feature, if available, or set the thermostat to the minimal requirement of 38 degrees..
Energy Star Appliances
 Energy Star appliances. - It is a good idea to look for energy star washer, dryers, stoves, refrigerators, etc. In general, side-load washers use less energy than top-load washers. Click here for a list of how much power each appliance uses.
Reduce phantom loads
Phantom loads refers to when appliances continue to draw electricity when they are "off" or in the standby position. They can draw electricity 24 hours a day and some appliances draw close to full power just to be on standby. Common examples include:
- Computers
- Stereos
- Televisions
- VCR
- Glow bars in gas ovens
- Electronic phones
- Anything with a small “box” on the power cord
A simple solution is to plug into a power strip. Turn off the power strip when items are not in use. Using active and passive solar power, you can significantly reduce your power bills, help the environment and save energy by a few simple measures.
References:
2005 Buildings Energy Data Book, Table 4.2.1., 2003 energy cost data.
Energy Conservation Primer, Coleman, Mark and Burlin, Will. 20 page pdf file, pgs. 7-14.
Enery Savers, U.S. Department of Energy EERE, 34 page pdf file, pgs. 15-16, 20, 24.
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