From heating and cooling to washing and drying, there are many ways you can save energy around your home.

By reducing the amount of energy you use, not only will you save money, but you will also help reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere.

The following tips are easy to implement and can be applied to nearly any home with minimal impact on lifestyle.

Summer

1. If you are going on holidays, switch off hot water systems and other major appliances.
2. Seal fireplaces that are not in use.
3. To enable air conditioners to run more efficiently, keep air filters clean and outside units clear from obstructions.
4. Install a timer for your pool filter so it only runs when needed.
5. Leave fresh air and exhaust controls on cooling units, where available, in the closed position.
6. Limit the number of times the fridge door is opened on hot days.
7. Use blinds and sunshades to keep the hot sun off windows.
8. Limit the use of your clothes dryer – take advantage of the warmer days and hang your clothes outside.

Winter

1. Wear layers of lightweight clothing indoors to keep warm.
2. Ensure curtains are closed to retain heat inside the house.
3. Close off any rooms you don’t wish to heat.
4. Instead of heating an entire bedroom at night, use only an electric blanket to warm the bed.
5. Take advantage of free warmth from the sun by opening your curtains on sunny days.
6. Use reverse angle ceiling fans, which cost little to run, to force hot air down to floor level.
7. Keep your radiant heater reflectors clean and free of dust.
8. Set the temperature on your clothes dryer to no hotter than warm or consider using the fan only.

All year round

1. Turn off appliances at the power point – standby power can add-up to over 8 per cent of a household’s electricity usage.
2. Avoid using your dishwasher, washing machine or clothes dryer if only half-filled, or use the half-load or economy mode.
3. Seal or weather-strip your windows and doors to reduce the transfer of hot and cold air.
4. Activate sleep features that power down computers and other office equipment that are not being used for short periods of time.
5. Fix a dripping tap – dripping taps can result in thousands of liters of lost hot water.
6. Replace regular incandescent light globes with compact fluorescent light globes.
7. Keep light globes and light fittings clean – dust can reduce lighting by up to 25 per cent.
8. In the kitchen, use the smallest pots and pans possible – it takes less energy to heat them.
9. Turn off a second fridge that’s not being used.

Besides the above recommendations, you can help to save energy by using Blackle as your search engine.

The creators of Blackle state that the idea behind the site came from a blog, which estimated that a black Google would save 750 megawatt-hours a year. A megawatt-hour is the equivalent of ten thousand 100 watt light bulbs burning continuously for 1 hour. On the Blackle homepage, the creators of Blackle provide a count of the number of watt-hours that they claim the users of Blackle have collectively saved!