Department of Environment & Conservation
Robert Martineau, Commissioner

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Energy conservation can be done in many ways. Whether adjusting the thermostat, replacing light bulbs, or making your house better insulated, energy conservation projects can both improve your house, help expensive appliances last longer, and save you money. Here are some facts and ideas for things that can be done.

Turn down your system’s thermostat to 68 ⁰F during the day in winter and leave it up at 78 ⁰F during the summer.

Consider getting an Energy Star programmable thermostat. Lower your water heater temperature to 120 ⁰F and reduce hot water use by taking shorter showers and using cold water for laundry whenever possible.

Each 10 ⁰F reduction on the water heater results in a 13% reduction of your hot water heating costs. Keep curtains open on the south side of the house and closed on the north side during the day in the winter to take advantage of solar heat. Clean refrigerator coils every few months as part of a general household maintenance plan.

Set the temperature at 36 ⁰F to 39 ⁰F and the freezer temperature from 0 ⁰F to 5 ⁰F. Make sure the fireplace damper/flue is closed when not in use. Match the size of your pot or pan to the size of the stove burner and cover it with a lid when cooking. Once a year, drain about one gallon of water from your water heater to remove sediment.

Air-dry dishes instead of using the dishwasher’s heat drying option. Caulk and weather strip around windows and doors to stop air leaks. Seal any gaps in floors and walls around pipes and electrical wiring. Change filters monthly or install a “filter whistle” to let you know when to change them.

Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps. CFLs use ¼ the electricity that incandescent bulbs do and last up to 20 times as long. If every household in the U.S. replaced just one incandescent bulb with a CFL, it would prevent enough pollution to equal removing 1 million cars from the road yearly. Repair air leaks and seal and insulate heating system ductwork.

Add insulation to your attic, crawl space, and any accessible exterior walls. Add pipe insulation to the first five feet of water pipe coming from your water heater. Install light switch and electrical outlet seals on exterior walls.

Look for the Energy Star label when replacing appliances or electrical equipment. Energy Star labeled appliances use 10-50% less energy. Example: ES refrigerators use 40% less energy than models sold in 2001. Wrap your water heater with insulation or install an insulating blanket. Use power strips for home electronics and turn off power strips when the equipment is not in use. Up to 50% of the power a piece of electronic equipment uses is while it is turned off. Check out more ideas at U.S. EPA’s Energy Star, The Home Energy Saver, and the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium.

Links for additional information:

General information (often contains information on a wide variety of topics)

Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency
EPA Green Homes
The Homeowners Guide - The page contains several tabs with information on recycling, energy efficiency, and other resources as well as disaster preparedness.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy site
OEA Energy Conservation page
The Home Energy Saver
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. D.O.E. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy site
U.S. EPA’s Energy Star
TP3 Member success stories on Energy Conservation
Warm up a creaky old house - for free

Heating and Cooling

Cheap Ways to keep your House Cooler
Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium

House construction

DOW Chemical Co. STYROFOAM brand insulation
Insulation Fact Sheet
New Standards Flaoted for Home Building (Knoxville News Sentinal March 16, 2009)
State's Greenest Home Set for Debut (Memphis Daily News Feb 17, 2009)

If you have a source of information that you think would be helpful, please send us an email with a link to the information.

For more information about the Tennessee Pollution Prevention Partnership, please contact Curtis Hopper at 615-253-1729 or 1-800-734-3619 or by email at Pollution.prevention@tn.gov.