1. Use your dishwasher

Dishwashers may use electricity, but they save more energy, money, water, and time than hand washing.

According to the California Energy Commission, using an Energy Star-qualified dishwasher instead of hand washing can save you, on average, 5,000 gallons of water and $40 in utility costs each year, not to mention 230 hours of your time.

2. Air-dry your dishes

Opt-out of the heat-dry cycle on your dishwasher. Instead, open the door with just a crack and let your dishes air-dry. Or, if your dishwasher has an air-dry setting, use it.

The air-dry setting can reduce your dishwasher’s energy use by 15 percent to 50 percent, according to the California Energy Commission.

3. Get ’em clean

Of course, these dishwasher tips won’t save electricity if you have to repeat loads because the dishes just won’t get clean. That’s why you need to make sure they’re loaded correctly.

For example, you should place plates in the bottom rack, bowls on the top rack, make sure cups are upside down and larger pots should be washed separately.

4. Use a fan

If you live in an area of the world where the summers are hot, turn on your ceiling fans before you touch your thermostat. Using a ceiling fan can make a room feel 10 degrees cooler and a fan uses just 10 percent of the energy that a central air conditioner does, according to the US Natural Resource Defense Council.

5. Use a smarter bulb

If you haven’t switched to LED lighting, now is the time. The US Department of Energy says that LED bulbs use at least 75 percent less energy — and last 25 times longer — than incandescent lighting. That equals a lot of savings!

6. Forget the twist

If you’re not a fan of the twisty compact fluorescent lights (or CFLs), there’s good news.

Many LEDs, like the Cree Daylight, Philips SceneSwitch or GE LED Daylight, look just like the old incandescent bulbs. Learn more about choosing an LED bulb here.

7. Use motion to stop waste

If you’re constantly following family members from room to room, turning off lights behind them, you need to update. One solution could be motion detectors, like GE’s LED Plus lineup or Ring’s smart outdoor lights.

They turn on when they sense someone’s in the room and then turn themselves off when no movement is detected.

8. Turn off the burner a little early

According to the California Energy Commission, if you turn off the burner early, the stove will still release enough heat to finish up whatever you’re cooking and will save electricity. This tip works for most dishes, though there are a few exceptions.

9. Keep your oven closed

Every time you open your oven door, the internal temperature can drop 25 degrees. Then, your oven has to use more electricity to bring the temperature back up. To save electricity, peek through the window and rely on your oven’s light instead of opening the door.

10. Go small

If you’re just heating something up or cooking something small, go with a small appliance like your microwave or toaster oven. They use substantially less electricity than your oven.

11. Use a smart plug

You may think that your electronics and appliances are energy-efficient, but are you using more electricity than you think?

The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini is a little gadget that plugs into your wall that you can use to turn electronics on and off.

12. Put it on standby

Putting your electronics on standby saves more money than leaving them on. Remember, though, standby still uses a substantial amount of electricity.

According to the US Department of Energy, electronics on standby account for 10 percent or more of your electricity bill.

13. Better yet, get a strip

One of the best ways to control these power wasters is by plugging them into a power strip or a smart outlet like the TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip.

Just switch the strip off or use the smart switch’s app to turn off electricity guzzlers when you go to bed or when you’re not home. Learn more about standby energy waste here.

14. Install a programmable thermostat

Still, have that thermostat that looks like it’s from the 1970s? Switch it out with a programmable thermostat such as the Nest, Ecobee, or Honeywell. According to the Alliance to Save Energy, switching to a programmable thermostat can save you save up to 10 percent on cooling and heating costs.

15. Check your thermostat location

While you’re considering a programmable thermostat, check your current thermostat’s location. It could be on the wrong wall.

Drafts, direct sunlight, and other factors can trigger your AC or furnace to kick on when it doesn’t need to. Here’s the perfect place to put your thermostat.

16. Baby your dryer

The California Energy Commission says that dryers use approximately 6 percent of a home’s total electricity usage. You can help your dryer work more efficiently by keeping it clean. Always cleaning the lint trap after every load is one of the most important things you can do. Here’s more on how to deep-clean your dryer and your dryer vent.

17. Go cold

Start using cold water when you wash laundry. Why? Because 90 percent of the electricity used to wash a load goes toward heating the water, according to Consumer Reports.

The Alliance to Save Energy also says washing clothes in cold water can save you $63 a year on your electricity bill. Most detergents are designed to work better in cold water, anyway.

18. Upgrade your laundry room

Older appliances aren’t as energy-efficient as they could be. For example, Energy Star estimates that on average a washer over 10 years old could cost you around $190 a year.

However, we understand that now isn’t the best time to invest in new large appliances due to the unemployment spike caused by the novel coronavirus.

19. Old dryers waste energy, too

Switch out your dryer while you’re getting a washer. Your old dryer could be wasting 20 percent more energy than a newer, Energy Star-certified model.

20. Switch out your shower head

Switching to a 2.5-gallon-per-minute (low-flow) showerhead and taking a 10-minute shower not only saves you 5 gallons of water over taking a bath, but it also saves up to $145 each year in electricity, according to Energy Star.

Be Skeptical

Some of the questionable energy-saving tips you’ve run across may have had some validity a long time ago, but with the technological advancements of past years, a lot of the information circulating out there just isn’t accurate anymore. It’s time to retire those tired old suggestions for reducing energy costs and instead adopt some practical, real-life measures that genuinely work.

MYTH 1: Close vents in empty rooms to save on your energy bill

We’ll forgive you for falling prey to this tip. On the surface, it seems to make sense. Closing vents ensures that all hot or cold air is directed only to high-traffic areas. Hold on, though! Don’t shut the vents in your guest bedroom quite yet. Closing vents can cause pressure buildup and leaks in the HVAC ducts, which in turn lead to energy waste.

MYTH 2: Using your dishwasher is worse than hand-washing

Nope. This may have been true once upon a time, but most of today’s homes are outfitted with Energy Star-certified dishwashers that feature energy-efficient wash settings. Washing kitchenware by hand now often uses up more hot water than the machine would use. You should, however, avoid running the appliance if it’s almost empty—that’s still wasteful, no matter how eco-friendly the dishwasher.

MYTH 3: If it’s off, it’s not using up energy

Plugged-in appliances or electronic gadgets still draw power even when turned off. To prevent this sucking of “vampire power,” unplug infrequently used electronics when they’re not in use or when you’re heading out on vacation. Don’t forget to remove chargers from outlets too!

MYTH 4: A smart thermostat will save you tons of money

The savings potential of smart thermostats is an oft-used selling point and something that smart thermostat companies love to boast about, but it’s not necessarily true. For instance, if you already use a programmable thermostat, installing a smart device may not have any measurable impact on your utility bill. Similarly, an intelligent thermostat won’t save you money if it’s underutilized.

MYTH 5: Cranking up the heat gets your home warm faster

You’re lounging around on a gloomy Saturday afternoon and notice your feet are getting chilly, so you crank up the thermostat to warm things up fast. Unfortunately, jumping the setting up really high doesn’t magically make the system heat more quickly, nor does setting the AC really low make your house cool down faster in warm weather. Instead, your HVAC system will just work longer to reach that unnecessarily high setting, and you’ll probably need to adjust the thermostat down again later on. It’s best to use a programmable thermostat to maintain comfortable temperatures and make small adjustments as necessary.

MYTH 6: Using Eco Temperature settings when leaving the house is ultra-wasteful

Not true. It takes more energy to keep your home at a consistent comfortable temperature than to reheat or cool down upon your return. Just make sure the Eco Temperature setting on your thermostat isn’t so low as to allow pipes to freeze in especially frigid weather.

MYTH 7: Run your HVAC fan continuously and reduce the need for active heating and cooling

Running the HVAC fan helps circulate the air in your home, but running it all the time is a colossal energy suck. While the fan does evenly distribute air and can reduce the presence of allergens, running it 24/7 can add hundreds of dollars per year to your utility bill.

MYTH 8: You won’t need to change the filters if you run your HVAC fan continuously

Nope. Your HVAC fan can reduce the presence of allergens in your home, but that doesn’t negate the need to replace the unit’s filters. In fact, when you run the fan continuously, more air is being pushed through the filters, so they will clog up more quickly.

MYTH 9: No need to fix what ain’t broke

You’ve gone a year without any HVAC problems. Great! You should still call an HVAC technician for a system checkup about once a year. Regular maintenance helps extend the lifespan of your system and ensures that problems are spotted before they can leave their mark on your utility bill.