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Save Energy for Better Living

In the modern world, energy consumption plays a vital part in life and if we reduce energy consumption, we can avoid construction of new power plants and other negative energy impacts. Please keep in mind that as you save energy, in other words you save money
Use Efficient Transportation Techniques: Transportation is a leading energy consumer.  In most of the countries, vehicles use more gasoline each year than their entire oil industry produces.  Try to live near your workplace or school, and use public transportations such as buses, walk, or bike when you can.  Replace your SUV with one of the new hybrid gas and electric cars and you could save more .The new efficient hybrids are reliable and drive just like a standard car, with no need to recharge batteries. 
For Refrigeration: Maintain your refrigerator and freezer at the right temperature. If they're only 10 F colder than necessary, your energy consumption will jump 25 percent. The refrigerator should be between 38 and 42 F and the freezer between 0 and 5 F.  Make sure the door is sealed tightly. Check the gasket (rubber seal) for cracks and dried-on food. Choose a refrigerator with a freezer on top rather than a side-by-side unit. On average, the savings amount to 20 percent.
For Air Conditioning: Especially in tropical countries, air conditioning is compulsorily necessary.  If you increase your air conditioning thermostat by only 3°F you can save energy. You can save up to 3% of energy consumed for each degree the thermostat is set above 72 F. Ceiling or room fans can also be used to cool rooms significantly while using less energy than air conditioning.  An attic "whole house" fan is an effective way of cooling your home without using the air conditioner.  It forces hot air out of your home and draws cooler air in through attic vents.
Unplug Unnecessary Appliances:  Unplug electric appliances like microwaves, stereos, fans….etc that do not have to be on all the time, but use energy when plugged in. Simply unplugging these appliances can save a lot of energy.
Lighting: For every 75W incandescent bulb which you replace with a 20W compact fluorescent, you’ll get the same light intensity while saving energy. Fluorescents save 75% of the energy, yet they last much longer.  Turn off unnecessary lights, and also, keep bulbs dust-free. Dust on a light bulb or dirt on a glass fixture can reduce the light it emits by 10 percent and make it seem that you need a higher-wattage light.  When building a new home, get the benefit of natural lighting features such as skylights, sun tubes, larger south-facing windows, etc. to reduce the need for artificial lights.  Adjust your schedule when possible to be active in daylight and sleep during the dark.
Cold Water Wash and Line Dry: Washing clothes in cold water reduces your washer's energy used by 75% .Drying clothes outside (without using your dryer) in the fresh air and sunlight not only lengthens the life of your clothes but also saves energy. Always do full loads when using your dishwasher and washing machine. Conserve energy by turning off the dry cycle on your dishwasher and air-dry the dishes instead. 

 
Home Heating: Lower your thermostat in winter. Change furnace filters often because dirty filters restrict airflow and waste energy. Keep your furnace clean and properly adjusted.  Switch from an oil or electric heating system to natural gas, which is more efficient.  Replace simple dial-type thermostats with smart programmable thermostats. These units allow you to set the heating and cooling system to take a break while you're asleep or out and produce significant savings on your energy bill, with a quick payback of cost. Dress warmly to stay comfortable without turning up the heat.  Lower the thermostat to 55 degrees or off at night or when leaving the house/office for an extended period of time.  For every degree you lower your heat in the 60-degree to 70-degree range, you'll save up to 5% on heating costs.
In Case Of Cooking: Minimize the number of times you open an oven door during cooking. Each time, you lose 25 to 50 degrees or more. Do not preheat longer than necessary. Ten minutes should be sufficient enough. Preheating is not necessary when broiling.
Reduce Your Home Size: If you’re about to build or buy a new home, aim for something smaller (i.e. well sufficient to your family).Many new homes are much larger per person than in the past, which increases home energy consumption dramatically for construction, heating, dehumidifying and cooling.  
Seal All Air Leaks At Your Place: One of the least expensive and most effective ways to reduce energy consumption in the home is to seal all the air leaks of your home. Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning to prevent heated air from escaping through the chimney.  Avoid using kitchen, bathroom and other ventilating fans in excess, as these can eject a significant amount of heated or cooled air in a very short period of time. 
Adding Insulation: Adding attic insulation is also highly effective and can save energy. Pool blankets (insulating sheets that float on the surface) cut the energy consumption of pool heaters up to 70 percent.
Efficiency Of Windows: Adding air-gap window films to existing windows, while not always cost-effective, can save for you. When possible, replace old windows with new high performance, energy efficient (double-paned) windows or install storm windows. Curtains and shades can also help prevent hot or cold air from escaping.
Smart Landscaping: Shading your east and west windows with overhangs or trellises or by planting shade trees are also effective ways to reduce unwanted heat gain on hot, sunny days.  They also act as windbreaks in winter.  Also, Plant trees or shrubs to shade air-conditioning units (but not to block the airflow.)  A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity than the same one operating in the sun. 
 Sealing Ducts at your place: Sealing and insulating heating and cooling ducts is a more expensive job, but saves more energy. Upgrading your heating or cooling equipment with new technology and making sure these units are regularly tuned 
Hot Water Efficiency: Turn down your water heater to 120°F from the usual 145°F, and you may save energy as well as cost. Reduce hot water consumption by installing efficient showerheads, faucets and other fixtures. You can insulate the water heater with an insulating blanket. This is especially valuable for older water heaters with little internal insulation. Be alert on leaving the air intake vent uncovered when insulating a gas water heater. When buying a new water heater, look for the most efficient and properly sized type with the lowest life-cycle cost. Better, install a solar hot water heater.
Save Energy at Work: Turn off office equipment when not in use. Reduce energy consumption and equipment wear by setting computers, monitors, and copiers to sleep-mode.  Better yet, turn them all the way off if you are not going to use them for an extended period of time, particularly when you go home at the end of the workday. To keep it simple, just plug your computer, scanner and printer into one power strip that can be switched off after shutting down your computer.  Do the same with the microwave in the office lunchroom, and other office appliances which are always on otherwise.   Over your lunch break; turn off your computer monitor.  This will save energy without losing your work or having to reboot.  Encourage your co-workers to do the same.
Limit Your Stuff Consumption: Virtually every physical object you buy in a store requires energy for its production and/or operation.  This includes clothing, accessories, household furnishings, office supplies, appliances, sporting goods, decorative objects, and toys - which all consume energy.   We could easily have happy, fulfilled lives while reducing this consumption, and save tremendous energy (and money) in the process.  Unclutter your life and live more simply.   When you do buy, try to purchase locally made goods and avoid energy costs due to long-distance transportation.
Have a Vegetarian Diet : The production of meat, dairy, and eggs is energy intensive.   We can all reduce our food energy consumption by eating plant proteins directly, converting at least some of our daily meals to vegetarian dishes.   This will also be healthier for you and your family, save money, reduce water consumption, reduce water pollution, reduce land use impacts of livestock production, and reduce the potential for animal cruelty.   For more information, visit:

Help Your Government to Establish New Policies in the Aspects of Energy Saving : Many of government regulations are not helpful for conserving energy, and some policies actually reward large energy users with lower bulk rates. Every citizen of the country needs to contact legislators and ask for better policies

So, please take above good practices for your consideration, and save energy for better future of the man kind
Be Conscious on Energy Saving!        

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