30 Tips for Turn-Offs

Are you ready to turn it off? BC Hydro has thirty tips to get you started. Pick one from each category and aim to try each of them over the course of the next thirty days....or be ambitious and implement one each day!

Lighting

1. Turn off all lights when you leave the room.
2. Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. They use 75 percent less energy and last up to eight times longer than incandescent light bulbs.
3. Use dimmers with your incandescent light bulbs to extend the life of the bulb.
4. Use occupancy and motion sensors with your incandescent light bulbs to automatically turn lights on or off when you leave a room.
5. Use holiday light emitting diode (LED) strings. They use 95 percent less electricity and last ten times longer than standard incandescent strings.
6. Outside, put a motion- or light-sensing control on the lights to turn them on only when you need them.

Kitchen Appliances

7. When shopping for new appliances, look for the ENERGY STAR label – it identifies the most energy-efficient models available.
8. Run the dishwasher only with a full load of dishes. Let the dishwasher air-dry or use the economy setting.
9. Use small appliances to cook meals or BBQ outside.
10. Set your refrigerator between 2 and 3 degrees Celsius (35 to 37 Fahrenheit) and freezer to -18 Celsius (0 Fahrenheit).
11. Keep your fridge or freezer away from heat sources.
12. Have BC Hydro pick up and recycle your old, inefficient second fridge and receive $30 for it.

Space Heating

13. Set your thermostat to no higher than 21 degrees Celsius (70 Fahrenheit) for heating and no lower than 26 degrees Celsius (78 Fahrenheit) for cooling. Set the heating temperature to 16 degrees Celsius (60 Fahrenheit) when you’re away or asleep.
14. Consider installing a programmable thermostat, which allows you to program the temperature of the house for different times or days.
15. Put on a sweater instead of turning up the thermostat.
16. Draftproof your home and reduce heat loss by about 5 to 10 percent.
17. Reduce heat loss through your home’s exterior by adding insulation to floors, walls, crawlspaces, basements and attics.
18. If you’re renovating or building a new home, choose ENERGY STAR labelled windows. They’re the most energy-efficient windows on the market.
    

    Water Heating

19. Use a Power Smart showerhead and save up to 15 percent of your home’s water use.
20. Use faucet aerators and save up to 40 percent of the water used for hand washing.
21. Wrap your older electric hot water tank with an insulating blanked and save up to 9% on your water heating costs.
22. Take short showers rather than baths. A five-minute shower uses about half as much water as a bath.
23. Keep your electric water heater at 60 degrees Celsius (140 Fahrenheit) or your gas water heater at 55 degrees Celsius (130 Fahrenheit).
24. Wash laundry with cold water whenever possible.

Computer/TV

25. Turn off your computer, printer and photocopiers when not in use.
26. If you must leave your computer on for network applications or other purposes, turn off the monitor to reduce electricity consumption.
27. Unplug any electrical equipment that is not in use as many appliances consume power even when they’re “off”.
28. When buying new equipment, look for the ENERGY STAR symbol. This identifies the most energy-efficient models.
29. Select a fax machine with power management capabilities and you may reduce your energy costs by almost 50 percent.
30. Use stick-on labels on the first page of your fax to reduce energy use and also save paper.