It takes a lot of energy to power the devices, lights, equipment, and appliances in your home. Consuming this much energy isn’t just bad for the environment—it can hurt your wallet, too. In fact, the average U.S. household spends about $2,000 on energy bills every year.

Fortunately, there are simple ways to drastically reduce the amount of energy that is consumed at home. Follow these energy saving tips for every room in your home:

How to Save Energy in the Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the biggest energy-consuming rooms in your home. There are a lot of ways to save energy in this room. Here’s where to start:

• If you need to replace an appliance, make sure you choose an ENERGY STAR® certified replacement. These appliances are designed to consume less energy than standard models.
• Don’t pre-rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Simply scrape off food debris and load each dish into your dishwasher.
• Keep your pots and pans covered. The lids will trap heat inside so the stove won’t need to consume as much energy to cook your food.
• Avoid opening the oven or refrigerator door too often. Opening these doors allows air to escape, so the appliances will have to work harder to maintain the right temperature inside.
• Unplug toasters, coffee machines, and other small kitchen appliances when they are not in use.

As you can see, you don’t have to make major changes in order to save energy in the kitchen. 

How to Save Energy in the Bathroom

Bathrooms are smaller than other rooms in your home, but they still consume a significant amount of energy. Here’s how to conserve energy in your bathrooms:

• Install low flow faucets and showerheads. These inexpensive fixtures can cut the amount of water used in your bathroom in half.
• Make sure the light bulbs in your bathroom vanity are energy efficient. Energy efficient light bulbs use between 25-80% less energy than traditional bulbs.
• Don’t leave the shower on for too long before you get in. This bad habit could waste about 5 gallons of water per minute. 
• Invest in an energy efficient toilet to save gallons of water—and a lot of money—every year.  
• Don’t leave the exhaust fan running for too long. Turn off the exhaust fan after about 15 minutes, which is how long it will take for the fan to remove all of the humidity in your bathroom.
• Let your hair air dry so you don’t waste energy on powering your hairdryer.

These are some of the many ways you can save energy in the bathroom at home.

How to Save Energy in the Bedroom

Turn your bedroom into an eco-conscious sanctuary so you can kick back and relax without wasting energy. Here are some energy saving tips for your bedroom:

• Don’t leave your phone and computer charger plugged in when they’re not in use. These chargers can consume energy even when they’re not supplying power to your devices.
• Use the right type of bedding. Snuggle up in heavier blankets in the winter, but switch to lighter linen bedding materials in the summer. This will help you stay comfortable without relying so heavily on your heating and cooling system.
• If you prefer to fall asleep with the TV on, adjust the settings so the TV automatically powers off after a certain amount of time has passed.

Now, you can unwind in your bedroom without worrying about how much energy you are wasting.

How to Save Energy in the Laundry Room

Most people assume that they aren’t using a lot of energy in their laundry room since they barely spend time in this part of the house. But that’s not the case. Follow these tips to save energy in your laundry room:

• Wash clothing in cold water so no energy is wasted on heating water. 
• Washers will consume the same amount of energy regardless of the size of the load, so don’t run your washer until you have a full load of clothing.
• Lower the heat setting on your dryer. Low-heat loads may take longer, but they consume less energy than high-heat loads.
• If possible, air-dry laundry instead of using the dryer.
• Clean the lint filter on the dryer on a regular basis. A dirty lint filter reduces the efficiency of the dryer, so it will consume more energy to dry your clothes.

These simple strategies will help you reduce the amount of energy that is used to keep your clothes clean.

Reap the Rewards of Energy Efficiency

Improving the energy efficiency of your home can help you protect the planet, reduce your carbon footprint, save money on electric bills, and increase the value of your home. Follow the tips in this guide to start saving energy in every room of your home today!