Efficiency is the cheapest and easiest form of clean energy. By making the most of our power and choosing energy efficient options wherever we plug in, we'll need fewer fossil fuels on the path to 100% clean energy. We use creative communications to tell stories about the power of energy efficiency and advocate for smart strategies that lower our carbon footprint.
Our friends at Hawaii Energy—a ratepayer funded energy conservation and efficiency program—offer incentives, rebates, and more to help residents and businesses make smarter energy choices and save money on their electricity bills.
Changing your energy habits at home, school, and work can help us get to 100% clean energy faster by reducing the amount of fossil fuel we use on the path to get there.
We hang together, or we hang separately—Benjamin Franklin’s wise advice still holds today. Using Hawaii’s trade winds and sunshine to dry your laundry is the best way to go. You’ll save energy—and wear and tear on your clothes! A typical Oahu family will save about $300 per year based on typical usage.
Grandma was right on this one. Turn it off when you leave the room.
Appliance timers allow for automatic control of air conditioners, lamps, TVs, and appliances. Many models will simply plug in to a conventional wall outlet and allow multiple on-off settings per day.
Sounds scary, doesn’t it? Phantom loads occur when devices suck energy even when they are not in use, such as certain cell phone chargers, computer equipment, and devices that have a “standby” mode. Use a power strip to eliminate these phantom loads. Better yet, use a power strip with a timer so you can program it to automatically cut off the power at times when you're not using these devices.
Heating water is one of the biggest home energy consumers, making up 35% of the typical electricity bill. Turn down the temperature of your electric water heater to the warm setting (120°F). Install tank insulation, a heat trap, or a timer on your electric water heater (cost: less than $100). Or better yet, invest in solar hot water. Solar water heating is cleaner, more efficient, and cost-effective.
Letting dishes air dry instead of using a dishwasher's heated drying cycle can save around 110 kilowatt-hours (kWh) and $33 per year.
Limit the amount of time you keep the refrigerator door open and avoid opening the oven door while baking so your kitchen appliances don't have to work so hard to get the job done. Also, don't keep your refrigerator or freezer too cold. Recommended temperatures are 37° to 40°F for the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator and 5°F for the freezer section. If you have a separate freezer for long-term storage, it should be kept at 0°F.
Cutting just two minutes per shower could save 1,500 kWh and $460 per year. A low-flow showerhead can save valuable hot water as well (and the new designs keep the water pressure up).
A drop each second can waste about 2,000 gallons of water a year. A leaking hot water faucet wastes both water and up to 400 kWh or $120 per year if you have an electric water heater.
Switching from Hot Wash/Warm Rinse to the Cold/Cold cycle on a standard, top-loading washing machine for just two loads a week can save 225 kWh and $68 per year.
Make sure your refrigerator door seals are airtight. Test them by closing the door over a piece of paper so it's half in and half out of the refrigerator. If you can pull the paper or bill out easily, the seal may need replacing, or you might consider buying a new ENERGY STAR unit. To check newer magnetic door seals for leaks, check with the manufacturer.