Invest in Energy-Saving Products
An investment in energy-saving devices and products can save you money:
- Install smart thermostats. They improve home energy efficiency by lowering energy use during those times when you’re away from home or asleep. You can also control your thermostat remotely from your smartphone. See Selecting the Right Thermostat for Your Home to learn more about thermostats.
- Replace single-pane windows with properly installed ENERGY STAR® certified windows. See our Replacement Window Buying Guide to learn about the different types of windows.
- Use light-emitting diode (LED) or compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs. LEDs save on energy costs and last up to 20 years. CFLs also use less energy and last up to nine years. Our Light Bulb Buying Guide and Choosing the Best LED Lights for Your Home will give you more details on how to choose light bulbs
- Replace appliances with ENERGY STAR® certified dishwashers, water heaters, refrigerators, washers and dryers for significant cost savings over their lifetime. Our appliance buying guides will help you find the right appliances for your home.
- Consider energy-efficient replacement doors.
Select the Right Room Air Conditioner
Room air conditioner units (A/C units) can add comfort to a home if you don’t have a whole house unit, but for maximum efficiency, make sure they’re sized properly to the room. An incorrectly sized air conditioner won’t run efficiently and won’t cool the room well. While a small air conditioner might appear to use less energy than a larger model, it’ll only be effective for a small space and will need to run longer to keep a larger area comfortable.
Compare the square footage of the room to the British Thermal Unit (BTU) rating of the air conditioner. BTUs give you an indication of how much heat a unit can remove from a room.
If a room gets a lot of sunlight or is in shade most of the day, adjust your required BTUs up or down accordingly. In addition to BTU ratings, look for units with higher energy efficiency ratios (EER).
Window Air Conditioners
Window air conditioners allow relatively simple do-it-yourself installation as long as you have a suitable window in the room you want to cool. Here are some general ranges for matching a window unit to a room.
- Window Air Conditioners for Small Rooms: 7,000 BTUs
- Window Air Conditioners for Medium Rooms: 7,000 to 12,000 BTUs
- Window Air Conditioners for Large Rooms: 9,000 to 20,000 BTUs
- Window Air Conditioners for Extra-Large Rooms: 15,000 BTUs or more
Wall air conditioners have similar BTU ranges.
Portable Air Conditioners
Portable air conditioners also need a window for installation. However, installation is easier than for window air conditioners, and it’s possible to move a portable unit from room to room. Again, proper sizing is needed for the most efficient operation.
- Portable Air Conditioners for Small Rooms: 4,500 to 9,000 BTUs
- Portable Air Conditioners for Medium Rooms: 5,000 to 14,000 BTUs
- Portable Air Conditioners for Large Rooms: 8,000 to 14,000 BTUs
- Portable Air Conditioners for Extra-Large Rooms: 12,000 BTUs or more
Read our guide to portable air conditioners to see if these A/C units can provide the comfort you need.
The size of the unit doesn’t necessarily reflect its cooling power. Even a small portable air conditioner can cool a range of room sizes, depending on the BTU rating.
Mini Air Conditioners
The term mini air conditioner is commonly used to refer to two different types of cooling devices: a mini split system and a mini evaporative cooler.
Ductless mini split systems are some of the smallest air conditioner systems for their capabilities. They cool in a similar fashion to larger air conditioner systems and make it possible to set up different zones in your home for both cooling and heating. Like other types of A/C units, match the BTUs to the space you want to cool.
- Mini Split Systems for Small and Medium Areas: 9,000 BTUs
- Mini Split Systems for Large Areas: 12,000 to 30,000 BTUs
- Mini Split Systems for Extra-Large Areas: 24,000 BTUs or more
Mini evaporative coolers, also known as mini air coolers or portable evaporative coolers, don’t function the same way air conditioners do. Instead they cool by moving air over a pad soaked with water. As the water evaporates, the air temperature decreases. They use much less energy than air conditioners but don’t cool as effectively and are best for areas with low relative humidity, such as the Southwest. Size them by dividing the volume of a room by two and finding a model with a cubic feet per minute (CFM) rating equal to or greater than the result. Higher-CFM models will cool better. Smaller models with low CFM ratings are designed for desktop use or personal cooling.
Install Ceiling Fans
If you don't already have ceiling fans, you can install them to help save energy and beautify your home, which ultimately adds value. Ceiling fans will help save on energy costs year-round since you can adjust the thermostat accordingly when they're running.
- In the summer, fan blades should revolve in a counterclockwise direction. Use ceiling fans in the summer to raise the thermostat temperature, which will reduce the workload of your air conditioner.
- In the winter, set your ceiling fan to revolve in a clockwise direction at its slowest speed in order to gently push warm air down from the ceiling without generating a breeze. Then lower the thermostat temperature, which will reduce the workload of your heating unit.
See our Ceiling Fan Buying Guide to learn about ceiling fan types and features.
Use Portable Fans Efficiently
Like ceiling fans, portable fans can help you feel cooler in hot weather and reduce the need for running an air conditioner. While there’s no hard formula for matching a portable fan to a room size, larger fans will move more air, providing a greater cooling effect.
- A desk fan or mini fan provides cooling for a small area.
- Personal fans can cool larger spaces.
- Box, stand, tower and window fans can help cool a whole room
Make Your Water Heater More Efficient
Insulate your water heater with a water heater blanket. With this small investment, you can significantly reduce the amount of heat lost by the unit, particularly if it’s located in an unheated area. Lower your water heater’s thermostat setting to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a water heater timer to configure the appliance to your water usage schedule.
Wrap Your Pipes
Do your water pipes pass through an unheated area? Wrap your pipes for an inexpensive way to conserve energy. Insulate your pipes to help prevent them from freezing, prevent hot-water pipes from losing heat and prevent cold-water pipes from sweating and creating moisture problems.
Replace Air Filters
Change the air filters for your heating and cooling system to conserve energy. Most filters are inexpensive, disposable and easy to replace. For optimal performance, replace your filter monthly. If you use the more expensive disposable filters designed to filter out allergens and extremely small particles, replace at least every three months.
Self-charging electrostatic filters that require no electricity are also available. Clean these filters by rinsing once a month.
Make sure your filter is installed properly. You'll find an arrow printed on the filter frame that indicates the correct direction of airflow.
Cover Windows and Seal Doors
Heat lost through windows and doors can represent a significant portion of heating bills. Here are some ways to put that money back in your pocket:
- Check windows and doors on a windy day with a light piece of thread to locate drafts and determine what areas need immediate attention. Apply caulk and weatherstripping to seal cracks and gaps. Self-stick foam or rolled rubber weatherstripping is easy to install and helps create an energy-efficient house.
- Remove and replace damaged caulk and weatherstripping.
- Consider using heat-control window film.
- Consider your window treatments. Closed shutters, window shades, blinds, curtains and lined draperies contribute to energy savings by helping to insulate windows. See our Window Treatments Buying Guide to learn about the options.
Use Fireplace Inserts, Dampers and Doors
A fireplace can rob your house of heat. Fortunately, there are solutions that allow you to enjoy your fireplace while minimizing heat loss. Here are some energy-saving tips:
- Consider adding a well-designed fireplace insert. Some units come with blowers and thermostats. They're designed to significantly increase the heating efficiency while maintaining the classic fireplace atmosphere.
- Check to make sure that your damper is in good working order.
- Add glass doors to reduce heat loss as the fire dies down.
Install Smart Home Products
In addition to smart thermostats, consider adding other smart home products. These devices aren’t only incredibly convenient, but they also reduce energy or water consumption, saving you money.
- Smart outlets, light switches and dimmers can be programmed to operate lamps and lighting fixtures on a set schedule so you don’t waste energy when you don’t need them.
- Smart light bulbs offer wireless connectivity so you can control them remotely.
- Smart irrigation and water shut-off devices ensure that you don’t waste water or overwater your lawn or garden. You can even water your landscape while on vacation.
- Smart air conditioners — available as smart-compatible window units, portable models and ductless mini splits — let you reduce cooling while you’re away so the unit doesn’t run when you don’t need it.
Ensure Your Home is Insulated Properly
When properly used, insulation dramatically reduces energy consumption, allowing homeowners to save on heating and cooling costs while reducing environmental impact. The greater the insulation's R-value, the better it will perform to protect your home from temperature changes. Ensure your insulation is working as well as possible with our guide on how to increase insulation R-value in ceilings, attics and other spaces of your home.
Consider Other Tips to Save Energy and Water
- Install water-saving shower heads to reduce water consumption.
- Make sure your room air conditioning unit has good clearance from obstructions inside and, if it vents to the outdoors, any plants that could block airflow.
- Use heat-generating appliances, such as washers, dryers and ovens, during the cooler hours of the morning or evening. This reduces the load on your air conditioner in the summer and helps heat the house in the winter.
- In the summer, keep drapes and curtains closed on the sunny side of the house to reduce heat as well as the need to run your A/C unit. In the winter, open those drapes and curtains on sunny days to take advantage of the sun’s heating power. Close all drapes, blinds or shades on winter nights to use your window treatments’ insulating properties.
- Wash full loads of clothes when possible and clean your dryer’s lint filter after every load.
- Set thermostats at 68 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.
- Install solar panels on your roof or in other sunny areas of your home to convert sunlight into energy. This may qualify you for a federal tax credit. See Solar Energy 101.