For this week’s post I have five quick energy saving tricks lined up for you! Enjoy these easy to apply tricks to saving energy, money and our planet.

• Replace Light Bulbs. 
  Replace standard light bulbs with CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) and save up to 80% off lighting costs.
• Ceiling Fans are more efficient. 
  Reduce air conditioning costs by using fans, as these use a lot less energy. Also, keeping windows and doors shut and closing shades during the day will help increase their efficiency.
• Power Down Your Computer. 
  Enable “power management” on all computers (under Windows found by going to Start -> Control Panel) to make them go into standby mode when they are not being used. Also make sure to turn them off at night. If one needs to stay online for a reason, a laptop computer uses up to 75% less energy than desktop models.
• Wash Clothes in Cold(er) Water. 
  When possible, wash clothes in cold water. Even at lower temperatures, most of the stains will be removed. About 80% of the energy used in a clothes washer goes to heating.

Be Smart About Lighting
Turn off unnecessary lighting and use task or desktop lamps (basically: smaller, more efficient lamps) with CFLs instead of overhead lights.