Seasonal Tips

Summer Energy Tips

Winter Energy Tips

Holiday Energy Tips

Summer Energy Tips

• Avoid heat-producing tasks such as clothes drying and cooking during the hottest part of the day.

• Close window shades and blinds to block direct sunlight.

• Use a programmable thermostat to adjust the temperature at night or when the home is unoccupied.

• Maintain your home's cooling system. Be sure to change the furnace filter once a month and keep the outside condenser unit free of leaves and debris.

• Have your air conditioner checked, cleaned and tuned every two years.

• Use portable and ceiling fans to cool with circulation and ventilation and spread cooled air more effectively.

• Sign up for Cycled Air®. By participating in Dakota Electric's Cycled Air program, you can save $30 or more each summer! Best of all, it's free!

• Minimize hot water use – it produces heat and humidity.

• Limit use of the dehumidifier when the central air conditioner is on.

• Don't set the thermostat at a cooler than normal setting. It will not cool the house any faster.

• Turn off the air conditioner when you are going to be gone for several hours.

• Cook with pressure cookers, small electric pans and microwave ovens whenever possible. They save energy by significantly reducing cooking time and producing less heat than traditional ovens.

• Install white window shades, drapes or blinds that reflect heat away from the house.

• Plant trees or shrubs to shade air-conditioning units.

• Plant deciduous tress around your house. Trees that lose their leaves in the fall provide excellent protection from the summer sun.

• Caulk, seal and add weather stripping to all seams, cracks and openings to the outside to prevent warm air from leaking into your home.

• Turn off kitchen, bath and other ventilation fans as soon as they have done their job. These fans can pull out cooled air.

• Close unoccupied rooms that are isolated from the rest of the house and turn up the thermostat in those rooms.

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Winter Energy Tips

• Weather-strip and insulate your attic hatch or door to prevent warm air from escaping.

• Replace your furnace's air filter monthly. A dirty filter will reduce airflow, making your system work harder to deliver air to the registers.

• Reverse the spin on your ceiling fan and set it on the slowest speed to help send warm air down to the living area.

• Open your window shades and drapes to let the sun's natural warmth in during the day.

• Close your window shades and drapes at night to help insulate your windows against heat loss.

• Caulk window and door frames inside the home to reduce drafts.

• Use foam gaskets around electrical outlets to reduce drafts.

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Holiday Energy Tips

• Replace your larger-bulb lights with mini lights. They use up to 50 percent less energy than larger lights and last 65 percent longer.

• Icicle lights have more lights per linear foot than regular light strands and use more energy. Instead, use mirrors or tinsel around indoor lights to heighten their effect.

• Light-emitting diode (LED) light strings have extremely low energy use and very long lives. Their higher initial cost is offset by energy savings and reduced hassles of bulb replacements.

• When retiring for the evening, reduce costs by unplugging all lights at the wall outlet.

• Use your microwave oven as much as possible when cooking holiday meals. It uses up to 75 percent less energy than conventional ovens.

• Use your slow cooker to cook meals. It can cook a whole meal for less than 10 cents worth of electricity.

• In an electric oven, you can turn the heat off several minutes before your food is fully cooked. As long as the oven door remains closed, enough heat will be stored inside to finish cooking your meal.

• Keep your refrigerator and freezer well stocked. A full refrigerator or freezer saves energy by reducing the recovery time when the door is opened.

• Do not overload electrical circuits. No more than three sets of lights to one extension cord.

• Don't run electrical cords under rugs or carpeting.

• Turn off all electrical decorations before leaving home or going to bed.

• Be sure that lights used outside are clearly marked for outdoor use.

• Never use electric lights on old metal artificial trees.

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