Your plan
Every line below is computed for your home, ranked by what it would save. Tick the ones you’d actually do and watch the bill move. No guilt trips: the free ones are at the top, and we’ll tell you when something isn’t worth it.
Free. Do these this week.
Zero dollars, a few minutes each. Together they're usually the biggest chunk.
- $100/yr
About 90% of a washing machine's energy goes to heating the water, not moving the clothes.
How, and where the number comes from
Modern detergents are designed for cold. Save warm for the truly grimy loads.
Basis: ENERGY STAR: water heating is ~90% of the energy used to run a clothes washer.
- $78/yr
Heating and cooling are usually the single biggest line on the bill, and every degree for eight hours a day counts.
How, and where the number comes from
Aim for 7–10°F lower in winter (higher in summer) for eight hours a day. A programmable or smart thermostat does it for you.
Basis: DOE Energy Saver: up to 10% a year on heating and cooling from a 7–10°F setback for 8 hours a day.
- $50/yr
A hot shower is a small water heater running flat out. Showers are about 40% of a home's hot water.
How, and where the number comes from
Set a playlist, or a timer. Two minutes less at 2.5 gallons a minute is five gallons of hot water per shower.
Basis: EPA WaterSense: showers are ~17% of indoor water use and a leading hot-water draw; 2.5 gpm standard flow.
- $39/yr
A ceiling fan lets you feel four degrees cooler for about a fiftieth of what the AC costs.
How, and where the number comes from
Fan on in the room you're in, off when you leave (fans cool people, not rooms). Nudge the thermostat up.
Basis: DOE Energy Saver: a ceiling fan allows raising the thermostat about 4°F with no reduction in comfort.
- $37/yr
Most tanks ship at 140°F. That extra 20 degrees is scald risk and standby loss you're paying for all year.
How, and where the number comes from
Find the dial on the tank (or the panel behind the cover plate). Set it to 120°F, or “warm.”
Basis: DOE Energy Saver: 4–22% savings on water heating from lowering the setpoint to 120°F.
Cheap. Under $150.
Pay for themselves in months, then keep paying you.
- $84/yr
A typical house leaks enough air to fill itself several times an hour. You're paying to heat the outdoors.
How, and where the number comes from
Weatherstripping on doors, caulk around window frames, foam gaskets behind outlet covers, a gasket on the attic hatch.
Basis: EPA ENERGY STAR: air sealing plus insulation saves an average 15% on heating and cooling; sealing alone ~10%.
- $63/yr
The dryer is heat again: about 3 kWh a load, and one of the top plug-in loads in most homes.
How, and where the number comes from
A folding rack costs $20. Sheets and towels in the dryer, everything else on the rack.
Basis: DOE appliance data: electric dryers draw 1,800–5,000 W; ~3 kWh per typical load.
- $58/yr
An incandescent bulb is a tiny heater that happens to glow. LEDs use about 85% less for the same light.
How, and where the number comes from
Replace the bulbs you use most first: kitchen, living room, porch. Look for “warm white” (2700K) if you like the old glow.
Basis: DOE: residential LEDs use at least 75% less energy and last up to 25× longer than incandescent lighting.
- $55/yr
Same shower, 20–30% less hot water. It's the cheapest water-heating upgrade there is.
How, and where the number comes from
Look for the WaterSense label (2.0 gallons a minute or less). Screws on by hand in ten minutes.
Basis: EPA WaterSense: labeled showerheads use no more than 2.0 gpm vs. the 2.5 gpm federal standard.
- $37/yr
Not the phone charger. The set-top box, the “instant-on” console, and the desktop that never sleeps.
How, and where the number comes from
Put the entertainment center on a switched power strip. Turn on sleep mode. Return the cable box you don't use.
Basis: NRDC (2015) measured ~1,300 kWh/yr of always-on load in surveyed homes; LBNL standby tables.
Investments. When something breaks, replace it with this.
Bigger money, bigger savings, and usually federal or utility rebates. Plan for these instead of panicking when the old one dies.
- $513/yr
A heat pump water heater moves heat instead of making it: about a third of the electricity for the same hot water.
How, and where the number comes from
Drop-in replacement for a standard electric tank. Federal tax credit of up to 30% (through 2032) plus many utility rebates.
Basis: ENERGY STAR: heat pump water heaters are 2–4× as efficient; a family of four saves ~$550/yr vs. standard electric.
- $84/yr
Heat rises. If you can see the joists in the attic, you're under-insulated and losing heat through the roof.
How, and where the number comes from
Most attics want 13–18 inches of blown-in insulation (R-38 to R-60 depending on climate). Air-seal first.
Basis: EPA ENERGY STAR: attic insulation plus air sealing saves ~15% on heating and cooling; ~10% attributed to insulation.
- $31/yr
A heat pump can replace both the furnace and the AC. Whether it saves money depends on your gas and electric prices.
At your rates, gas and a heat pump cost about the same to run. The case here is comfort, cooling, and getting off a fuel whose price you don't control, not the bill.
How, and where the number comes from
A cold-climate heat pump (ducted or mini-split) replaces the furnace and the AC in one. Federal credit up to $2,000; many state rebates.
Basis: DOE Energy Saver: heat pumps can reduce electricity use for heating by ~50% vs. electric resistance; NEEP cold-climate spec.
What won’t move the needle
These are popular. At your rate of 17.5¢ per kWh, here’s what each one is worth per year. Do them if they make you happy, not for the money.
- Unplugging phone chargers when not in use$0.46/yr
- Unplugging the microwave to stop the clock$3.83/yr
- Turning off the Wi-Fi router overnight$5.11/yr
- Being strict about switching off LED lights$9.20/yr
- Unplugging the laptop charger$0.64/yr
- Unplugging a modern TV every night$0.64/yr