Stay-Home Smarts

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As we all adjust to spending more time at home, be mindful of your energy and water usage. The last thing you need is a surprisingly high bill! These tips will help you save money and go easy on your community’s utility systems.

Sleep on it. Run dishwashers, washers, and dryers overnight to avoid peak usage times.

Let the sun in. Lighting accounts for 12% of your energy usage. Turn off lights when you leave a room, and use natural light when possible.

Fan fare. All that natural light might heat things up, but remember: Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms. Turn them off when you’re not in the room.

Unplug. Disconnect devices and chargers when not in use. Try using a power strip as a central turn-off point.

Bathroom rules. Never flush anything other than toilet paper down the toilet. This includes paper towels and wipes that say they’re “flushable;” neither item dissolves and both will clog up the wastewater system.

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