In order to save energy on home appliancesone can opt for the following things:

1. About 20% of the household electricity is used by refrigerator. The gaskets around the freezer or doors should be tight enough so that no air passes through them. Put the temperature of the refrigerator at 37 and that of the freezer at 3 degrees. The Energy saving switch should be on. Turn down your refrigerator in winters.

2. Switch on the dishwasher only when it is full and don’t forget to switch on the energy saving switch. If possible, dry the dishes in air. The drying cycle can be turned off manually. It will save 20% of the electricity the dish washer uses in all.

3. Thermostats of the water heaters generally run on 140 degrees F while 120 degree is quite enough for the water to get heated, so turn off the thermostat of the water heater. Reduction up to 10 degrees can save about 600pounds of CO2 per annum for a water heater and about 440 pounds of CO2 on a gas heater. Just think if every household adopts this technique of saving up to 20% of electricity, we may prevent the emission of CO2 up to 45 million tons per annum. This amount is equal to the total amount Libya or Kuwait release every year.

4. Set your washing machine to the cold or warm water setting instead of hot water. If you use warm water over hot water, two times per week, you may save about 500 pounds of CO2 per annum if it is an electric heater and 500 pounds of CO2 if a gas heater is used.

5. While replacing the old electric appliances, select the models that are energy efficient. There is always a mark on the models that claim to be energy savers-Energy Star Label. Look for this label. Try to buy a model that fits your requirements and not a bigger one. By fixing a solar heater, you can save CO2 up to 4.9 tons pre annum.

For more information on home energy and saving energy check out the link.