Trent wrote about this first and it’s something we’ve been considering at work where we have a huge utility bill and need to save as a new startup.

Here are the 4 ways Trent recommended for energy savings in spring:

Turn off climate control and open the windows. If the outdoor temperature is anywhere between 50 F and 90 F, turn off the furnace and air conditioning and open the windows in your home. It will take a while for that outdoor air to really alter the temperature of your home, so your home temperature will stay fairly stable. You’ll just save because you won’t be running climate control.

Naturally, you should stop doing this if the climate in your home reaches an uncomfortable level, but as long as the temperature outside is pleasant, the temperature inside will be pleasant as well.

Set the ceiling fan to run in a counterclockwise direction. During warmer weather, you want your ceiling fans to blow air straight down, so you’ll want the blades to rotate in a counterclockwise direction when you’re looking up at the blades. Most ceiling fans have a switch on them that changes the direction. (Similarly, when the weather is cool, you want the blades turning clockwise.)

Doing this can keep you from turning on the air conditioning (or the furnace) when the weather is particularly warm (or cool). Just turn on your ceiling fans – which use relatively little energy – in the appropriate direction. If this little tip keeps you from closing the windows and turning on the climate control on an unusual spring day, then it saves you money.

Open the curtains and take advantage of both direct and indirect natural lighting. The light streaming in through your windows allows you to get away with turning on fewer lights in your house, saving a surprising amount of energy.

Of course, direct sunlight has a heating effect as well. Try to avoid direct sunlight when the weather is really warm and the house is getting warm, but when it’s still cool, you should welcome that direct sunlight. It’s not only great for lighting up the room, it can also reduce the costs of heating.

Do laundry and dishes late in the evening. Household tasks that produce heat make sense during the day in the winter where the extra heat will help warm up your house and make your furnace work a little bit less. In the spring, that situation changes – it’s cold in the evening but warm during the day.

We’ve currently turned off climate control both at home and at work since the weather is in the 70s and beautiful right now. Eventually it will shoot up and the air conditioning will have to come on, but for now we are taking advantage of spring to save a bit on utilities.

I’d never thought about doing laundry and dishes later because they produce more heat than other household tasks. That makes sense though and I really think I will start implementing this one at home.

Other thoughts I had about saving on utilities during this season:

• Utilize longer days for light. Since the light lasts longer these days it’s easier to avoid turning on lights until a few hours later than normal. Simply open the blinds or curtains until the sun goes down and utilize that light rather than turning on all the lights in the house.
• Invest in energy-efficient light bulbs. Once the sun goes down and you need light you can make sure to save by using more efficient lightbulbs. LED lights, for example, cost more upfront but are more efficient and last longer.
• Spring clean your lights! Wiping light bulbs and fixtures clean helps save energy. Since dust and grease can build up and reduce the brightness, you have to turn on more to get the amount of light necessary. Clean them all off and you may find you need less lights on.
• Shut the drapes when you’re gone. Shut all the drapes or blinds on your windows during the hottest time of the day while you are gone.  This will stop your house from getting too warm while you are away at work.
• Eliminate energy phantoms. Some appliances continue to pull a small bit of power even when switched off. Turn off and unplug all appliances that use electricity when they are not in use like computer, televisions, and kitchen appliances.

Those are a few of the ways we plan to save money on our energy bill this spring. We are looking forward to a smaller bill at home for sure and I think it will help at work as well even though it is a different circumstances.

This is an issue I continue to think about and care about. I’ve written about it a few times before as well:

• Lower your energy bill with energy comparison sites.
• Lower your energy bill by living with roommates.
• Lower your heating bill with these tips!

Overall using less energy saves you money and is better for the planet. Why would anyone not want to do it?!

How will you save energy this spring? Have any more tips?

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