Energy Saving Tips

Tax Rebates and Credits

Tax Rebates and Credits

The State of New Jersey has electric vehicle incentives for purchasing electric vehicles (EV) and installing qualified chargers in the home.  For more information click on the following link: Njcleanenergy.com/ev. For more information go to Charge UP NJ. 

Solar Energy Information

To find out about solar energy from the State of New Jersey, access only this website: New Jersey's Clean Energy Program.  Several programs are closed or paused.  One that remains open is the Community Solar Projects.  You can access them by entering your Zip Code.

In addition, under "Lower Your Electric Bill" is a heading for Related Resources that provides information to consider to save energy during spring, summer, fall, and winter.  You can sign up for updates on various energy savings categories that will be sent to your email address.

Star Energy Rebates and Discounts

Star Energy rebates and discounts are provided through PSE&G or your current electric/gas company.  PSE&G currently has the following rebates and discounts on appliances and selected energy savings products:

PSE&G offers a Whole Energy Assessment at no cost to the homeowner.  This includes a 1 hour walk through where they will install energy savings products at no cost to you.

PSE&G also offers a Whole Home Energy Assessment which is a thorough energy assessment with recommendations.  These assessments may include charges for recommendations.

In the Home

 Your Home

• Caulk and weather strip around attic, doors, and windows
• Close vents in rooms not being used; close the door
• Seal holes where pipes, ducts, and wires enter your home
• Install an Energy Star Certified smart thermostat to set your temperatures for heating, cooling, when you are away
• Change your furnace filter regularly to keep heating and cooling systems running efficiently
• Consider a free energy audit through PSE&G especially if you plan to insulate your home.
• Choose an energy company that runs on renewables

 Electronic devices, TV …  

• Turn off electronic devices, TV, stereo, DVDs when not in use
• Buy a laptop instead of a desktop; laptops use less energy to charge and run
• Stream movies through your smart TV, not a game console; game consoles use 10% more energy
• Unplug or plug personal electronic devices, e.g., laptop chargers, game consoles, printers into a power strip; turn it off when not in use. They can suck up energy when they are off. 

 Lights

• Use timers. motion detectors for indoor, outdoor lighting to ensure lighting is used only when needed
• Turn off lights not being used, and and when you leave the room
• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent or LED ones
• Do not place lamps near a thermostat; it senses heat produced from the lamp which can change how often heat or air conditioning will run.

 Water Use

• Turn down water temperature to 120 Fahrenheit
• Limit showers to 5 minutes or less
• Operate dishwasher with full loads; air-dry dishes on the energy saving setting
• Dishwashers are far more efficient than handwashing, however; if you have only a few dishes to wash, fill a basin with warm soapy water, turn on the water to rinse only.

 Appliances

• Per US Dept. of Energy, refrigerator temperature is 35-38 degrees F. and 0 degrees F. for freezers
• Unplug the old refrigerator in the garage or basement when not in use
• Replace refrigerators every 15 or 20 years
• When cooking in the oven, preheating for foods that require more than 45 minutes is unnecessary; to bake cakes/cookies, do preheat your oven
• Use glass baking dishes in the oven; glass retains heat better than metal pans. When using glass, oven temperature can be reduced 25 degrees F.
• Use pots and pans properly sized to stove’s burners

Refrigerator: Clean Coils every 3 month

• Pull refrigerator away from wall and unplug refrigerator
• Use screwdriver to remove “gate” or panel (2 to 4 screws)

Dishwasher: Clean every 3 months

• Check manual and remove all removable parts such as racks, spray arm, and filters
• Soak parts in soapy water and then scrub each unit
• Use mild soap and rinse out the inside of dishwasher, cleaning out any food or broken glass pieces
• Run 2 dish-free cycles: the first with 1 to 2 cups of vinegar in a bowl on top rack and the second with baking soda sprinkled on the bottom of the dishwasher

Washing Machine: monthly

• Consult manual and take out removable parts
• Soak dispensers in soapy water and scrub any detergent buildup and stains
• Consider using a homemade mixture of 1 cup vinegar, one cup water, and 1 teaspoon of dish soap
• To break down mineral deposits, bacteria, and mold clean inside of drum by hand and then use washing machine cleaning tablets in an empty complete wash cycle

Travel tips before you leave

• Set water heater to pilot or vacation mode
• Adjust thermostat to 55 degrees in winter so pipes don’t freeze or 78 degrees in summer to prevent electronic malfunctions or prevent high humidity and stagnant air
• Turn off your main water valve to prevent water damage from pipe leaks.

Energy Savings Throughout the Year

Summer

• Keep thermostat at the highest temperature for comfort
• Keep shades down when sun is shining directly on windows
• Make sure overhead fans are rotating counter clockwise

Fall

• Plant a tree or shrub; provide protection around the house. Deciduous trees (best planted on south and west sides of home) provide shade in summer and allow the sun’s heat to warm homes in winter. An air conditioner operating in the shade can use up to 10% less electricity than one operating in the sun.
• Evergreen trees are good wind barriers
• Trees can reduce cooling costs by 30% in summer and heating bills by 20 – 50% in winter
• For fall planting, it is advised to plant about 3 weeks before a hard frost

Note-Local nurseries, Lowe’s and Home Depot have fall sales.

 Winter

• Keep shades open to let sunshine in; close shades and drapes at night
• Reduce thermostat down to lowest degree for comfort while awake (consider wearing layers, or a sweater or fleece jacket).
• Drop thermostat even lower at night when sleeping
• Close fireplace dampers when not in use to ensure warm air does not escape through chimneys. 
• Make sure overhead fans are rotating clockwise
• Consider replacing old flat blinds with a honeycomb structure for added insulation
• Insulate hot water pipes and wrap water heater with an insulation blanket

Lifestyle

Things to consider when making a purchase:

1. Think before making that internet purchase: do you really need it immediately?

2. Can it be purchased locally which will reduce packaging?

3. When making an internet purchase, refuse multiple shipment orders

4. Request “frustration free” packaging from Amazon

5. When you purchase something, donate something

6. Animal shelters are always in need of old sheets, towels, and blankets

7. Get involved with parish and local gardens, and clean-up days.

Seasonal

Summer

• Set thermostat at highest comfortable temperature
• Keep shades down when sun shines directly on windows.

Fall

• Trees and shrubs are a vital component of the worldwide mission to control carbon dioxide; they absorb it during the photosynthesis process, and release oxygen into the air. During the fall season, assess your property to determine whether a tree shrub might be added. For best results, plant trees or shrubs approximately 3 weeks prior to a hard frost, or by mid-October.
• Deciduous trees provide shade in summer, and allow the sun’s heat to warm our homes in winter.
• Evergreen trees are excellent wind protectors. Trees can reduce cooling costs by up to 30% in summer, and lower heating costs by 20-50% in winter.
• For additional information, an informative resource is New Jersey’s Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines by Patricia Sutton.
• Trees, according to Patricia Sutton, are crucial to the protection of the bird population.

Trees

Over the past two decades carbon dioxide levels have risen to unprecedented levels in the atmosphere, and continue to rise.  There are two ways people can alleviate this trend:

1. Reabsorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

2. Reduce carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gas) emissions.

 Trees can help us do both.

Planting and retaining urban and rural trees and forests is an easy way to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere because trees incorporate carbon dioxide through the photosynthesis process.  Most of the carbon dioxide is transferred to tree stem and other parts of the plant where it is stored, typically as wood. Trees becomes carbon “pools” or “sinks,” storing carbon for as long as the tree has a physical life, even when trees are cut and used as lumber.  Ecologist and carbon cycle expert, Dr. Richard Houghton, of the Woods Hole Research Center, estimates that aggressive rural forest management, including tree planting, could offset 50% of current carbon emissions on earth over the next decade.

Halt tropical deforestation

• Decrease clearing of forests for development

• Allow cleared areas to regrow, particularly with woody shrubs and trees

• Use the latest forestry research to plant trees strategically in areas where they are likely to flourish (native)

• Planting and retaining trees in urban areas: urban tree value is financial, ecological, plus they improve people’s physical and mental health. In addition, they reduce the temperatures in cities during the summer

Two non-profit corporations are committed to those goals: American Forests and Arbor Day Foundation.  Both have received a 98% rating from Charity Navigator. As individuals, we may not be able to physically help rebuild a forest or plant trees in urban areas, however; we can help organizations whose mission is to do that, ethically and efficiently.

Plant Trees in Your Yard

• Plant trees for shade. Both east and west sides of your home receive the most solar radiation during the summer; during winter, southern walls receive the most solar gain. Planting trees to provide shade in summer can reduce cooling cost by 30%
• Plant trees to control wind. Tree and shrub windbreaks can reduce heating and cooling energy by up to 30% through reduction of infiltration of cold winds in the winter and hot winds in the summer. Evergreen trees and shrubs are good choices for windbreaks because they block the wind year-round
• Plant trees to control snow. Planting evergreen trees and shrubs upwind from observed snow drifts will keep those drifts away from your driveway and home.

The State of New Jersey has provided a list of native New Jersey trees, shrubs, and vines beneficial to birds and animals: Plant Lists - The Native Plant Society of New Jersey

.   To access this website, type native trees in New Jersey and scroll down to State of NJ’s list of native NJ trees, shrubs, and vines.