Saving Energy

It's hard to imagine life without electricity. In our homes, we rely on it to power our lights, appliances, and electronics. Many of us also use electricity to provide our homes with hot water, heat, and air conditioning. There are many ways you can use less electricity right now!

What You Can Do

• Set your home’s thermostat a few degrees lower on cold days (or higher on hot days). For each one-degree change, your family can save up to 5 percent on your home’s heating and cooling costs!
• Turn off lights and all electronics (like computers, televisions, stereos, and video-games) when you leave a room.
• Use the microwave instead of the oven for cooking your meals.
• Use machines like washers, dryers, and dishwashers after 8 p.m.
• Open your blinds or curtains on sunny winter days to let the sunshine into your home.
• Save hot water by taking short showers instead of baths.
• Turn off warm water while you brush your teeth.

What Your Family Can Do

TVA’s EnergyRight® program helps you find ways to make your home or business more energy-efficient and lower your power bills. Complete a free Home Energy Assessment, and you’ll receive a detailed report on energy-efficiency improvements you can make.  Click here to get started.

Buying new appliances? Compare energy-efficient appliances and products on the EnergyRight Marketplace. 

What Your School Can Do 

TVA EnergyRight’s School Uplift program makes a difference in communities across the Tennessee Valley by offering public schools energy efficiency training and grants that reduce energy costs and improve the quality of the learning environment. Teachers, administrators and students work together to save energy and learn about energy-saving practices that have reduced energy costs by an average of 10% across participating schools. 

Learn more at EnergyRight.com/business-industry/school-uplift/. 

What Your Community Can Do

U.S. Green Building Council

The  Green Building Council helps builders and governments learn about how to make buildings that use less energy and are friendly to the environment.

LED Lighting

Many towns and cities are saving money on their power bills by changing from incandescent light bulbs to light-emitting diode (LED) lights. These lights can be used in traffic signals, crosswalk signs and even holiday displays.

LED lights have an extremely long life span and use much less energy than incandescent bulbs. Switching to LED lighting can save 40 to 70 percent of the electricity a city uses for certain lights in parking garages, parking lots, outdoor parks and streets. Learn more about LED lighting.