Don’t let these commonly held—but wrong—beliefs about saving energy haunt you. Here are the facts:
- Myth: Hand-washing dishes is better.
- Fact: An energy-efficient dishwasher saves more water and energy—and your time.
- Myth: Closing vents saves energy.
- Fact: This creates pressure that will force your system to work harder.
- Myth: Turning up the thermostat heats the house faster.
- Fact: Your HVAC puts out consistently hot air and just turns off when it reaches the set temperature.
- Myth: Ceiling fans cool rooms when you’re away.
- Fact: Ceiling fans cool you, not the surrounding air.
- Myth: Leaving a light on uses less power than turning it off and on because of an energy surge.
- Fact: Always turn off lights when leaving a room. Turning a light on uses a tiny burst of power for a split second, which uses way less energy than leaving it on.
- Myth: Sleep mode is the same as turning off devices such as desktop PCs or gaming consoles.
- Fact: When you leave devices plugged in, they still use tiny amounts of energy that can add up over time. We call this the “vampire load.” How frightening!