What You Can Do

If you have...	You Might Consider:
$0	Check out Being Green for Free!
$5	Purchase an energy saving lightbulb and replace an existing bulb Buy cloth napkins and reuse them instead of using paper napkins
$10	Purchase caulk to seal cracks in your home and make it more energy efficient Buy a wind-up flashlight. You won't need replacement batteries and you won't have to worry about battery disposal. Purchase a power strip for home electronics. Flip the OFF switch when not in use to easily turn off the power to these devices. Some of them use power even in standby mode.
$20	Purchase a water-saving shower head Purchase solar powered lawn lights and replace your existing electric lawn lights Purchase hot water pipe wraps
$50	Purchase an electric water heater timer
$100	Purchase a programmable thermostat
$1,000	Put a down payment on a hybrid vehicle

Being Green for Free
Being environmentally conscious doesn't always come with a price. There are things you can do at no cost – maybe even saving you money.

Work

• Ride your bicycle to work – many streets in Reno have bike lanes!
• Bring your lunch to work in a reusable food container or lunch tote instead of brown-bagging it.
• Want to patron your favorite restaurant for lunch? Consider walking or car-pooling.
• Carpool with your co-workers. Own a business? Offer your employees incentives for being carpoolers. Learn more about car-pooling at www.rtcwashoe.com
• Treat your office like home, turn off the lights when not in a room, turn your computer off at the end of the day, and turn off the printer when not in use.

Home

• Don't leave the water running while you brush your teeth.
• Not going to be in a room for awhile? Turn out the light to save electricity.
• Turn off your computer when you're not using it - instead of just keeping it in standby or hibernate mode.
• Wait until your dishwasher is full before running it.
• Keep your interior window blinds closed in the summer when you're not at home. The temperature in your house or apartment won't be as high when you get home, so you'll use less air conditioning to cool it down. 
• Clean and adjust your gas or oil-fired furnace to increase efficiency of combustion.
• Regularly clean or replace the air filters on a forced air heating or cooling system.
• Vacuum refrigerator aand freezer coils to keep it running efficiently.
• Change your thermostat settings to 65 degrees in winter and 78 degrees in summer.
• Change your thermostat settings to 55 degrees in winter and 90 degrees in summer when the house is not going to be occupied for a few days.
• Turn off the pilot light on a gas-fired furnace during the summer.
• Turn down the hot water heater thermostat to 120 degrees.
• Change washing machine setting to use warm or cold water instead of hot.

Many suggestions are courtesy of NV Energy. You can find more helpful tips and see your energy usage at NVEnergy.com.

For more information, contact Jason Geddes, Environmental Services Administrator at geddesj@reno.gov or 775-334-3311.