Energy savings in the garage

One way to save lots of energy is to remove the old refrigerator you moved out to the garage for extra storage.  Older refrigerators made prior to 1987 can use as much as 70 percent more energy per year than a modern Energy-Star qualified refrigerator.*

Your refrigerator will have to work even harder in warm months when it’s in an un-air conditioned area. Make sure the money you are “saving” with the extra refrigerated storage isn’t being eaten up, or even costing you more in higher electric bills.

Garages usually aren’t one of the better areas to use compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs because of their shorter life cycle when turned on and off frequently. The CFLs will use less electricity, but the overall cost of replacing them more frequently than CFLs used in other rooms may make them a less cost-effective alternative for the garage. Find out more about the advantages and limitations of CFL bulbs. Use the lowest watt incandescent bulbs that allow you to see safely in your garage.

*Source: www.energystar.gov dated 6/19/08