Sustainability at Harvard

In my dorm: More Energy Conservation

Appliances

  • Turn off your stereo, TV, and other appliances when they are not in use.
  • Buy ENERGY STAR®-qualified models to make sure your appliances aren't wasting energy when in sleep mode.
  • Don't leave cell phones, laptop, or battery chargers plugged in when not in use. Many of the transformers continue to consume energy 24/7 even when nothing is being charged. You can feel the wasted energy in the heat they give off.
  • Put your entertainment systems on a power strip and turn off the strip when you are not using them. (Components without clocks and timers, of course.)

Computers, etc.

  • Save energy with no effort by enabling your computer's energy-saving features. See: monitor power management.
  • Purchase office products that have earned the ENERGY STAR®.
  • Turn off computers and monitors when not in use for an hour or more.
  • Computers and related components like printers use electricity even when they are not in use. Plug each computer component into a power strip that can be shut off, to avoid wasting electricity with the ‘standby’ power feature.
  • Consider energy-efficient computer systems and monitors when you replace a system. Flat-screen monitors use 50 to 70 percent less energy than traditional CRT monitors.
  • Be sure to at least shut off the computer screen, as 60 percent of the power used by a computer is used by the monitor (this is true for box-style monitors). (The other 40 percent is used to keep your hard drive spinning and to power the electronics.)
  • Unplug the adapter for your laptop when it is not charging.

Lighting

  • Turn off lights when not in use—this includes bathrooms and common rooms—even for just a few minutes. It is not true that leaving fluorescent lights on saves energy!
  • Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). See below for more information.
  • You can lower overall energy demand by concentrating bright light where you need it rather than evenly lighting the entire room—this is called ‘task lighting’.
  • Opening your blinds is a free way to brighten up a room, but be sure to close them at night during the winter to insulate the room.
    Keep light fixtures clean—a cleaner bulb is a brighter bulb.

Laundry

  • Wait until you have a full load to wash your clothes.
  • Use cold water for the wash cycle when you do your laundry (and always rinse in cold). Your clothes will last longer and this will prevent your clothing from bleeding as well. (Choose any cycle except "whites.")
  • Use a clothing rack or hang laundry on hangers to air dry your laundry instead of using the dryer.
  • In the dryer, separate loads into heavy, medium, and lightweight items—lighter loads will take less drying time than a mixture of items.