Energy Saving tips - Appliances : Chief Energy

Use your microwave oven as much as possible in the summer rather than your regular oven. You'll stay cooler and save energy.
When buying appliances, compare yellow EnergyGuide labels, not just prices, to make sure you buy an energy efficient unit.
The size of your pan should match the size of your burner for the highest efficiency.

To save even more energy, defer use until off-peak hours, after 6:30 pm and before 9:30 am.
Put full loads in the dishwasher and use the "energy saving" setting for the drying cycle, or let dishes air dry to reduce energy use.

Do your laundry during off-peak hours, after 6:30 p.m. and before 9:30 a.m., and hang your clothes outdoors in the summer.
When doing your laundry, use a cold water wash on full loads.
Clean the lint trap regularly to keep it running more efficiently and make sure the exhaust isn’t blocked.
Horizontal-axis clothes washers (front loaders) are far more gentle and effective on your clothes, and are much more energy efficient when compared to traditional clothes washers.

Defrost your refrigerator regularly so it can operate more efficiently, and do so only on weekends to avoid peak load.
Vacuum and clean the condenser coils, motor and evaporator pan of your refrigerator once or twice a year, and leave space between your refrigerator and the surrounding walls and cabinets to allow air to circulate around the coils.
Keep your refrigerator away from the stove and heat registers. By being next to those items, you’re making your refrigerator work twice as hard and decreasing its overall efficiency.
Test your refrigerator and freezer by placing a thermometer inside for an hour. The reading should be as follows: Refrigerator 36-38%, Freezers 10-15%.
Select a refrigerator/freezer with energy-saving features. It will use 20% less electricity than the standard model, saving you approximately $60 a year.
Avoid purchasing used refrigerators, as an older refrigerator often uses more than three times the energy of today’s models.
Make sure the seals on your refrigerator, freezer and oven doors fit tightly.