Habit is a powerful force. We all have bad habits we’re trying to break, whether it’s chewing fingernails or leaving lights on. Habit can be a force for good. A habit of always wearing a seatbelt can save your life.

Changing bad energy habits to good ones can save money and help the environment. Once you’ve established a good habit, you can save without thinking about it.

• Turn off the light when you leave a room. While burning one 100-watt bulb for an hour costs less than a penny, those pennies add up.
• Turn your thermostat down in winter and up in summer if you’re going to be away. That’s a habit you can turn over to a programmable thermostat.
• An important monthly habit is checking your heating and air conditioning system’s filter and replacing it if necessary.
• Most modern electronic equipment draws power even when off. Plug your televisions, cable boxes, computer peripherals and the like into power strips and turn off the strips when you turn off the devices.
• Unplug your cell phone and cordless appliance chargers after the devices have recharged. Otherwise, the chargers continue to draw power.
• Turn off your computer when you turn in for the night.
• Turn off your dishwasher’s drying cycle and let the dishes air dry.
• As soon as you take your clothes out of the dryer, clean the lint filter. Lint buildup slows drying time and could cause a fire. Use a soft nylon brush and warm, soapy water to scrub the filter. Run water over the screen. If the water flows through, your filter screen is clean. If it’s restricted, repeat the cleaning steps and test again.
• Fill a container for watering your plants with the water that comes out of the faucet while you’re waiting for hot water. That way, you save water and know exactly when the water gets hot enough.
• Use the oven light to check your food. The oven can lose 25 degrees of heat every time the door is opened.

Sticking to Your New Habits

• Write down the energy-saving habits you want to establish.
• Remind yourself. For example, put sticky notes on light switches that say “Turn me off.”
• Get the whole family involved. Reward your children if they catch you slipping.

Correction: Last month’s Smart Connections article, Filthy Filters, provided instructions for changing filters. One of the bullet points stated: When installing the new filter, look for printed arrows that show the correct direction of airflow through the filter. The arrow should point away from the blower. This should read: The arrow should point toward the blower. Please accept our apologies for this oversight.