Spend a little energy increasing your efficiency now and save big time later.

Staying efficient is the key to a sustainable, independent energy future. Xcel Energy can help show you the way.

EFFICIENCY TIPS

1. Many modern refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and clothes dryers have energy-saving settings. Use them and save!

2. Dishwashers and washing machines that use less water use less energy! That's because about 60% of the energy used by a dishwasher goes into heating the water. For a washing machine, it's 70-90%. Newer machines are much more efficient.

3. Laundry detergents reformulated for concentrated cleaning make it possible to get laundry clean with less water and colder water. Very cool and very efficient!

4. Clothes dryers are the biggest energy-eaters of all of your major appliances. Use them efficiently...dry laundry loads back to back so you don't have to heat up the dryer every time.

5. Only 10% of the electricity your traditional incandescent light bulb uses goes to create light...the rest is wasted as heat! Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs and save 75% of the energy you'd use.

6. Efficiency-wise, new refrigerators and freezers have come a long, long way! Typical new refrigerators with automatic defrost and a top-mounted freezer use about half the energy of a typical 1990 refrigerator. So think about upgrading...but if you do, be sure to recycle the old one!

7. It's easy to make a good, efficient refrigerator into a great one! Keep the door seals clean, keep the temperature setting around 36-38 degrees Fahrenheit (0 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit for the freezer), use the Power Saver switch if it has one, minimize frost build-up and keep coils clean.

8. What's in your fridge can affect its efficiency! Let hot foods cool before you put them in the refrigerator, cover foods, label items for quick identification and keep your freezer full.

9. Your hardware store is Efficiency Central! It's full of great stuff like low-flow showerheads, faucet aerators, compact fluorescent light bulbs and more.

10. You can use your utility bills as a treasure map! Collect them and separate out the electricity and natural gas...and target the biggest bill for energy conservation solutions.

11. Dig a little deeper, and find all kinds of money-saving and energy-saving tips when it comes to using natural gas and using electricity.