• Any conservation counts, even small things.
• Encourage energy conservation at home and in the workplace.
• Dress warmly in layers, including thermal underwear. Keep head and feet warm, for example, wear a knit cap and wool or double socks.
• Use extra blankets and down comforters on beds.
• Instead of an electric blanket, go to bed with a hot water bottle.
• Use a battery-operated alarm clock instead of an electric clock.
• When getting up at night, instead of turning on the lights, use a flashlight and have a low watt manual nightlight in the bathroom.
• Open and close drapes and shades to store or release heat depending on the season. Also, heat-retaining window coverings are available.
• Weatherize your home by weather stripping; caulking; wrapping pipes and heating and cooling ducts; plugging leaks; insulating walls, ceiling, and attic. New rebate programs are likely.
• At night, block the crack under exterior doors with a towel or manufactured draft dodger.
• Keep doors to closets and any unheated rooms closed.
• When replacing windows, buy double-pane models.
• Plant deciduous shade trees on the south side of the house.
• Fix plumbing drips and leaks to save water and energy.
• Install low flow showerheads to save water and energy. Take shorter showers and share showers.
• During the hot season, instead of using an air conditioner, open windows and use ceiling fans and oscillating fans. An attic fan can help keep the whole house cooler.
• Use non-electric tools and manual appliances such as a can opener.
• Consider alternative/renewable energy, for example, using a solar oven. New and larger solar tax credits are under consideration for installing photovoltaic cells.
• As much as possible, shift appliance use to off-peak hours (avoid peak usage hours of 5-9 am and 4-7 pm; summer peak usage is 2-6 pm). See more conservation tips in the appliances and equipment section.
• Find alternatives to watching television, playing video games, renting video tapes, and surfing the Internet: reading books, playing card and board games, doing puzzles and word games, playing charades, making crafts, doing family projects such as hand washing and drying the dishes together, etc.
• Cuddle with loved ones including pets to keep warm.

• Be a good neighbor. Know your neighbors.
• Have a telephone tree, and be sure that everyone has at least one telephone that does not require electricity.
• Identify neighbors with special needs, such as people who are: elderly, disabled, chronically ill, on life support or life sustaining equipment, living on fixed or low incomes, non-English speaking, single parents with young children, latchkey children, etc.
• Develop a multiple buddy system so that all those with special needs are checked on during a power outage or other emergency.

• Make a neighborhood commitment to saving energy. Distribute lists of energy conservation tips and choose a neighborhood project or set neighborhood goals. Examples: skipping television one night a week; agreeing to forego decorative lighting including Christmas lighting.
• Have neighborhood potlucks or barbecues featuring utility free or utility reduced meals.
• Have a neighborhood yard sale (recycling saves energy). The proceeds can go toward emergency supplies or toward helping needy neighbors with utility bills or home weatherization.
• Promote sleepovers for neighborhood kids.
• Teach the neighborhood kids to find air leaks that can be plugged by holding a ribbon around the cracks in doors and windows.
• Invite a special needs neighbor over to share a meal, warmth, and companionship.
• Take a neighbor to do the shopping together.
• Rotate the helping responsibilities among different people in the neighborhood.
• Hold a neighborhood weather stripping and caulking party.
• Make energy conservation suggestions to neighborhood and nearby businesses, such as reducing lighting and installing sensors that turn room lights on and off automatically depending on need.
• Help needy neighbors find assistance with paying utility bills and weatherizing their homes. Sources of assistance include: The Salvation Army at 800-933-9677; The Federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program at 800-433-4327; Shelter Inc. at 925-827-3598; and Rubicon at 510-231-3900. PG&E customers can help assist needy bill payers by adding $1-10 monthly to their bill for the REACH Program. The Fire Department will supply and install a free smoke detector for the elderly, disabled, or needy; call 215-4450.

• Power Crisis and Conservation Info.
• BayInsider.Com Look for Conservation and Blackout Tips
• State DNR Look for Home Energy Checklist
• PG&E Look for Home Appliance Energy Usage, Home Energy Saving Checklist, Residential Energy Guide, Energy Calculator, and Home Energy Survey