The most important asset for conserving energy and lowering your home energy costs is your mindset. Small changes add up over time. The efficiency and carbon footprint of your home can be described as the health of your home. It will improve noticeably over time in the same way your health improves over time with improved nutrition. It all starts with the low hanging fruit.
- Start With Lighting:
Some of the small ways to save energy have become quite popular, like swapping out light bulbs. Compact fluorescent bulbs have become almost automatic, as incandescent bulbs are slowly phased out of production. That alone can make a big difference when applied throughout the house. The benefits also go beyond energy conservation and the time and resources necessary to change bulbs when they finally stop working. Look around the room you’re in and count the bulbs. A typical living room (for example) can have a half dozen bulbs if you include table lamps, recessed lighting, and ceiling fans equipped with light fixtures. Each of these bulbs represent an opportunity to lower your energy consumption by 25%-80%. The life of each bulb is extended, lasting 3-25 times longer. This is according to the Department of Energy. - Stand-by power:
There are vampires in your home! It’s the name some people give the chargers for your mobile devices. All except the most advanced smart chargers will consume electrical energy, irrespective of whether they’re plugged into a device. A simple way to control how much energy they consume (aside from unplugging them) is to have all of them plugged into a common power strip. With a little self-discipline, you can even incorporate a timer. All your rechargeable devices can be plugged into their respective chargers at night, so they charge while you sleep. During the day, the timer shuts down the power strip.
Again, will this make a noticeable change to your energy bill by itself? Probably not. If you’d like to have an idea of the best cheap electricity plans from the most reputable electric companies that could help reduce your energy bill surprises you can do it from the website of Homeenergyclub, where you are able to compare energy plans side by side. You’ll even find electricity plans with discount energy rates that are lower than the regular rates on energy provider sites. However, applying just a little effort to tactics like this will collectively make a huge difference. Keep in mind that setting this up is a one-time deal. It doesn’t require constant maintenance, which is a vitally important detail about how your collective effort WILL make a difference. - If it Only Had a Brain!
We’re not talking about a Nobel Prize-winning brain, just one which knows when to adjust your thermostat when you’re not home. This one thing probably stands out as one of the bigger energy-saving activities. There are very inexpensive programmable thermostats on the market today. Most of them are tested and very reliable, making it a low risk to you. Some even control both heating and cooling in regions of the country that require both. This one really is a no-brainer. - HVAC Maintenance:
If you have ductwork in your home, get it cleaned. This probably isn’t something that you can do on your own. Nevertheless, it’s a very straight-forward maintenance procedure. It will improve air flow, which in turn, will reduce the energy necessary to move the air. Possible (positive) side effects include cleaner air and lower maintenance costs down the road. - Water Use:
Water is not a source of energy. However, the transport of water to your home requires energy and represents part of your energy bill. More directly, maintaining hot water temperatures also costs energy. Conserving water and the energy necessary for heating it is in your best interest. Check the temperature setting and bring it down a bit if you can. As a general rule, heat energy cannot be perfectly contained in any environment. This condition gets worse when the temperature difference (water temperature – ambient air temperature around your heater) is especially high.
Think of where you need the hottest water and create conditions where hot water can be delivered without mixing it with cold water.
A bit of thought and vigilance is all you need to make a huge difference.
These are among the simplest methods of saving energy. There are many more. You can investigate the value of weatherstripping, door seals, attic exhaust fans, and so on. You can go beyond that and consider a budget for Energy Star appliances, and even attic insulation. There’s a long list of possibilities!
You’re not working in a vacuum either. There are many informative sites that can help you prioritize – many coming from the Department of energy. Good luck!
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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