With the price of energy constantly on the rise, more and more people are looking to reduce their energy consumption in order to be rewarded with a nice reduction on their energy bills. Not only that, but as the fears surrounding global warming and other energy-related crises become more well-known, more homeowners are looking to reduce their carbon footprints, be more economically friendly, and kind to the environment. Whatever your reason for wanting to reduce your energy usage, we’ve put together a list of great ways in which you can easily do this.
Switch it Off
You’d be surprised at the number of consumers who don’t switch off their electrical gadgets and appliances when they’re done, and even leaving electronics in standby mode can still burn up unnecessary energy. A desktop computer that’s left running twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week can burn through $150 worth of energy over a five-year period, which is three times more than if it’s left in ‘sleep’ or ‘standby’ mode, and switching it off completely at the mains means it won’t use any energy at all. Make ‘switch it off when you’re finished’ a rule in your home today to start cutting down on your unnecessary energy usage.
Regular Maintenance
Appliances that aren’t given regular checks and maintenance could be using more energy than they need to, which is why it’s vital that you keep on top of maintaining your appliances and ensuring that they’re always in good working order. You should check your appliances around once a month for any dirt and debris that has built up in filters, a top culprit for when it comes to using more energy than necessary. It’s also a good idea to have a professional come out and carry out maintenance on your appliances such as air-conditioning, as they’ll be able to spot issues that you may have overlooked and fix them in order to ensure that energy usage is kept to a minimum.
Lighting
Leaving lights on in your home can use up a lot of energy, and if you’re not already in the habit of switching the light off when you exit a room, now would be a good time to start. Whenever possible you should let natural light be the source of light in your home, and only switch on the lights when it becomes necessary. You may also want to think about investing in a light dimmer, which means that you can turn lights down when they’re not needed on brightly, another way of reducing energy usage. You can also buy specifically designed energy-saving lightbulbs that are a proven and handy way of reducing the energy that you use at home.
Use Appliances Efficiently
When using your appliances you should always use them in the most efficient way possible, and you’ll most likely find the instructions for how to do so in the manufacturer’s handbook which came with the appliance when you bought it. If you don’t have the handbook any more, another good way of finding this out is to search for the make and model of your appliance online where there will usually be information that will be of assistance to you. For example, refrigerators will usually have an energy efficient setting that’s described in the manufacturer’s handbook. When it comes to using your washing machine and tumble drier, the key is to load them correctly – you might also want to use cold water in your washing machine as well if possible, as this uses less energy.
Heating Systems
Do you leave your heating system on all day so that it’s nice and warm as soon as you get home from work? Although nobody likes to come home to a chilly house, leaving your heating system turned on all day whilst you’re out will only increase your energy usage, so it’s a wise idea to invest in a timer and set the heating to turn on for just before you’re about to arrive home so that it’s still warm. When it comes to heating, escaping heat from your home could also be costing you energy, so it’s a good idea to invest in draft excluders and check your home for any cracks or vents which could be causing heat to escape and fill them in. Check around windows and doors for any sealant which has come away, as well as making sure that any flooring is secure so that heat doesn’t escape through the floorboards and under your home.
Keeping energy usage low simply requires you to pay more attention to your energy usage!
