“Turn off that light!” is a common refrain in most households today and a friendly but stern admonition that has been handed down in families for decades. Although it still carries significant weight as energy saving advice, the more important aspect is first making sure the lights you are turning off—and on—are LED bulbs. Changing out your light bulbs is no longer costly or even confusing. Today, the facts are simple: incandescent, halogen and CFL (compact fluorescent lamps) bulbs have been replaced by LED (light emitting diode) bulbs for several reasons. LED bulbs are proven to be energy efficient, have a longer lifetime, a lower initial cost and produce a better quality of light. They also don’t radiate heat. You still want to turn off the light when you leave a room, but you no longer need to worry about wearing out a bulb with a light switch. LEDs don’t burn out, instead, they slowly experience lumen depreciation and when the light emitted is around 30% of its original quality, then it’s time to replace it.
Saving energy and subsequently money in our homes is our responsibility. With an initial investment of time and money combined with a family commitment, we can make changes in our consumption, which will make positive changes in our bills and ultimately in our carbon footprint. Some of the following suggestions are tried and true and worth revisiting. Others are new because of advancements in technology and energy efficiency. All are easily searchable online for practicality and finding deals so that you can choose those things that are most applicable to your house and your lifestyle.
A good place to start saving energy is first to figure out what your actual consumption looks like on paper. Most utility companies offer an “energy audit” that can be requested by the customer. This service should be free, but you will need to schedule one and make yourself available. If you are more “hands-on,” you can make the small investment in an electricity usage monitor so that you can gauge your consumption yourself. This meter plugs into an outlet, and then you plug various electric appliances and devices into it to determine their wattage use.
A meter will reveal several things; the first is that phantom loads are real and the second that Energy Star appliances are worth the initial cost that will result in long-term savings.
A phantom load is generated by any device that continues to consume electricity when turned off but remains plugged into an outlet. The worst culprits are those devices that charge when plugged in. Even once fully charged, the device will continue to pull electricity. So, unplug your charging devices when they reach capacity! Those items that have clocks or start instantly with the power button are also devices that use electricity when turned off. An easy way to turn off a bank of appliances or entertainment devices is to use a power strip. Not only are you protecting valuable devices with the surge protector, but the strip also allows you to turn off those phantom loads with the flick of a switch. Never plug one power strip into another, though!
Replacing appliances as they wear out with Energy Star models makes good financial sense. Although some appliances can seem like a costly choice, they will save money in the long run. Tankless water heaters, which have been the norm in Europe for decades, are getting the respect they deserve stateside. These are compact, energy-conserving units that serve hot water on demand. If your energy bills seem high because of hot water usage, installing a tankless heater could save you hundreds of dollars a year and maybe even a month. Using gas or propane to power your appliances also requires an initial outlay of money but will benefit your budget as the months pass.
Making sure that your house is properly insulated as well as replacing single pane windows with double pane models can be sizable investments, as can upgrading your climate control units and installing zone or programable thermostats. These home improvement changes will be the most efficient regarding energy savings as well as providing general comfort for your family.
There are always the small things that require no payment other than paying attention but will make a difference, too. Electric dryers are costly machines and are simply not good for the environment. Seasonally line dry your clothes outside, and off-season use indoor drying racks. If you must tumble dry, use wool dryer balls to help aerate small to medium loads which will make for a shorter drying time. When washing clothes use cold water if possible. Turn off the heated dry option on your dishwasher. Make sure there is no unfilled space inside your freezer by freezing water bottles. A full freezer is a more efficiently running appliance. Keep windows and doors closed and double check the weather strips around them for integrity. Use ceiling fans in both winter and summer to move conditioned air around the inside of rooms. Dress for the temperature and turn down the heat in winter and turn up the thermostat in summer—even a few degrees saves money. Plan your meals accordingly in the warmer months so that you don’t overheat the kitchen with your oven. And, as the average household spends 12% of its electricity budget on lighting—turn off the light!
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Hi Lisa, thanks for sharing such a helpful post. Really there are a lot of small things we can do to save electricity. Drying clothes outside is very great idea. Thanks again.