How to Have Big Electric Savings at Home

Conserving energy is good for the environment and the checkbook. It isn’t hard to do, but may take some re-thinking about the details we take for granted every day. There are a huge variety of ways to have big electric savings at home. Here are some well-known ones and some that may surprise you.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Energy efficient appliances
• Aerators for faucets
• Energy saving light bulbs
• Power strips (multiple)
• Heat shrink plastic
• A toilet tank bank
• Sun oven (optional)

1. Most people use a lot of electricity guzzlers around the house. Consider switching to Energy Star appliances when replacing household appliances. They meet EPA standards for better energy efficiency.

2. Replace regular high-wattage lightbulbs with energy saving ones. And look for choices in the near future between compact florescent and LED bulbs with soft, warm quality light.

3. Opt for solar, LED or battery-powered lights for outdoor lighting for great energy savings.

4. Install motion detectors for areas that are only used part-time (outdoors, hallways, etc.). They’re simple to install and help cut your costs.

5. Unplug electrical devices like phone chargers, power adapters, paper shredders, water fountains, toys, printers and copiers, when you’re not using them.

6. Install “green” insulation to make your home more energy efficient.

7. Use single-use, stretch-seal, heat-shrink plastic sheeting kits for windows during winter. It’s an inexpensive and easy way to seal warped or single-glazed windows and patio doors and can help you dramatically cut heating costs.

8. Check out the “solar oven.” Created to help people in developing countries decrease their dependence on wood burning stoves, it’s gaining popularity around the world. Direct and reflected sunlight is converted into heat and its even temperature helps prevent you from burning food.

9. For those of us with combined energy bills, water conservation can help lower your electric bill too. Try something different. Get and use a “toilet tank bank.” Hang it in your toilet tank and save almost a gallon of water with each flush.

10. To conserve water and lower your bills, install aerators on kitchen and bathroom faucets. Just one in a bathroom used by a family of four can lower daily water usage by 48 gallons per day (that’s 17,520 gallons annually!).
    
    With energy costs constantly rising, these things will help to have big electric savings at home. Try a few and see.

Tips & Warnings

• Put your electronic and electrical “toys” on a power strip you can turn off.
• Unplug devices with digital display screens and power lights.
• Replace things with electrical “shorts” as rapidly as possible. Uneven energy output drains power. Replacing those eliminates that and the danger of an electrical fire too.

Resources

• A guide to energy conservation