How to Save Money and Energy in Your Home

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Saving on energy consumption is a win-win situation for every player. By lowering your utility bills, you leave more money at your disposal to cater to your other needs. Lower energy consumption also lowers the energy requirement for the country, which means that there will be a decrease in the volume of harmful gas emissions into the atmosphere during the production of energy to meet this requirement.

The beautiful part of home energy conservation is that you can do it at home yourself, with little to no experience, and a significantly manageable cash outlay. Here are a few ideas that you can start with at home as a beginner. You can advance to tasks that are more complex when your experience and capability increases.

1. Reduce phantom loads

“Phantom what?” I hear you ask. Phantom loads refer to energy consumed by an electronic device that is on standby. The average home owes about 6% of its energy consumption amount to phantom consumption to devices that are off but plugged in. Unplug any devices from the power outlet when they are not in use. You can also plug them into a power strip and turn it off when not in use. If everyone in the world did this, the gain would be astounding.

2. Energy-efficient appliances

There’s probably little you can do about devices you’ve already bought, but when investing in new appliances, ensure that you go for energy efficient models. While they are likely to be a bit pricier on the outset, they are capable of saving a minimum of 10% to as much as 50% of energy utilized by their conventional counterparts which usually results in them paying for themselves in year 1. Any saving made in year two are then yours to enjoy as you will.

3. Energy-efficient light bulbs

You should also replace your good old incandescent light bulbs with compacted fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) or light emitting diode (LED) lights, which utilize up to 80% less energy and last more than 10 times as long.

Note however that CFLs contain mercury which raises other courses for concerns. When possible you may want to choose LED lights although experts say that there is no release of mercury while the bulbs are in use, and by conserving energy, they contribute to lessening mercury released as a by-product of energy generation.

4. Programmable thermostats

These thermostats are programmable and allow you to adjust home temperatures according to your personal schedule. By implementing a programmable heating and cooling system, you can reduce energy spent in heating and cooling by over 15%. With technology, you can even control heating and cooling while you are on the go. You may have to read the manual though!

Bonus tip: In addition, you can change a single degree on your thermostat and save as much as 7-10% of your cooling or heating costs.

5. Use cooling fans

Rather than have your air-con on all the time, use ceiling fans to cool rooms you are in when you’re in the house during the hot summer months. These are generally more popular in warmer climates, for the simple reason that they work.

6. Block leaks around the house

Apart from properly insulating the house, you should regularly inspect the house for any cracks or gaps through which drafts can enter and heat can escape or come into the house, subjecting your air conditioner or boiler to a lot more work. Sealing the cracks can save you as much as 10% annually on your energy consumption bills.

7. Switch to cheaper energy supplier

We are all guilty of inertia when it comes to shopping around. However, doing a little research and considering going slightly further afield that the ‘big six’ for your energy may save you money. A recent survey by Which found that the top five energy companies for customer satisfaction based on value and customer service were all little known, smaller suppliers, while the ‘big six’ – E. ON, British Gas, EDF Energy, npower, Scottish Power and SSE – were all at the bottom of the table, with scores of less than 50 per cent.

These smaller firms include Utility Warehouse, First Utility, Ecotricity and Good Energy to name a few. So, set aside some time to compare prices and read some impartial reviews to see how number seven and beyond compare to the big six and find out how much money you could save. We checked out the uSwitch.com for current Utility Warehouse Reviews and the Utility Warehouse Complaints process to get a feel for how these service compares to the bigger firms and were pleasantly surprised. So, as always it pays to shop around.

While this list contains a mere seven tips for saving money, there is no reason why you can’t go well beyond this and make money and energy saving a daily goal.

 

Tags: Energy, Incandescent light bulb, Light-emitting diode

Category: Save Energy