Easy Ways to Save Energy at Home
There are many ways to save energy at home, perhaps the easiest is to reduce the amount of energy you use on a daily basis. Common sense things such as turning off lights when you leave a room, turning the water off while brushing teeth, and keeping outside doors closed when the air and heat is on can dramatically reduce ones utility bills but there is a lot more you can do.
Replace standard light bulbs with high efficiency compact florescent bulbs, this can save you a ton of cash over the course of the year. Change air flow filters every month, this will save cash as well as keep the air in your home cleaner and more healthy. Unplug chargers and high energy consumption devices when they are not in use, energy is wasted when these devices are plugged in and not in use. Power strips with an on/off switch work well for this, just simply switch it off at the source. Use motion sensors or day/night sensors for outside lights so they are only on when needed, no forgetting to turn them off. Motion sensors can also be used for inside lights so they turn on when needed and turn off when you leave the room with no hassle.
Make your home weather tight. This includes sealing up any air drafts and cracks to the outside world. Check around doors and windows, weather stripping can get old and ineffective over time. An easy way to check for drafts is to hold a lit candle and move it around the perimeter of the door or window, if you see the flame blow or blow out you have a draft that needs attention. Caulk around window frames, this is a typical spot where air gets in and isn’t noticed often. Check to make sure your attic is insulated properly, blown celluloid insulation is easy, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly since it is made from recycled materials such as newspaper. Seal up any cracks or gaps to the outside with an expanding foam product, this will save energy as well as deter pests such as ants, roaches, and rodents from entering your home.
Make your appliances more energy efficient. Keeping vents, and the air flow paths of your appliances clean of dust and debris can drastically increase the efficiency of your household appliances. Clean dryer lint traps after every load. Wash clothes in cooler water when possible. Clean under and behind refrigerators often, this will use less energy as well as make your fridge much more effective. Another good way to increase the efficiency of your fridge and reduce its energy consumption is to place wadded up newspaper in the empty spaces inside. This acts as insulation and reduces the amount of cold air needed to circulate in order to keep your food cold. Flush your water heater on a yearly basis, this will help remove any buildup inside making heating the water more efficient as well as increasing the water flow.
Use alternative power sources when possible. Solar, wind, and hydro-electric power can greatly reduce your utility bills as well as protect the environment. These types of power sources, if used properly and in great enough quantity, can also eliminate your electric bill all together or even make your utility company send you a check every month. When you use enough alternative energy sources in your home, your electric meter will actually spin backward which means you are actually producing more power than you are using and putting energy back into the grid which your electric company must pay you for. Solar technology is getting more economical every year and soon it will be affordable enough for every household to use without taking out a second mortgage. In years to come solar technology will even be integrated into roofing tiles and shingles so you won’t even need those unsightly and fragile panels on your roof.
Part of saving energy at home is also reducing fuel consumption in your vehicles. With the cost of fuel rising almost daily this can be a huge area of energy savings if you know how. Making sure your engine is tuned up and running properly can help dramatically to increase fuel efficiency. Hybrid vehicles are an excellent way to reduce fuel consumption but they can be very expensive and are sometimes out of reach for the average consumer at this point in their development. There is a low cost way to turn any gas or diesel vehicle into a water powered hybrid reducing your fuel consumption by up to 40%.
