Introduction
In this article, we will consider electricity-saving tips that will help you reduce your energy bill. Look out for the useful tips and fun facts sections!
Why Should You Find Ways To Conserve Energy?
Will I be able to pay my electric bill this month?
After I pay my energy bill, will I have enough funds left to cover my other expenses?
Have these questions ever crossed your mind?
For most of us, it has at one point in time or another.
Electricity is a necessity, especially now as more people are making use of the work from home option. This necessary resource allows us to charge our devices (computers, tablets, phones), operate our home appliances, provide light when it’s dark… and the list goes on. The reality is, however, that this basic utility keeps rising in cost.
Most of us can perhaps say that our electricity bill is our highest utility bill. Yes, our energy bills significantly dent our monthly budgets.
That means we need to find ways to conserve energy. Below, we will discuss some electricity savings tips. Specifically, we will look at 5 ways to conserve energy.
5 Ways To Conserve Energy
It may seem difficult to find ways to save on electric bills, but it does not have to be as hard as it seems. With just a little effort in the five areas below, you can make your home more efficient and sustainable. Yes, a dip in your light bill, with a corresponding increase in your savings is possible!
Without any more delay, let us get right to it. The list below tells 5 ways to conserve energy:
1. Audit Your Home – Know What Consumes The Most Current
Learn what electrical appliances consume the most current, and monitor how they are used.
How many of us know all the appliances and gadgets we have in our homes? Ok, so you may know most… but do you know the wattage they use?
Watts refers to the measurement used for electricity. Usually, the appliance packages give some indication as to the wattage each appliance generally uses.
Useful Tip: To calculate the kWh of your appliance, estimate the amount of time you use it and write down the appliance’s wattage (generally found on the label). Remember that one kilowatt equals 1,000 watts, so don’t forget to divide your wattage by 1,000 to convert to kilowatts.
If you know which appliances in your home consume the most electricity, you will become more conscious of how you use them.
Thus, you can reduce your bill through controlled use, or changing your habits. For example:
- Washing Machine – this big appliance is a big consumer of electricity. Now that you are aware of this fact, you can change from doing frequent small loads to doing larger loads less frequently.
- Iron – how about ironing once for the week instead of daily?
Each time you plug in the iron you have to allow it time to heat up. That uses more electricity than if you bulk iron.
- Dryer – drying wash loads consecutively will make use of the heat that has already built up in the dryer.
- Electric Stove – you could consider using an electric kettle to heat water rather than an electric stove, as it burns way less current.
Auditing your electrical appliances will also help you with the next electricity savings tip.
2. Take Action
Another way you can save on power consumption is by taking action. After you have audited your home, you no doubt would become aware of some things that can be changed:
- replace old light bulbs with energy-efficient LED or compact fluorescent ones (they last longer too)
- change out old electric lamps for ones that allow you to lower the lighting when bright light is not required
- if your home is already equipped with smart lights (that can be adjusted by an app on your smartphone while you are away from home), use the technology
Other actions that you can take are:
- use blinds to keep out heat from the sun at windows
- make use of natural light – it may be possible to open a window or pull a curtain to see rather than turning on a lighting fixture
- unplug appliances when not in use – many have lights that use current even when not in use
- turn off lights when not in use – they burn more when left on as opposed to switching on and off
- one way to control this is by investing in a smarthome. This allows for great control of heat, lights, and more
- plant trees and vines around and on your home to help keep it cool; or use potted plants inside (but be sure they are safe for indoor use)
- de-clutter your indoor space to allow air to flow freely
These are good ways to save on the electric bill.
You might also like this article about renovating your home.
3. Service and Clean Your Appliances
It should not be shocking to know that appliances that are cleaned and maintained are more energy-efficient, and therefore save you money.
Surely I am no expert when it comes to fridges.
What I do know is that the fridge compressor runs for a while (until the desired temperature is achieved), then shuts off. The fridge is sealed with rubbers (also called gaskets; they are fairly inexpensive) that keep in the cool air, allowing the motor to take breaks.
Now, think about a refrigerator with a damaged rubber; if the rubber is damaged it causes air to leak. If the cool air leaks out, the fridge will have to use more electricity than normal to produce more cool air in order to maintain the proper temperature. Over time, problems with the gasket can lead to problems with the motor of the refrigerator.
We considered the maintenance aspect, but what of cleaning? In short, if the fridge coil is not cleaned, the compressor works harder and therefore shortens the life of the appliance. Yes, dirty appliances can become less energy efficient.
You can thus see the wisdom in the advice electricity companies give when they encourage us to maintain our appliances through regular servicing and cleaning. This applies to HVAC systems (for those unfamiliar with this term, it basically refers to the heating and cooling system for your home), refrigerators, stoves, and washing machines… basically all major appliances.
4. Budget For Energy Saving Appliances
You may be wondering what kind of ‘keeping up with the Jones’ I am suggesting now. Considering it is more like keeping up with the energy-saving times. If you are stuck on your old appliances for sentimental reasons (or because you see no reason to change them because they work perfectly fine), you may be paying for it on your electricity bill!
According to one energy company, older Plasma TV models (without the energy star) were historically the highest energy consumers among flat-screen TVs, as opposed to LED and LCD models of the same size.
Fun Fact: The older cathode-ray tube TVs (you know, those square boxes with the big backs) typically used less than 100 watts, which worked out to be roughly the same as a light bulb! Talk about the ‘good ol days!’ and ways to save on electric bills!
When you budget in advance for these appliances, it allows you more flexibility to pay a little more for energy-efficient models.
It will save you money in the long run.
5. Get Solar Energy Where Possible
Solar energy is technically free (once your equipment is installed), renewable, inexhaustible, and does not cause environmental harm. Even if you do not have a roof or terrace, there are ingenious ways to get them set up on windows or other areas.
Depending on the law of the country you are in, you may have to use a small percentage of electricity from the electricity company.
However, you can save on your electricity bill by going solar for the appliances with the highest electric consumption.
Conclusion
Many of us fail to realize that the appliances, lighting fixtures, and even how we use our electrical appliances, impact the amount we are billed for this very essential utility.
The suggestions in this article are good ways to conserve energy. You will note the difference in your electricity bill!
Author Bio :
Natalie Brown-Campbell
Creative Writer/SEO Blogger
Natalie is an experienced Creative writer who has successfully worked on several search engine optimised articles, as evidenced by her 100% job success score and great reviews on the Upwork platform. In recent times her love for writing became her career path. However, from a tender age she had discovered her passion for creative writing. Spending quality time with family brings Natalie much joy.