Power Saving Measures
There are many things that you can do to save power and money on power. These are all easy things that you can do by yourself. You might need to hire a professional for some of them, but even those are easy things. If you need to hire a professional, it shouldn’t cost you too much.
Many providers can help you with ideas on how to save power in your home. You can look here to see what is available in your area. This site can help you to find people who can help you save power.
These are things such as turning off your lights when you’re not in the room or setting your thermostat at a lower temperature. You could also use curtains and blinds to block out some of the heat from the outside. Check your HVAC system to make sure that it doesn’t need any maintenance done.
This article will give you some ideas on how to save power. It will help you to come up with other ideas on your own. You can also do more research to find the information that you need.
Power Saving Tips
Water Heaters – One way to save power is to set your water heater at a cooler temperature. You should keep it at one hundred twenty degrees to save power. This is high enough for your appliances and for your showers. Don’t set it much cooler than that because then you allow bacteria to grow.
When you are using smaller amounts of water, make sure that you keep your faucet on the cold side. Turning it to the hot side will cause the water heater to start up and that will waste your power. That hot water might not even reach your faucet in time for you to use it. You want to make sure that you are not wasting energy by doing this.
Shower when you can instead of taking a bath. Taking a bath can use over seventy gallons of water, while taking a shower will only use ten to twenty-five gallons. This saves your water heater from working for so long, as well.
You can also replace your water heater with a heat pump. This will save even more energy for you. They are not expensive and don’t take long to install.
Boiler, Furnace, or Heat Pump – Make sure that you have regular maintenance done on these appliances. If they aren’t working correctly, you will be wasting energy. You can replace filters and clean coils to begin with. You can also hire a professional to do your maintenance for you.
Replace your filters at least every two months because dirty filters will cause your appliances to work harder and use more energy. You will want to call out a professional at least once a year to do the maintenance for you. This will help to save power in your home.
Programmable Thermostats – Trade your traditional thermostats with ones that you can program. You could have these turn on when you are at home and turn off when you are away from home or while you sleep. There are some that you can operate while you are away.
Heating Ducts – Insulate ducts that are in spaces such as crawlspaces and attics. You can lose up to sixty percent of your air in these spaces if you don’t do this. This can waste your power and increase your power bills.
You also need to keep your ducts in good working order. Fix any leaks that you might find after inspecting your ductwork. This can prevent you from losing another sixty percent of your air in spaces that you don’t want air.
Intake Vents – Make sure that you also maintain your air intake vents. You should vacuum them regularly to ensure that they are clean and not blocking airflow. You want them working at maximum efficiency. You don’t want to use more energy because you didn’t clean them.
You also want to make sure that you don’t have any furniture or other items covering your intake vents. This will also block your flow and you don’t want that to happen. Keep them clear of any objects that could block your flow.
Audits – Do energy audits each year to address efficiency issues in your home. You will need to hire a professional to do this for you. Sometimes you can find a company that will do this for you at low or no cost.
Curtains and Blinds – In warmer months close your curtains and blinds in your home. This keeps the warm air out of your home and allows your HVAC system to work more efficiently. It will lower your power bills and allow you to save some money.
In cooler months, open your curtains and blinds, especially in southern facing rooms. This allows the sun to heat your home in a natural way. Your HVAC won’t need to work when the sun is heating your home.
Power Strips – Use smart power strips that allow the power to be turned off at the strip when the master outlet is not in use. For example, if you have a television turned off at the master outlet, it will turn off the entire strip. This will prevent your items to be working in standby mode and will save you some energy.
Standard power strips can also be used if they have an on/off switch. When you want to turn off your electronics, you turn off the switch and power goes off for anything plugged into the power strip. This also prevents these items from working in standby mode.
Screensavers – Screensavers don’t actually save energy like some people believe. They actually use more energy – especially those with very active graphics. They can also prevent your electronics from going into sleep mode.
If your electronics are not being used, let them go into sleep mode or turn them off completely. You are wasting energy if you are not doing this. Screensavers won’t help you to save power.
Buy Energy Star – Buy Energy Star electronics to save more energy: https://www.energystar.gov/products/what_makes_product_energy_star. You will use up to forty percent less energy with these electronics. This can save you hundreds of dollars each year.
If you are looking at buying a new computer, consider a laptop instead of a desktop. Doing this will save you about forty percent of your energy. They are also easier to use, and you can take them around with you.
Digital Media Players – If you are streaming content, consider using a digital medial player such as smart televisions instead of game consoles. You will save about thirty percent of your energy if you do this. Game consoles eat up a large portion of your energy.
Unplug Chargers – If you are done charging your phone or other electronics, unplug your charger. Even when it is not plugged into your electronics, it is using energy. Unplug them to save money and energy.
Refrigerator – Make sure that you clean your refrigerator coils on a regular basis. Dirt and dust on the coils can increase energy usage and cause your appliance to fail. You should clean them at least once a month.
You need to allow room behind your refrigerator for air circulation. This should be at least two to three inches between your refrigerator and the wall. This allows your appliance to be used more efficiently.
Your refrigerator door should seal enough that you can’t move a dollar bill through it. If you put a dollar bill on the seal and are able to pull it through easily, you probably need to replace the seal. If the seal is still good, you may need to replace your whole refrigerator.
If you need to replace your refrigerator, consider buying an Energy Star appliance. This can help you to save you more than two hundred dollars during the lifetime of the appliance. This is a lot of energy that it saved for you.
Oven – Cover your pots when you are cooking to prevent loss of heat. This will speed up your cooking time and will help lessen the amount of energy used. You can save a lot of energy this way.
Don’t open your oven more than you need to. Doing so will let the warm air out and cause your oven to work harder than it should. You will lose energy and money this way.
Washer – Wash your clothes in your washer whenever possible. Over ninety percent of the energy used in your washer is used to heat the water. Most clothes can be cleaned adequately in cold water.
Use high-efficiency detergent in front loading machines. Regular detergent will cause too many suds and make the washer work harder than it should. This will have an impact on washing and rinsing performance. This can lead to odors in your clothing and poor machine performance.
Leave your washer door open for an hour or two after use. This will allow the water to evaporate and will reduce the risk of mold. This will save you power and that will also save you money.
If you need to replace your appliance, consider choosing an Energy Star product. They will use twenty percent less energy than other machines. This saves water and power for you.
Dryer – Clean the lint trap and dryer duct after every use. This will improve its efficiency and will cut down on time for drying. This, of course, will save power and money.
Scrubbing the lint trap with a toothbrush at least once a month will rid the trap of the film that can be left if you use dryer sheets. This will also improve efficiency and cut down on drying time. Make sure that you consult your owner’s manual before doing any maintenance.
Use a clothesline or drying rack whenever possible. Use the energy from the sun and wind instead of from your home. You don’t need to use a dryer during the warmer months because you can use a clothesline.
Again, if you need to replace your dryer, consider buying an Energy Star appliance. This will save you energy and money.
Conclusion
There are many things that you can do to save power. Most of these are easy for you to do. Only a few of them require a professional to do for you.
