Ways To Reduce Your Household Energy Use

Although gas, electricity and other fossil fuel prices have fallen recently, that is no reason to pay more than you need to for your utility bills such as water, natural gas, or electricity. And even though winter is over and those in cold climates will get a break, those of us in warmer climates (read:hot!) are about to get hit with higher utility bills as it heats up during summer.

Becoming more energy efficient throughout your house is good for several reasons. First, it will save you money, often fairly quickly for little initial expense. Second, it saves natural resources, as cutting down on your energy use saves fossil fuels, like coal, heating oil, and natural gas, both for direct use and generation of electricity in many parts of the country. There is also a federal tax credit of 30% (up to $1500) for installing energy efficient products in 2009 to 2010. It is a great time to take advantage and upgrade, lowering your bills in the process!

Save on Water

• Check for leaks- Check for leaky faucets, a running toilet, or other signs of water leaks, and get them repaired.
• Go low flow- Consider getting a low flow showerhead or toilet for more efficient usage.
• Reduce the amount of time you run water faucets- Whether in the shower, the sink, or washing dishes, turn off the faucet as quickly as possible.
• Do your outdoor watering early or late- Avoid watering in the middle of the day, when the water will evaporate faster and make your watering efforts less efficient.

Save on Power, Electricity, Natural Gas, and Lighting

• Upgrade old appliances- Older appliances can be very inefficient compare to newer, Energy Star compliant appliances. If you are thinking of replacing an older appliance, you may save quite a bit on energy use costs, so keep that in mind.
• Switch to energy efficient light bulbs, like compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL’s)- Compact fluorescent bulbs use about one quarter of the energy that incandescent bulbs do, and can last up to 10X longer.
• Turn off lights- Leaving lights on can become a habit, but getting into the habit of turning off lights when you leave a room is easy to get into.
• Allow more natural light into your house- use lighter colors, or sheer curtains, to allow more natural light into your house during the day.
• Eliminate phantom use-unplug unused appliances or chargers- If you leave appliances in that you rarely use, get in the habit of unplugging them, as they will still draw a small amount of power. The same goes for chargers too, such as your cell phone or other portable electronic devices.
• Set your computer to sleep or hibernate mode- Computers use quite a bit of energy, so be sure to set it to hibernate or sleep mode. You can turn off your computer, too. The advice that you should leave your computer on most of time is outdated, newer components can withstand the turning off and on better, and most computers will become obsolete technologically before they would wear out anyway.
• Lower your hot water heater a few degrees- Once again, if you lower it several degrees, you will have to heat it less, and will get used to the slightly lower water temperature quickly.
• Use your dryer for several loads at a time- The residual heat will cut down on drying time for subsequent loads.
• Consider an on demand or tankless water heater- Instead of heating gallons and gallons of water, only heat what you need with a tankless water heater.

Save on Heating or Air Conditioning

• Check for leaks or drafts- Find out where your energy leaks are, and get them closed off or sealed.
• Insulate- Weatherstripping around doors or windows and insulation in attics or other places can reduce drafts.
• Lower or raise your thermostat settings- Set your thermostat several degrees lower in the winter, and a few degrees higher in the summer.
• Consider a programmable thermostat- A basic programmable thermostat can be had fairly cheap, and will start paying for itself right away.
• Upgrade windows- Older windows, in an older house, can often let a tremendous amount of airflow, i.e., heating or cooling, through, all of which is wasted. It may be more cost effective over a surprisingly short period of time to replace your older windows with new, energy efficient ones.
• Plant trees- A few large trees providing shade to your house in the hot summer can reduce your cooling bills. It may take several years or longer for the tree to get large enough to make a difference, though.
• Consider solar panels, geothermal heat pumps, or solar water heaters- There is also a 30% federal tax credit for installing renewable energy systems, and some states, such as Louisiana (which offers a tax credit of 50% on expenses up to $25,000, or a $12,500 credit-a national high, I believe) , offer an additional tax credit on top of that, so it can really add up.

Practical Ways to Save on Your Electric Bill

The cost of energy is one of those things that keep rising and it appears that once it goes up, it is not coming back down. This is the case with all common forms of energy that we use. The price of gasoline for our cars, the fuel to heat or homes, and the electricity that we use in all parts of our modern lives are all included.

Unlike a lot of things that we buy that are optional, the usage of fuel is something that most of us simply cannot do without. Okay, I know that some of you have dreams of living in the forest with a campfire, or moving to a deserted island. If that is your plan, please drop me a line and let me know how it works out for you.

While we are mostly dependent on fuel sources, there are some simple things that we can do to help save all of our money from running out of or pockets. While I mentioned different fuel sources, I would like to focus on the usage of electricity. Electricity is not one of those things where you have much of a choice in making your purchase. There is one electrical utility in any given region, and if you want the power, you are going to pay the price.

While you may not be able to give up your electrical addiction completely, there are several things that you can do to make it more manageable. Besides saving energy, there is another great benefit as well. By using less energy, you are helping to save on the global emission of greenhouse gasses and pollution. That alone is of benefit to everyone on the planet and for generations to come.

While most of these tips that I present are simple, they are effective in helping to reduce your electric bill.

One of the big energy eaters is the heating and cooling system in your home. Even if your heat is provided by gas or another source other than electric, there are a few things you can do to keep it operating more efficiently. The first thing that you can do is to keep a clean filter installed. A dirty filter requires you to use more energy and also greatly reduces heat output. The same is true to air conditioning. A dirty filter greatly reduces the cooing ability of your system. You should have your system serviced every year to keep everything operating at peak performance.

Pick a reasonable temperature on the thermostat and leave it alone. Constantly changing the setting makes your system work much harder. If you are a little cool in the winter, put on a sweater or warmer clothing. The amount of energy saved can be substantial.

Walk around your house on a cool day and feel for air leaks around doors, windows and electrical outlets. If cold air is leaking in, then warm air is also leaking out requiring you to use more energy. Have any leaks that you find insulated. These are one-time repairs that can save you money in just a short matter of time.

As your home needs larger repairs, you should consider insulated windows and doors. There are companies that can test your home to see where there are energy losses.

Another appliance that can use a lot of energy is the water heater, whether it is electric or gas. By setting the temperature just a few degrees cooler can make a difference in your energy bill. If you don't use a lot of hot water, you might actually be heating too much water. If your water temperature is set high, you use a lot of cold water to bring the temperature back to where it is useable for a bath or shower. Why heat the water to an excessively high temperature, just to turn around and cool it again. I personally have my hot water set to just about the right temperature for taking a comfortable shower.

When it comes time to replace any appliance, you should purchase the most efficient model possible. While the price might be higher now, the long-term savings in energy will pay you back many times over.

A very easy thing that everyone can do starting right now is to turn off anything that you are not using. Turn off lights that are not being used. If your not watching the television, turn it off. Excess lighting and appliance use are major wasters or energy. Once you get in the habit of turning off unused things you will start saving.

Energy efficient light bulbs are a great way to conserve electricity and the cost is not that great. The fluorescent bulb replacements are a great alternative to regular light bulbs. You can replace a 60-watt bulb with an energy saver that uses 13 watts and you are now using one-fourth the amount of energy. Another benefit to the fluorescent replacement bulbs is the fact that they are cool to operate. This is a very nice feature in the summer time. These energy saving bulbs also last considerably longer as well so the cost difference isn't really much higher than a standard light bulb.

In the kitchen, there is the monster of energy consumers. The electric range is like a hungry beast screaming for lots of electricity. Here is a little test, go look at your electric meter and note how fast the wheel is spinning. Turn on the oven and a couple of stove elements and now go back and look at your meter. It is amazing how much power the kitchen range can use. If you simply want to heat something up, a microwave oven is much more efficient for this purpose.

This is not a complete list of everything that can save you energy, but by checking out these basic ideas, you can reduce your electric bill considerably. As I mentioned, you can also help reduce the global pollution output as well.

Eight Ways to Save Energy at Home

For many of us, the new year brings resolutions of better living. We hope that you'll consider taking these easy steps in your life to save energy in your home.

1. Low-flow shower head. Switch to a low-flow shower head and you have just taken the most effective step in saving water in your home. This cheap fixture will pay for itself in a year in what you save in water bills.



2. Faucet water saver. This dandy fixture on your kitchen or bathroom faucet lets you adjust the amount of water when washing dishes or brushing your teeth. Those extra seconds will add up to a lot of gallons saved!



3. Compact fluorescent light bulbs. We all know we should switch from those energy-losing incandescent light bulbs. Each bulb will save over $30 in your electricity bill, and you'll be saving more than 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from contributing to global warming.
   



4. Renewable energy. I opted to get my home electricity from wind energy through my electric utility, costing me 2 cents extra per kilowatt hour. For reducing my climate change impact, I think that's worth it! To find out renewable energy options in your state, just ask your utility company.



5. Paperless bills. This is so easy: choose to get your bills online from your utilities, credit card company, bank, and phone company. Sixty-three billion checks are written each year in the United States: imagine how much paper we could save if we all paid bills online?



6. Offset travel. We've become a traveling society, and all those air miles are building up carbon in our air. Offsetting each trip with clean energy for someone else is easy, and doesn't cost as much as you'd think. There are a dozen different companies out there.


7. Wash laundry in cold water. About 90% of energy used to do laundry is to heat water. Your clothes will also last longer when washed in cold water.



8. Unplug it! More than 5% of a typical home's energy bill comes from electricity "leaked" from appliances that are plugged in and turned off. Unplugging electronics and things like cell phone charges when not in use will save on your electricity bill.

These small changes in your life will do a big part in helping to reduce global warming and save natural resources for future generations.