But, what are the most effective ways to save money on electricity?
In this article, we’ll share 8 practical tips to help you reduce energy consumption and share the most important benefits of keeping your home electricity bills as low as possible.
8 Tips to Save Energy in Your Home
Before delving any further, it’s important to understand that most home energy saving tips don’t require any investment – they simply represent a change of habit.
Because of this, it’s important for all members of your household to contribute and consciously help reduce the amount of energy wastage that occurs in your house.
For instance, if you have ceiling fans you don’t use very often, getting into the habit of turning them on to cool down your house can greatly reduce AC usage, and with it your energy bills.
Here are 10 more tips you can follow to reduce energy consumption in your house.
1. Make the Most of Natural Light
The winter months are much darker than their summer counterparts, but you can balance this out by keeping your curtains open and taking advantage of natural sunlight. Besides feeding your lovely indoor plants, this will also reduce the number of lights you have on during the colder months.
With the above in mind, remember to close the curtains once the sun goes down as this will help you keep heat in for longer and reduce the need for heating.
2. Cover Small Gaps in Windows and Doors
It’s common to have small gaps and air leaks at home – these often take place when installing plumbing pipes and other necessary parts of your house. The good news is that you can perform a visual inspection to find these and plug as many as you can.
Keep in mind that not all air leaks are visible, so if you feel like you may be losing a lot of energy to these small gaps your best bet is to contact an HVAC specialist that can perform a professional test.
3. Keep Your Indoor Temperature in the Lower Range
Whether you’re cooling or heating your home, it’s always a good idea to keep the temperature in the lower range. For instance, in summertime you should aim to keep your home close to 70°F, and in winter that number should be close to 65°F.
One important caveat here is that your attire will greatly influence your comfort levels. If you use additional layers during the winter and wear cooler clothes during summer, you’ll have an easier time implementing this best practice.
4. Cover Particularly Drafty Doors
No list of energy saving tips for your home is complete without addressing drafty doors! Unlike plumbing gaps, drafts can affect doors and windows that are properly built and insulated.
If your home is affected by wind drafts, your best bet is to use heavy plastic to seal window frames and even get insulated drapes that are heavier, making it more difficult for wind to move freely.
5. Give Your HVAC Unit and Small Appliances a Little TLC
Did you know that the condition of your HVAC unit and small appliances influences how much energy they consume? As a general rule of thumb, appliances that don’t get maintained regularly tend to use more electricity due to residue buildup.
This is the reason why maintaining your HVAC and other small kitchen appliances is one of the best energy saving tips for home savings. Here, you can perform DIY maintenance on small appliances where possible, but it’s always a good idea to contact an HVAC expert to take care of your heating and cooling unit.
6. Switch to Energy Efficient Lighting
Whether you’re looking for year-round or Christmas energy saving tips, switching to energy-efficient lighting is always a great idea.
It may represent a bigger upfront investment but energy-saving lights pay for themselves after a few years, plus they can last more than 25 times more than conventional light bulbs.
7. Winter Energy Saving Tips
We’re well into the cold months, so here are some energy saving tips for winter.
- Avoid excessive holiday lighting
- Use your fireplace and ensure you maximize the heat you get from it
- If you don’t use your fireplace, plug the chimney
8. Summer Energy Saving Tips
Now, let’s take a look at some energy saving tips for summer.
- Keep your water heater at 120°F or slightly below
- Apply window treatments that keep the heat out
- When no one is home, keep your home warmer than usual and turn on cooling when you come back
What Are the Advantages of Saving Energy?
It’s important to understand that most of the energy we consume today comes from non-renewable sources like fossil fuels.
These are non-renewable and they release a huge amount of pollution, but it’s possible to combat the negative effects of using fossil fuels by being conscious about our consumption and reducing the amount of energy we use on a daily basis. This means cleaner air, lower carbon dioxide emissions, and slower climate change.
At the same time, reducing the amount of energy you use at home will directly reduce your energy bills. Depending on the area you live in, you may be paying up to $300 or more every month for electricity, so taking the time to lower your consumption can greatly reduce the amount of money you spend on powering your home.
Find a Local HVAC Professional Service Provider
Whether you’ve recently installed a new unit or have had the same HVAC system for a few years, following energy-saving best practices can help reduce bills across the board.
There are many small steps you can follow that have a huge impact on your energy consumption, like covering drafty doors and making the most out of natural light. Additionally, investing in areas like HVAC maintenance and energy-efficient lighting can also help keep your costs as low as possible.
The best practices you should follow depend heavily on the time of year, so make sure to adjust your habits based on the season.
Related Article: The Best Humidity Level for Your Home During Winter
