With electricity and gas prices continuing to climb every year, there’s always pressure on the family budget to find new ways to reduce your energy consumption. It doesn’t matter whether you’re living in an older property or a new home; there are plenty of practical options you can employ to cut your costs. Here are a few you might like to try.
Alter Your Behaviour
You might choose to alter the way or time of day you use certain appliances such as washing machines, dryers and hot water units. If your washing machine has a timer, set it to start early in the morning before you wake up. This allows you to take advantage of off-peak power rates that can be significantly cheaper than daytime rates. Plus, you’ll have your washing ready to hand out first thing in the morning. Similarly, running your dryer late at night saves on power for these energy-sapping appliances.
Simply switching off appliances at the wall when you’re not using them can help to keep your power costs under control. Plenty of household appliances use standby power, meaning the appliance is on and ready but not actually being used. Televisions, computers, microwaves and clock radios are commonly left switched on at the wall and drawing power. In fact, standby power typically comprises 4% of the typical household power bill, so there’s opportunity for reduction right there.
Install Efficient Lighting
While the traditional incandescent lightbulb is now just a museum object in many countries, power-thirsty halogen lights are still common. If your home has these, consider replacing them with compact fluorescent tubes (CFTs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs). CFTs and LEDs may only use 11 watts of power, but they still emit as much light as an older 75-watt globe. That’s an enormous cut right there. Multiply this difference across all the lights in your home and you’re gaining large savings. Moreover, CFTs and LEDs last far longer than the old incandescent and halogen lights, so they are cheaper once you spread the initial purchase cost over the life of the lights.
Build an Energy-Efficient Home
Advances in materials, technology and building design mean that new homes are becoming more energy efficient. Rapid improvements and falling costs of solar power and water panels mean these units are no longer luxuries, so consider them for your home. Also, double-glazing your windows with the help of Jayhawk Exteriors Inc is an effective way to keep your home cool in summer and warm in winter as well as cutting external noise. Quality insulation and draft seals reduce the load on heating and cooling systems, keeping costs down. If you’re looking at buying a new home, make sure you talk to expert home builders, such as Coral Homes, about ways to make your house more energy efficient.
Be sure to complement your home’s energy-efficient design by selecting appliances such as dishwashers, lighting, air conditioners and hot water units with high efficiency ratings. Sensible use of these will help you maintain control over rising energy costs through reduced consumption.
These tips are just a sample of the myriad ways you can save energy in your home. Why not leave some tips of your own below?
