Energy consumption has continued to grow throughout the years in most of the world. Though most of us had a chance to listen to our parent’s nag about the amount of electricity being wasted, bad habits still continued to develop. Energy wasting habits can be eradicated by following a few simple energy-saving tips. Energy-saving at home, right at the main source, is the best way to begin using less energy as a society or finding alternative routes.
1. Lights On
One of the most common habits that people develop, which is a terrible waste of energy, is leaving all of the lights on throughout the home. As you walk from room to room, it is easy to flip the switch and forget to flip it back or leave it on purpose with the intent of going back into the room. This habit is also the easiest to fix with either being more aware of what you’ve turned on or through the use of a smart home system that helps you keep track.
2. Incandescent Bulbs
The use of regular incandescent light bulbs has been a habit of most households for ages, but there are now more efficient bulbs. Though energy saving bulbs can be more expensive than an incandescent bulb, which only perpetuates the excuse for their use, the only way to cut the habit is to purchase Energy Star certified bulbs. The higher cost upfront will pay for itself in the long run.
3. Browsing for Food
Though it doesn’t seem like much, taking a peek into your fridge when you’re feeling puckish adds up at the end of the month or the year as a whole. A couple of seconds that it takes to look through the fridge in search of something that may or may not be there, forces the appliance to work harder to cool your food and keep it fresh. Therefore, go to the fridge only with a purpose, when you know what you’d like and minimize the amount of time it remains open.
4. Washing Clothes
We’ve gotten accustomed to washing out clothes in hot water under the impression that it would make them cleaner. Nowadays, washing machines have become remarkably more efficient than their older counterparts and are quite capable of cleaning clothes in colder water. Switch your setting to a colder one every time you wash your clothes in order to cut your energy consumption by around half.
You might also like: Amazon Smart Plug, works with Alexa
5. Air Filter Changes
Forgetting to change the air filter is a bad habit that can lead to wasting energy and overtaxing your furnace. They may seem insignificant, usually an afterthought, but when a filter becomes clogged, it forces the furnace to work harder to pull in air. It’s best to fix this habit by giving yourself a reminder at least every three months to change the filter to a new one.
6. Plugged in Appliances
The bad habit of leaving all of your appliances plugged in is easy to get into. Some appliances like the fridge or the washing machine are not ones that you would unplug, but there are some that when they are not in use can be taken out of the power outlet. This can be an easy fix with the use of a power strip that can be turned off or the use of smart home technology where you can turn the outlet off with the press of a couple of buttons to energy saving at home.
7. Charging Devices
Devices that need to be charged, such as a cell phone or computer, do not need to remain plugged into the power source. They cannot be charged beyond 100%, obviously, and should be unplugged so that they do not drain more power than is necessary.
8. Fans
A fan can come in handy on hot summer days when your air conditioner is having trouble keeping up with cooling your home, but it can also be a real energy drain. If you use fans at any time throughout the year, it is best to keep the rule of thumb of only using them when you are in that room. There is no benefit to running a fan in a room you will not be sitting in, instead, it will only consume more energy.
9. Middle of the Day Watering
Watering a lawn can time consuming and, understandably, someone may want to install a sprinkler system, but there is one main thing to keep in mind when you use it: the time of day. It is best to water the lawn during the time of day that is most cool such as first thing in the morning or late in the evening. Watering your garden in the middle of the day, not only does it waste the water that evaporates during the hottest time, but also the energy that it took to get the sprinklers running to energy saving at home.
10. Long-Term Contracts
A long-term contract gets you into the habit of knowing that there is an unlimited amount of electricity at your disposal without accounting for its usage or end cost. Instead of using a month to month long-term contract, there are companies out there that offer a prepaid electricity plan. This type of plan allows you to pay upfront the amount of electricity you are going to use throughout the month, forcing you to budget a little closer.
