Ways to Reduce Energy Use in Your Home

Reducing energy use offers quite a few benefits, like saving you money and decreasing your carbon footprint. By using less energy in your home, you reduce the amount of waste produced by power plants. Power plants use fossil fuels to generate electricity, which releases greenhouse gases and other harmful emissions in the process.

Here are a few things to do to reduce energy use:

LED lighting requires less power (wattage) to provide the same amount of light as equivalent incandescent and fluorescent lighting. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, residential LED products “use at least 75 [percent] less energy, and last 25 times longer, than incandescent lighting.”

Shut off the lights when you leave a room or no longer need them. Open blinds or curtains to let in natural sunlight whenever possible. In cool temperatures, sunlight can help keep a room warmer without having to turn the thermostat as high.

Electronics like televisions, printers, gaming consoles, and other similar devices can still consume energy when turned off or not in use. This standby power, or phantom load, wastes energy and increases your energy bill. To reduce this unnecessary energy use, unplug these devices when you’re not using them.

Alternatively, use an advanced power strip. Advanced power strips cut off power to the devices when not in use so they don’t continue to drain power. They can remain conveniently plugged in while also saving money and energy.

Energy efficient appliances, like those with an Energy Star rating, require less energy to perform the same task as their traditional counterpart. Energy Star labeled products help reduce energy waste and inefficiencies which helps save money and reduces the overall amount of energy required to operate them.

Energy Star rated products must meet strict energy efficient criteria set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in order to earn the Energy Star label. To qualify, products must follow guidelines, including:

• Product provides similar performance, features, and quality with increased energy savings compared to non-energy efficient products
• If the energy-efficient product costs more than the non-energy efficient product, the energy-efficient product must make up that additional cost with savings on utility bills
• The energy efficient technology used must be broadly available, non-proprietary technologies offered by multiple manufacturers

For more information, visit Energy Star’s website.

Control your heating and cooling system with a programmable or Smart thermostat. These thermostats allow you to set a comfortable temperature during the hours you are home and a more energy efficient temperature while away. Smart thermostats even allow you to control the temperature while you’re out!

During warmer months, increase the temperature a few degrees while at work or school to save energy. During the cooler months, you can lower it to save energy.

The filter catches dust and debris in the air. A dirty filter means the system has to work harder to push air through. Changing filters out regularly keeps an HVAC system running efficiently. Regularly clean or replace filters every 30-60 days. If you live in a bigger city, check on them more often.

Looking for a new thermostat? Discover programmable and Smart thermostats as well as LED light options available at HomElectrical! Shop thermostats, LED lighting, quality HVAC equipment, and more.