15 Ways to Conserve Energy in Our Home

Energy bills can take up at least 30 percent of your monthly budget. So any move you make to save and conserve energy will put more money in your pocket. With these simple tips and tricks, you can reduce the money you pay your utility providers and invest the savings.

1. Lower Your Heater’s Thermostat

In every home, the heater consumes a large amount of energy daily. So use a timer to switch off your heater when you leave for work or when you travel. Then reduce the setting on your thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. You can save a minimum of $12 annually when you reduce the temperature by just 10 degrees.

2. Use Smart Power Strips

Home electronics can easily become silent energy wasters. When they are no longer in use or when their batteries are fully charged, they go into standby mode and keep consuming energy. So plug them into a smart power strip that will cut off the power when they are not in use.

3. Change those Colors

Yes, you can save energy by changing the exterior colors of your home. Let your roof, exterior walls, front door and garage door reflect heat for you. Opt for those bright and attractive colors, especially if you live a hot climate.

4. Invest in Extra Insulation

Add more insulation to your heating ducts. In many houses, about 25% of the air that is flowing through these ducts gets lost because of leaks. If you have an old water heater, add more insulation to it so it does not lose the heat you pay so much for each month.

5. Change Your Light Bulbs

Are you still using those incandescent light bulbs? I believe you’d have thrown those energy leeches into the waste bin. But if you still have them in any of your lighting fixtures, replace them immediately with LED or CFL bulbs to reduce energy consumption by 75 percent.

6. Install a Programmable Thermostat

These intelligent devices will reduce the money spent on heating each year. Install one on your water heater and another on your central heating system. Some programmable thermostats with sensors that help to automatically reduce the temperature when you are not at home. Lowering the temperature by 15 degrees can offer a 5 to 15 percent savings annually.

7. Seal All Air Leaks

If you move near your door or window when it is windy and you hear a hissing sound of air, you need to act fast. Sealing up those little air leaks around your doors, windows and in your attic can lead to a 30 percent savings in energy costs.

8. Clean Your Furnace Filters

Filters in your furnace help prevent sooth and smoke from polluting the air in your home. But these filters tend to get very dirty and eventually get blocked each month. Cleaning or replacing them at least once in three months will improve air flow and save energy.

9. Air-dry Your Clothes

During summer, you don’t need to use your clothes dryer. After you wash your clothes, take them out and spread them on a clothes line outdoors. Even if you do your laundry in the night, you can still do the drying the next morning. Save energy and enjoy the pleasant aroma of sun-dried clothing.

10. Wrap Insulation around Water Pipes

If you insulate the water pipes that take hot water to your faucets, you can increase the temperature of the water by up to 4 degrees. This in turn allows you to lower the temperature setting on your heater and save more energy.

11. Set Your Desktop or Laptop to Hibernate

Instead of allowing a fancy screen saver to show up on your monitor, just set the computer to sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity. You can save at least $30 each year with this simple trick.

12. Clear the Surroundings of Your HVAC

Don’t allow any appliances to obstruct the flow of air around your unit. As much as possible, move your TV, sound speakers, computers, lamps and any other appliance that generates heat away from your HVAC. This will raise its efficiency and save you money.

13. Use Low-flow Shower Heads

Conventional shower heads pump out about 2.5 gallons of water per minute. Unfortunately, most of that water is wasted. Reduce the cost of your water by installing a low-flow shower head.

14. Wash a Full Load

Only use your dishwasher or washing machine when you have a full load of dishes or clothes to wash. These devices use a great deal of energy so optimize them by providing a full load of work for them to do.

15. Replace Old Appliances

Go for Energy-Star certified devices. They are energy-efficient and they comply with both national and international standards for safety and energy savings. The savings you’ll be gaining monthly will eventually make up for the cost of replacing those old appliances.

How do you make an effort to conserve energy in your home? Please share you tips and idea on how to conserve energy in the comment section below.

About the author

Marla

Website

Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog! I believe in living green, organically, and natural in every aspect of our lives. My mission is to help educate you on how to live green, help save our environment and to help you and your family live a happier, healthier life!