No matter if you want to decrease your carbon footprint or to save some money on your electricity bills, there definitely are ways to reduce your household’s energy use. Just a few small adjustments will be more than enough to make a positive impact and reduce the amount of energy your household consumes on a daily basis, so keep on reading to learn how to accomplish that. Check them out, switch up your habits a little bit, and you’ll make that happen!
Buy appliances with a good energy rating and unplug them when they aren’t in use
The first and one of the best ways to reduce energy use in your household is to buy appliances with a good energy rating. You should look for the Energy Star label on appliances like ovens, refrigerators, freezers, laptops, printers, scanners, and desktop computers, as it indicates that such appliances are energy-efficient. The more stars, the better, but you should know that bigger appliances usually consume much more energy than smaller ones. Besides that, you should also unplug your TV, computer, microwave, and even some washing machines when you aren’t using them, as they often have a ‘standby’ mode that allows them to use energy when they aren’t in use.
Switch from the conventional light bulbs to LED bulbs
Even though LED light bulbs are usually a bit more expensive than their conventional incandescent counterparts, the truth is that they are actually extremely cost-effective. In fact, these are said to use up to 75% less energy than the ordinary bulbs, which makes them more than desirable in any home. What’s particularly great about LED bulbs is that they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and light levels, and that they can be found literally anywhere –from your local hardware to home improvement stores.
Don’t forget to shade your windows, too
Shading your windows is another effective way that can help you reduce your household’s energy use. You should definitely go for quality window awnings that are really stylish yet multifunctional at the same time. These are external blinds that will keep the sun off the glass and reduce the heat far more effective than internal blinds. Window awnings can actually reduce entry of solar energy by up to 80%, which is particularly useful during summer, when the majority of people love to turn on their air conditioner in order to cool the area and therefore add hundreds of dollars to their electricity bills. On the other hand, awnings will help to keep the heat in during the colder months, which is another amazing benefit that mustn’t be overlooked either!
Use power strips for multiple gadgets
Using a power strip is a good way to reduce your plug load, and it’s actually quite beneficial when you want to avoid paying for ‘vampire power’ – power used by the appliances on their ‘standby’ mode. Power strips are quite useful in this case, as they allow you to turn off all devices at once by flipping the switch on them. This has the same effect as unplugging each socket from the wall, but it actually saves you more time and money. This is especially true if you have too many appliances to unplug on a daily basis, as you’re highly likely to skip at least one of them which will eventually result in a higher electricity bill.
Make sure that your home is properly insulated
Last but not least, a properly insulated home will reduce the amount of energy required to heat or cool the area, which is exactly what makes it so important. First of all, you should check the insulation around your house – especially in the attic. Be sure to add more insulation to your roof, ceiling, or basement if necessary, as this is the most essential step towards making your home as energy-efficient as possible. If it isn’t well-insulated, it will lose heat in winter and trap more heat during summer. If you notice that, you should fix your insulation ASAP!
There are a lot of fantastic ways to reduce energy use in your household and save more money that way, and these five are unquestionably the best of them. All you have to do is to stick to our tips and you’ll make that happen, without a shadow of a doubt!