Did someone say reduce energy use at home? Reducing energy consumption starts and ends with you, whether it’s in the restaurant you own or in your very own home. We gathered information from our energy management experts on how to reduce energy consumption in your humble abode.

Smart Outlets

Turning lights on and off is simple with a switch right? If that were the case, you wouldn’t vividly recall your father yelling at you from inside to turn off the lights when you leave. A standard incandescent bulb costs about .75 cents every hour its left on, LED and CFL is about ⅙ of that. Considering most people have switched to LEDs the cost isn’t that bad right? Well, that’s one bulb, you have multiple in your house, and if you have kids you know, they are being left on often when they are not home. The impressive part about these switches is they let you turn anything on and off that is plugged into this outlet, not just lamps. I especially found great use when I don’t have to turn around on my way to work to see if I left my curling iron on!

Regular Maintenance of Your HVAC

This particular pertains to that 30-day filter change standard. Not only will changing the filter every 30 days keep the air clean but this will help your unit run much more efficiently. Clogged filters lead to less air intake and your unit running longer and harder than it needs to. All are resulting in more significant amounts of energy consumed. Also, make sure you have your local A/C guy maintain your unit regularly, this will help elongate the life of the A/C and ensure it runs more efficiently.

Programmable Thermostats

These bad boys are great for every occasion; they will help keep a schedule for you without you having to worry about if you turned the air up before you left for work. An excellent add-on with these is that most of them have the filter change setting that will alert you when it’s time to change your air filter again. You can also set home/away/ and vacation times on these, allowing you to focus on the more essential things in life like your kids and how to get them to keep that darn door closed during the summer.

Out with the OLD in with the NEW

If you can, switching out old light bulbs is a good start. It may seem costly at first but in the long run is the more efficient bulb. While incandescents are cheaper, they don’t last as long as LED’s and 90% of their energy used is given off as heat! LEDS’ last 8-25 times longer than a standard incandescent light bulb. Switching this little thing can save you anywhere from 25%-80% compared to their energy-hungry counterpart. While you’re at it switching out old appliances with energy star rated appliances ensures you have the most efficient equipment that you use daily.

It’s Gettin’ Hot in HERE!

Check that temperature on that water heater! Chances are you always use the cold to offset how hot the water is, so you are wasting all that money heating the water to a temperature you don’t even use. An even better suggestion is to add a timer to the water heater so it isn’t running 24/7. Limiting the amount of things that require human interaction to reduce energy use is a sure key to success. 

Energy Suckers

Be aware of “always on” loads like Audio Visual and TV equipment, charges, anything that can go into “standby” mode. These are often referred to as the culprits of “Vampire Power”. A typical home has around 40 products  that are constantly drawing power. That can add up to 10% of your energy consumption, checking these little things can reduce energy use little by little. 

I’m Just a Bill, Yes I’m Only a Bill

Make sure you know how your utility plan works.  For example, time-of-use plans charge premiums for peak periods throughout the day. So do dishes, laundry, run pool pumps outside of the peak hours. Doing this will help you avoid those expensive peak charges and keep your home running smoothly and works hand in hand with your goal to reduce energy use. 

It’s the little changes that always add up. Making these small adjustments now may seem like a pain now and some of them more costly than others, in the end the payback in your pocket and for the environment will be worthwhile.

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