According to Energy Star, the average household spends just over $2000 a year on energy costs. Here, we offer 15 ways to lower energy costs in your household.
1. Check and Replace Seals
Seals are used throughout your home to save energy. When seals become old, energy is wasted as warm and/or cold air escapes. Replacing seals on doors, windows, fridges, and freezers helps reduce energy waste.
2. Seal Up Leaky Ducts
Look for broken seals on the exposed HVAC ducts in your home. When ducts are not properly sealed, it wastes energy. Hot and cold air can leak through small openings in ducts as it travels from your HVAC system to the rooms in your home. By simply ensuring your ducts are sealed properly with energy-efficient duct tape, you can prevent leaks and ensure the air maintains its temperature through your duct system.
3. Readjust Your Thermostat
When you aren’t home or sleeping, adjust your thermostat by 10 to 15 degrees. This can save as much as 10% on your energy bill. A good way to manage home comfort levels is to install a programmable thermostat so the adjustments are made automatically. A smart thermostat is even better as it allows you to manage home comfort levels even when you are away.
4. Set Ideal Temperatures for Your Fridge
Another big energy guzzler is your fridge and/or freezer. By setting them to the ideal temperature of 38 for the fridge and 0 to 5 degrees for the freezer you reduce energy while keeping food safe.
5. Shorten Shower Time
It’s nice to relax in a long, hot shower, but if you can cut just two minutes from your shower time you save five gallons of water. You not only reduce your water bill, but also your energy bill as it doesn’t have to work as hard to replace all that wasted hot water. You can also replace your showerhead with a WaterSense certified fixture to ease the flow.
6. Use Cold Water for Laundry
You don’t need hot water to wash your clothes. Use the cold or warm setting and you can reduce energy use by as much as half per load.
7. Fix Dripping Faucets
If the constant dripping sound isn’t enough to encourage you to fix leaky faucets, perhaps knowing it wastes gallons of water will. Fix the leak and save money.
8. Ideal Water Temperature
Another energy waster is keeping your water heater set at an unnecessary 140 degrees. While this tends to be the default level, you can keep water at the ideal temperature of 120 degrees and save as much as 10% on energy costs to heat water. If you’ll be away, reset the heater to the lowest setting so you can save energy while you’re gone.
9. Choose Energy Star Appliances
When buying new appliances, always choose Energy Star products. They are designed to save energy and water. You can save as much as 35% in energy use, with the benefit of producing less greenhouse gas emissions.
10. Seek Rate Discounts
Speak to your utility provider to find the best times of day to pay the lowest rates. Many offer discounts from 5% to 25% when you choose off-peak times to tackle energy-draining jobs like laundry or baking.
11. Use LED Light Bulbs
Although you might avoid LED light bulbs at the hardware store due to price, they save you money in the long run. First, they last much longer than traditional bulbs. Second, they can save you as much as $75 per year on electricity.
12. Use Dimmer Switches
Dimmer switches allow you to save electricity while also adjusting brightness based on your need.
13. Plug Into Power Strips
Smart power strips allow you to easily turn off the power, not just the switch on your electronics. Most people don’t realize that even when turned off things such as computers and televisions continue to drain small amounts of power from outlets. With a smart power strip, you can switch off the power completely so the draining stops.
14. Consider An Energy Audit
Speak to your utility provider to see if they offer home energy audits. Many offer audits at little to no cost and provide valuable input on how you can become more energy efficient.
15. Replace Old HVACs and Water Heaters
If your HVAC and/or water heater are over 10 years old, replacing them with Energy Star appliances will provide efficient hot water and comfortable temperatures while saving you money.
If you would like to learn more about energy-saving HVAC and water heaters speak to your London, KY experts at Kentucky Climate Control today.
