May 20, 2012

How to Save Money on Electricity


Sick of paying super high electricity bills? Saving money on electricity is becoming increasingly difficult given rising energy costs. Here’s how you can save money on electricity around your home or office and reduce your carbon footprint.

Kitchens

Kitchen appliances often use a lot of electricity. One of the key ways to save electricity is to upgrade your appliances to those with better energy-star ratings. This includes refrigerators, ovens, microwaves and dishwashers.

When you’re cooking at home, also make sure you use the correct-sized pans with larger burners, rather than smaller burners with the heat turned up higher. Other things you can do include defrosting your freezer regularly and using the dishwasher only when necessary.

Living Areas & Bedrooms

Living areas and bedrooms will use most electricity via electrical appliances like televisions and lights.

Switch off or unplug your electrical appliances when they’re not in use, especially the television – never leave it running when you’re not in the room. Leaving your TV on standby means it’s also using electricity, which you will need to pay for, so consider turning it off at the powerpoint altogether.

It’s also a cost saver  to replace your incandescent light bulbs with LED or fluorescent bulbs, which will create the same amount of light but use much less energy. Also remember to turn off lights when you’re not in the room.

Air Conditioning & Heating

Air conditioners and heaters use substantial amounts of electricity, particularly when used non-stop. Consider dressing cooler in summer and warmer in winter when around the house to reduce the need for these appliances.  In summer you could replace your air conditioner with ceiling fans where possible. In winter, to preserve heat, you could consider insulating your home or installing double-glazed windows. Remember to keep the doors shut of any room not being heated or cooled and keep curtains and blinds closed too, since much heat can be lost through windows.

Bathrooms & Laundries

One of the best ways to reduce your electricity bills is to install a solar hot water system for use in your bathroom and laundry (and also in the kitchen). Solar hot water systems use only 75% of the energy from regular heating systems and also reduce your carbon footprint dramatically.

Lights and electric fans should also be turned off when you’re not in the laundry or the bathroom.  When it comes to laundry, only use your washing machine when you’ve got a full load. If it’s a warm day, dry your clothes outside instead of in the dryer.

Outdoors

You may not realise it, but you could also be using a lot of electricity outside of your home. If you’ve got a pool, your filter pump will contribute to your electricity costs, so run the filter only when necessary or even just once every few days. You can also limit the amount of debris in your pool by using a pool cover.

If you have a heated pool, consider getting rid of your heater and replacing it with solar heating instead. This uses renewable energy from the sun and also eliminates the need for an additional electricity cost.

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1 comment:

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

Good suggestions, not only for economy, but also for sustainability and green living.

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