Reducing your power usage not only lessens your impact on the environment but can also save you big dollars. With the cost of gas and electricity escalating each year, you may appreciate some of these money saving tips:
1 When not in use, turn off appliances at the power point and unplug them. Even on stand-by, electrical appliances are still using electricity. Do you really need an oven, a microwave and a DVD player to tell you the time? If you are not using them and you have a watch, switch them off!
2 When cooking a meal, double everything in the recipe and make two meals instead. You can then freeze the second meal for a later date. You have used the same amount of gas/electricity (as if you had cooked only one meal) and you have also saved yourself time in the kitchen!
3 When you leave a room, make sure you switch off the lights, heating/cooling and all appliances. It’s an easy habit to get into and can save you money on your electricity bill.
4 Always hang washing on a line or under a veranda or inside on a clothes airer. Clothes driers may be handy but they are an unnecessary waste of power and your money.
5 When your next light globe blows, replace it with an low energy one. The initial outlay may be more but they do last longer than conventional light globes.
6 Avoid using blow heaters. They are very uneconomical and quite inefficient. Split systems have been found to be the most economical heaters/coolers and can maintain the temperature of a room.
7 Check that your door seals are adequate. Cold or hot air coming into your house under or around a door is often easily eliminated by replacing the seals on your doors (you can find them at any hardware store) or by placing a temporary draught excluder or door snake against the gap. You can also reduce your use of heating or cooling by closing doors and just trying to keep one area of your house warm/cool.
8 In hot weather, (unless in a heat wave) don’t leave air conditioners on all night. Check to see if the outside temperature has dropped enough to open the windows and let the fresh air in.
9 Shop around for utilities companies to get the best possible deal. – Brand makes absolutely NO difference in this case.
10 If you own your home and are expecting to remain there for the long term, consider installing solar panels. You will be using free, renewable energy from the sun and you can sell the unused electricity generated by your panels back to the grid. Imagine receiving a cheque in the mail instead of a bill! Admittedly, the original outlay is quite high, but competition amongst providers is starting to increase which could soon bring the cost down. You will need to take into account the amount of time it would take for your investment to pay for itself.
I hope these tips have inspired you to try to save more electricity around the home. For more ideas, check out these 2 ebooks: Save Money and the Planet and Energy Saving House Tips. In my next post I will offer suggestions on how to save water at your place.
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