When using appliances, 30 percent of energy on average can be lost. Conserving this energy could save you hundreds of dollars each year and contribute to lower pollution through energy production and over exploitation of natural energy resources. It may be a little expensive to have a fully green powered home, but saving on energy will help save in your wallet and the planet.
Here are a few practical ways to save energy at home
· Dress for the climate
Wear clothing that is appropriate to the weather. Warm clothing during winter means that can turn down the heater while during the summer wearing light clothing enables you to adjust the thermostat a little higher. This keeps the units from working hard and from constantly coming on and going off.
· Zone your heating and cooling systems
Central air conditioning units tend to cool or warm the whole house regardless of whether there is anyone in the rooms or not. However, you can create zones by adding a few devices to your system so that you are able to turn off the AC when a particular room is unoccupied.
· Stop energy waste with standby power
Chargers and other electrical devices still use energy when they are switched off even when still plugged to a socket that is still on. Such devices can use up to 10% of the electricity bill. You can switch off devices at the socket when you are not using them or purchase a standby power controller. This ensures that no device uses power when it is not powered on.
· Insulate
You can prevent heat or cold from escaping the room when it is properly conditioned and insulated. Make sure that there are no cracks in the ceiling, door joints and windowpanes where the air could leak out. Good insulation should be rated R3.5 or higher especially for the ceilings.
In the same line, shut doors and windowpanes when you are conditioning the indoor air. Your A/C works harder when some of the indoor air leaks out and is replaced by the outside air.
Check on the energy star rating on electronics
The energy star rating is a graph that shows the energy rating of a particular appliance. The more the stars in the rating, the higher the efficiency of the appliance in question. As for the washing machines, the front loaders are more efficient than the top loaders.
· Save on water heating
You will use about 15-20% of the energy in heating water. However, you will rarely need to use very hot water. Turn down the water heater temperature setting to warm (about 120°F) to save on energy. This also protects you from the risk of faucet scalding.
These tips should help you conserve energy as well as save a few bucks here and there.