Tips for Saving Energy in Your Home
Keeping up with upgrades and maintenance of your home energy system can make your bills more manageable and your property safer. In this blog, we’ll offer several tips and recommend products that can help you learn how to save energy and money. These energy saving solutions may seem like small tweaks, but the small changes often add up to the biggest savings over time because they save you money year after year.
Upgrade to ENERGY STAR Appliances
Make sure every appliance in your house has an ENERGY STAR logo. If it doesn’t, that’s a sign that you should upgrade to one that does. ENERGY STAR is an unbiased, government-backed symbol that signifies a product has been engineered for energy efficiency. The Environmental Protection Agency ensures that every product that bears the symbol uses energy responsibly, which means savings for you.
Get a Programmable Thermostat
Every person has a different schedule for their energy use, but no one should be wasting money on heating and cooling areas that aren’t being used. You can set these thermostats to kick on the heat or air conditioner just before you wake up and to wind down just as you’re going to bed. They don’t shut off completely, but they don’t keep your heat and cooling at peak levels when you’re not using them.
Harness the Power of the Sun
The sun pouring through your windows has a bigger effect on the temperature than you might imagine, so learn how to use sunlight to your advantage as an easy energy saving solution. In the summer, use shades and curtains that will block those hot rays. In the winter, use the sun’s heat so you can save on energy costs by using sheer curtains or making sure to open them and let that sun in each morning. You may need more specialized window treatments for certain areas of your home if the heat from the sun is too much in one place.
See the Light
One instant energy-saving upgrade we often recommend is the replacement of old light bulbs with a new energy-saving lighting system. This doesn’t have to be a huge project. Switching your light bulbs to ENERGY STAR bulbs will save you hundreds of dollars over the years — especially in areas where you use lights daily.
Make Turning Off Easy
Use power strips in areas where you use multiple appliances. When you are done using that area, flip the switch on the power strip, which basically unplugs several appliances at once. Appliances use some trace amounts of energy when they are plugged in, even when they are not in use. By using a power strip and unplugging appliances that aren’t in use, you save tiny bits of energy that add up to big savings when you make turning off a habit.
Maintain Your Heating and Cooling Systems
Most repairs of electrical equipment could have been prevented by keeping up with cleaning. Over time, things like dust and other signs of life build where they shouldn’t be and begin to cause a problem. Even if the system still works, it’s probably not functioning at peak efficiency. If you get these things soon enough, you can fix them and save on energy, but you can prevent them altogether by having scheduled maintenance checkups so your systems are cleaned and checked regularly without you having to think about it.
Scan Your Water Heating System
Water heaters are one of the most usual suspects for wasting energy. Most people overuse energy by setting the water temperature too high, but this is one of the easiest solutions to save energy. Not only are you wasting energy every single day to heat the water hotter than you need, but every time you need hot water, you are wasting water as you get it to the temperature that you do need. This is a huge opportunity for energy savings.
Get An Energy Performance Check of Your Home
You can hire an energy expert to evaluate your entire home for places where you could improve energy efficiency. These experts have tools and processes that can spot the places where you waste power. As energy prices continue to climb, this option is becoming more popular. These professionals can often find the energy leaks that still remain after homeowners have done all they can to ensure energy efficiency in the usual ways.
Call Afton Electric for Energy-Saving Upgrades
If you are looking for a professional electrician to do a project for you or to help with some of these energy-saving procedures, give us a call. Afton Electric specializes in residential and commercial electric work, including custom electrical projects, home automation, new construction, and commercial electrical installation in New Braunfels and Comal County. Call us today for an estimate on your electrical project.