How to Conserve Energy in the Home

With the cost of just about everything going up these days it is becoming more and more important to find ways to reduce expenses where ever we can. One way is to cut unnecessary costs on your energy bills. Making some small changes around the house can add up to big savings.

The following are some easy ways to save on your energy bills without breaking the bank or hiring a handyman.

Small Adjustments Can Mean Big Savings

For most of us, making a slight adjustment to the temperature settings in our homes is not really a hardship. By reducing the temperature a few degrees in the winter or bumping it up a little in the summer can add up to healthy savings.

During the summer months try using ceiling fans and portable fans to circulate air from cooler rooms to those that are typically warmer. Close off rooms that are not used and shut vents to reduce the amount that your environmental system has to work.

Remember that for every degree you raise the thermostat in summer, you can decrease the cost of cooling your home by 5 to 10 percent.

Let The Sun Shine In

A great way to reduce heating costs in the winter is to open curtains and blinds on the sunny side of your home. This will make use of the sun’s warming rays to heat your home and reduce your need for lighting as well. On the flip side, leave curtains and blinds closed on windows that do not get direct sunlight during cold weather to retain heat in those rooms. In the summer, keep blinds and curtains closed on windows that receive direct sunlight to keep the temperature down.

Drafty Rooms Can Cost You

A simple way to reduce heating and air conditioning costs is to weatherize your home. Caulking or adding weather stripping to windows and applying draft barriers to external doors are simple and inexpensive methods of weatherizing that can reduce your energy bills. Be sure to add a shoe to the bottom of any exterior doors that do not fit properly. An enormous amount of air can slip in under exterior doors. Door shoes can be purchased for just a few dollars at any home improvement store.

Turn Out The Lights

While this seems like a simple thing, around 10 percent of the average electric bill for most homes is spent on lighting! As your parents always said, “Turn off the light when you leave the room!” It is a very simple thing and can save you a few dollars each month.

Change Can Be Good When It Comes To Light Bulbs

Along with shutting off the lights when you leave the room, switching over to the new compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) can actually save you quite a bit on your electric bill. They use on average around 25 percent of the electricity required by an incandescent bulb and offer crisp clean lighting. They also last several years rather than several months.

Passive Electronics – Are They Really Off?

Many people do not realize that even when they have turned electronics such as TV’s and stereos ‘off,’ they are not truly off, but are in standby mode. This means that even though you are not using them they are still consuming electricity. To save yourself those extra dollars each month, put all of your electronics on power strips with on/off switches and when you are not using them, shut off the power strip. This will save you money and protect your electronics thanks to the surge protection built into the strip.

Tracey Roper is a content contributor for Floor Warmers, an electric underfloor heating company based in the UK

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One Response to “How to Conserve Energy in the Home”

1. Patricia Gill says:

   March 21, 2012 at 3:50 am

   That’s a good list of ways to conserve energy. Opening the windows and letting the sun light in instead of turning on the lights is one of the things I always do. It makes me feel more comfortable to see the sunshine coming through my window.

   Reply