How To Save Energy In Your Home
Bill Lutz, an electrician with Generation 3 Electric in Philadelphia, shares some simple steps that can be taken to any home by a licensed electrician to save energy.
Install Ceiling Fans
In general, appliances such as air conditioners use much more energy in your home. But fans are much cheaper than air conditioners and will do a good job keeping you cool, so your HVAC system does not have to work hard to do its job.
Unplug Chargers
Cell phone chargers are major vampires of electricity. They continue to suck electricity simply by being plugged into the outlet. They continue to drain quite a bit of power even when phones are not plugged into them, so be sure to unplug your chargers if you are not actively using them to juice up your devices.
Install Motion Sensors
A motion sensor makes sense in many places in your home. It is a good choice for the rooms which you tend to go in and out of frequently rather than stay in for a while. Install motion sensors in your closets, bathrooms and garages. Other great locations for them are places that you just pass through, such as your driveway or the path in your backyard that leads to your shed.
Use a Digital Thermostat
A digital thermostat effectively raises and lowers the temperature when you are not at home. Older twist thermostats must be adjusted all the time and we often forget to do so, therefore, use a digital thermostat. It can lower the temperature during the day when you are at work and start raising the temperature towards the evening when you come home.
Correct Your Power
In air conditioning units, power factor is the ratio of real power to apparent power. That means when you have an old system, more power will be sent to your unit than is needed, and energy is wasted as a result. Power factor correction (by switching inductors and capacitors) can store the electricity that would otherwise be wasted, and the stored power can be used when it is needed. It is relatively easy and cheap, and will save you money in the long run.
Electric Heat Can Be Good
In general, electric space heaters are a huge waste of energy. It is an inefficient way to heat a house by using them, and they also can be a fire hazard. However, a built-in unit such as an electric baseboard heater is a good choice.
If you have a large house and usually stay in one or two rooms (like a living room or an office), it is better to only heat those rooms instead of the entire vacant home. The bathroom is another place where space heaters might come in handy. Though you may like to keep your house slightly chilly to save electricity and money, a space heater can keep your bathroom toasty.
Use a Surge Strip
Unplugging to reduce vampire loads does not just apply to chargers. When possible, keep as many appliances as possible unplugged when they are not in use. The easiest way to do so is to purchase surge strips and keep many appliances plugged into one strip. This way, you can safely and effectively unplug an array of devices with a simple flick of a switch.
But be careful as not all surge strips are equal. We buy quality ones from electricians. The ones in the stores are rated in Joules. Cheap ones are not usually a great way to protect against actual surges, and they are more like fancy outlet splitters than true surge protectors. Turning them off should still cut power to the entire strip.
Install Fluorescent Lights
There are always places such as utility closets and bathrooms that are certainly worth it to install energy-saving bulbs. You can also design your home style around energy-saving lighting rather than more expensive and wasteful halogen and incandescent bulbs.
In America, we often design our homes around warm, yellow and energy-wasting lights. That is why we tend to use brown, maroon and wooden colors in our living rooms. Because our aesthetics are designed around these tones, it seems that in many rooms fluorescent lights dont match well with the decor. However, in Europe, people usually design their interiors around energy-saving fluorescent and their home decor often has starker colors and fabrics to match the lighting better.
Install Ceiling Fans
In general, appliances such as air conditioners use much more energy in your home. But fans are much cheaper than air conditioners and will do a good job keeping you cool, so your HVAC system does not have to work hard to do its job.
Unplug Chargers
Cell phone chargers are major vampires of electricity. They continue to suck electricity simply by being plugged into the outlet. They continue to drain quite a bit of power even when phones are not plugged into them, so be sure to unplug your chargers if you are not actively using them to juice up your devices.
Install Motion Sensors
A motion sensor makes sense in many places in your home. It is a good choice for the rooms which you tend to go in and out of frequently rather than stay in for a while. Install motion sensors in your closets, bathrooms and garages. Other great locations for them are places that you just pass through, such as your driveway or the path in your backyard that leads to your shed.
Use a Digital Thermostat
A digital thermostat effectively raises and lowers the temperature when you are not at home. Older twist thermostats must be adjusted all the time and we often forget to do so, therefore, use a digital thermostat. It can lower the temperature during the day when you are at work and start raising the temperature towards the evening when you come home.
Correct Your Power
In air conditioning units, power factor is the ratio of real power to apparent power. That means when you have an old system, more power will be sent to your unit than is needed, and energy is wasted as a result. Power factor correction (by switching inductors and capacitors) can store the electricity that would otherwise be wasted, and the stored power can be used when it is needed. It is relatively easy and cheap, and will save you money in the long run.
Electric Heat Can Be Good
In general, electric space heaters are a huge waste of energy. It is an inefficient way to heat a house by using them, and they also can be a fire hazard. However, a built-in unit such as an electric baseboard heater is a good choice.
If you have a large house and usually stay in one or two rooms (like a living room or an office), it is better to only heat those rooms instead of the entire vacant home. The bathroom is another place where space heaters might come in handy. Though you may like to keep your house slightly chilly to save electricity and money, a space heater can keep your bathroom toasty.
Use a Surge Strip
Unplugging to reduce vampire loads does not just apply to chargers. When possible, keep as many appliances as possible unplugged when they are not in use. The easiest way to do so is to purchase surge strips and keep many appliances plugged into one strip. This way, you can safely and effectively unplug an array of devices with a simple flick of a switch.
But be careful as not all surge strips are equal. We buy quality ones from electricians. The ones in the stores are rated in Joules. Cheap ones are not usually a great way to protect against actual surges, and they are more like fancy outlet splitters than true surge protectors. Turning them off should still cut power to the entire strip.
Install Fluorescent Lights
There are always places such as utility closets and bathrooms that are certainly worth it to install energy-saving bulbs. You can also design your home style around energy-saving lighting rather than more expensive and wasteful halogen and incandescent bulbs.
In America, we often design our homes around warm, yellow and energy-wasting lights. That is why we tend to use brown, maroon and wooden colors in our living rooms. Because our aesthetics are designed around these tones, it seems that in many rooms fluorescent lights dont match well with the decor. However, in Europe, people usually design their interiors around energy-saving fluorescent and their home decor often has starker colors and fabrics to match the lighting better.
Source...