The shorter Washington days mean home owners will be forced to keep lights longer, using more energy (natural gas or electric) to heat their home and probably spend more time using electronics like TVs, DVD players and personal computers.
According to EnergyHog.org home owners “can save 10-50% on your home energy bills by making some energy smart improvements to your home”. That can be a dramatic savings considering the average home owner with spend almost $2,100 in annual energy costs. By using energy efficient techniques the average home owner can save anywhere from $17.50 to $87.50 per month.
As we approach the holidays saving money is going to be increasingly more difficult and what better what to put some money back in your pocket while be environmentally friendly.
Energy Save Tips
Idle Electronics: Even though electronic are turned off or in sleep mode they still consume electricity. Simply unplugging electronic can help save people, nationally, 3 billion annual in energy costs. Before you go to bed take a short walk through the house and unplug the TV, DVD player, tuners and amps, VCRs and PCs.
Leaky Faucets: Leaky facets drive up home owners water costs all the time. A typical faucet can leak over a 5 gallons of water per day. The culprit is usually a worn out o-ring in the faucet head which costs a few cents at Home Depot and sometimes a facet replacement is required.
In addition, install water efficient shower heads throughout the home. In Snohomish County 2+ bathrooms are common and with a family of 4 taking daily showers the consumption of water can dramatically increase through the winter (which has to be heated by natural gas or electricity).
Lighting: How many times have we heard to turn the lights off when you leave the room? More times than I can recall from my parents but that old saying can save a lot of money. But go one step further add energy efficient light bulbs because “95% is lost as heat, while only 5% of the energy creates light”. Installing CFL, Compact Fluorescent Lamps, will cost a little more up front but will last 7 years and “save more than $60 every year in energy costs”.
This winter save some money by making your home more energy efficient while not freezing yourself out by turning down the heat.
Energy Saving Links
– EnergyHog.org
– The Energy Blog
– Going Green
– Kalamazoo Nature Center
2 Comments
The last tip is most power saving ) If earlier the light was on in every room now we try to turn off the lights when not needed. The result is really impressing.
Yea, definetly turn lights off in rooms you are not in. I find myself now making sure idle electronics at my house are turned off; computer, tv, stereo etc.