The average U.S. household spends more than $2,000 on utility bills. Some of the biggest contributors include air conditioning, heating, and water heating.
Appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, and clothes washers can also contribute to high monthly charges. The same goes for lighting and electronics.
Don’t worry, though—there are several things that you can do to save electricity and money. In fact, that’s what we’ll be going over below.
For those who are interested, be sure to read the rest of the post!
1. Use Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs
Incandescent lights are highly inefficient. For one thing, 90% of the energy that they consume is lost as heat.
Given that, it’s best to switch to LEDs. If anything, it’s one of the easiest ways to save electricity. Not only do they use 75% less energy than traditional light bulbs, but they’re also much more efficient (80% of their consumed energy is used to produce light as opposed to the 10% of traditional bulbs).
Plus, they have long lifespans. Generally speaking, they can last anywhere from 5 to 20 years (25,000 to 50,000 hours). Incandescent light bulbs, on the other hand, typically only last about 1,000 hours.
2. Use Solar Energy
Consider hiring a solar company for solar panel installation—that’ll allow you to turn your house into a mini power plant. You’ll be able to generate electricity directly from the sun, which will significantly reduce your electric bills.
For example, a 6 kW solar panel system can save you about $1,500 a year. Multiply that by 25-30 years (the average lifespan of a solar panel) and you’ll be saving tens of thousands of dollars.
The only drawback is that the initial installation costs can be high. Depending on where you live, it can cost around $17,000. After a few years (aka the ‘payback period’), however, the system will eventually pay for itself.
3. Change the Way You Do Laundry
Wash your clothes with cold water whenever possible—that’ll cut the energy use in half. Also, make a habit of washing full loads. After all, the machine will use the same amount of energy no matter how many items you’re washing.
And avoid using the dryer. If anything, it’s one of the biggest energy hogs in the house with an average energy consumption of 2,000 to 6,000 watts. Allow your clothes to air dry instead. For example, you can hang them outside on a clothesline or use a drying rack.
If you must use the dryer, make sure to clean the lint filter regularly (your dryer will have to work harder if it’s clogged with lint).
How to Save Electricity At Home
And there you have it—three tips and tricks on how to save electricity at home. As you can see, there’s more than one thing that you can do to lower your utility bills. If anything, you just need to be proactive about it!
Looking for more content like this? Then be sure to check out some of the other posts in our environment section!
