48 Words: 9 Ways to Save on Electricity used within the Home

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You open the ominous envelope hiding that dreaded document – your electric bill. You nearly faint upon spying its total, wondering if you accidentally received the bill for a small country instead of your home. Unfortunately it is indeed yours. With newfound determination, you promise to find and lower the source of these astronomical charges. You may very well be able to do, for you can use a lot of electricity in the house without even realizing it. Sometimes a change will make a large difference, and sometimes it will make a small difference, but these can add up over time. The following are some simple steps you can take in order to save electricity in your home.
1. Update your appliances
Many older appliances gobble up far more electricity than you realize. For a lot of these items, you can actually have the new item pay for itself in a span of time just by the savings in electricity. The new ones will often list the electricity they use, and you can calculate your savings yourself. Items that you will often save on include large appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators. You should look into the usage and cost if you have an older machine and compare it to what the newer machines would cost. A lot of times these savings will be significant.
2. Turn off your air conditioner or heater
No, this is not an instruction to submit to heat stroke of hypothermia for the sake of money, however oftentimes we use our heater and air conditioner when there may be other options. If it is nice outside, you might want to turn off the air conditioner and open the windows instead. If it is cold outside, perhaps you can lower the heater by putting on your fireplace or bundling up a little more. Sometimes you can even get used to the temperature being a little cooler or warmer.
Also, a significant savings can be realized by lowering the heater and air conditioner when you are not home. Some people go out and leave their air conditioner on all day. You may want to leave it on a little for pets or the like, but you may be able to have it working much less. The same goes for the heater on a cold day. You may be able to save a lot of money and not even notice the difference since you will turn it back to what it is supposed to be as soon as you get home.
3. Turn off lights when you are not in the room
A lot of people leave on lights even when they are not in the room. In many houses, you will find half the lights on at any given time. You may want to make it a habit that you turn a light off when you leave the room. You may also want to invest in a motion sensor system that turns the lights on and off automatically when you enter and leave.
4. Turn off items when not in use
How many of us leave our television on, an invisible audience its only watchers? Or leave the radio going with no listeners? Many of us have a habit of leaving things on because we don’t want to spend the time or the effort to turn them off. That is a waste of energy and the money you pay to produce it. When you are not using it, turn it off. You can always turn it back on.
5. Unplug
You also might want to unplug items when they are not in use because just keeping them plugged in may end up zapping electricity. Unplugging something takes very little time, and yet it can save energy and money. It is an easy step that can make a difference over time.
6. Lower laundry electricity bills
Laundry can use up a great deal of electricity. Every time you run the washing machine and dryer, you spend money. There are different ways that you can save money on this (in addition to the aforementioned updating appliance tip). First, as much as possible, make sure that you run your loads so that they are full. You use less energy to run one big load than three separate smaller loads. Also, if you only have a few items, then you might want to consider hand washing. You can also consider hanging your items, which obviously uses up no electricity, instead of drying them. This will work especially well if you do not have a lot of clothes.
7. Lower dishwashing bills
The dishwasher uses a great deal of energy. Use it wisely. Try to run it full as much as possible. If you have just a few dishes, then you might want to consider hand washing them. Both of these things can save you money.
8. Turn off items when you go to sleep
Turn off items at night such as your computer. Why should it be using electricity all night long while you are sleeping? Before you go to bed, look around your house. Chances are you will find a wide range of items that you do not even realize are on. Turn as much off as possible. it will not take that long, and if it becomes a habit, it will be an easy way to save electricity.
9. Use sunlight instead of lights
It costs no money to open your shades and allow the beautiful sunlight in. You may be using your lights because they are a habit, but opening your curtains can provide a nicer light without using up energy. If it is during the winter, this might also help warm your home without the electricity spent on the heater.
10. Think of other ways to save energy
There may be many ways you can save electricity if you think about it. For instance, you can use a manual can opener instead of an electric one. You might be able to sweep in some places instead of using a vacuum. Just try to think of as many ways as you can to save energy.
Saving energy is good for you and your pocketbook. Try the above tips to save electricity in your home.
Updated On: 03/12/2010 Published On: 03/12/2010 How a clean home reduces health risks