Feb 04 2012
10 Paths To Cut Your Electric Bill
One of the major concerns in the world today is reduction of energy. As anxious voters everyone must make a strong effort to be conscious voters and save electricity. Electricity has become integral to life but imagine having to survive without power.
Conservation of electricity benefits you personally as you'll pay lower bills. Consider:
1. Doing an energy audit. This will tell you when and how you use energy and where the waste lies. You'll be able to make an “energy savings plan” by pinpointing exactly how it's possible for you to cut back on energy usage. Some concepts could be as easy as don’t leave the coffee machine on at every point.
2. Think about resetting the thermostat ten degrees lower in the night. If you can do this for say roughly 8 hours a day you will save 10% on electricity without losing comfort. Insulate the home in winter by drawing shut the drapes.
3. Check all insulation in the house. If you increase attic insulation to around 12 inches the electricity consumption will reduce by 20 percent.
4. Plant more trees around the house these will cool the house in summer and insulate the house in winter. Studies indicate that a green cover benefits in many ways.
5. Have all electricity wires and outlets checked for leaking. Check all fuses and appliances.
6. Fluorescent light bulbs are energy efficient. They use 75% less energy than normal light bulbs. These have a longer life and make a contribution to great savings.
7. Use energy efficient appliances. These use less energy and believe it or not a high potency chiller uses less electrical energy than a lightbulb.
8. When you're away even for a couple of hours or days you need to turn off and unplug all electric appliances and turn settings on the thermostat, hot water heater, and refrigerator to the lowest setting.
9. Ensure you utilize a water-saving shower head. Water heating costs for a family can be reduced by at least US$ 250 a year.
10. Weatherize your home. This helps in cutting heat bills by 20% and cooling by at least 10 %. Even if building a home or decorating it, use weather friendly materials such as those that are not good conductors of heat and cold. Install windows and glass panes in the roof in such a manner that you use sunlight to light up the rooms during day light hours. Try to switch off lights and fans when leaving a room. Make sure that the filters in air con units and heaters are always cleaned and free of clog and dust.
If you live an energy efficient way of living you will see the numbers on the energy bill actually reducing. The power to cut energy costs is well in your control. It is as easy as only washing complete loads and that to in cold water. Use the hot wash option just for extraordinarily grimy clothes. Cook food only just before you are ready to eat that way you are able to save reheating costs as well as refrigerating costs of storing the food. Turn the thermostat of the refrigerator to minimum in cold or cool weather. Switch off freezers if they're not in use. Tiny contributions can all mount up to significant amounts of power saved. And, power saved means money in the bank.
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Golda Lane is a writer with an interest in a wide variety of topics. Energy Saver
You may visit her site for useful tips. Water Conservation Program