Tips On How To Save Energy

The cost of living continues to rise, and every measure to save costs can be a relief. Improving your home's energy efficiency and saving on electricity bills is one way to save costs. Indeed, you can implement great tips on how to save energy, and this article discusses these tips.

You can also learn about energy-saving products, water heater energy-saving tips, and expert tips to save on electric bills. In addition, this post considers home appliances contributing to high electricity costs and how air conditioning contractors can help with energy management.

Home Energy Saving Tips

There are home-improving tips that you can implement to save energy costs. Moreover, these tips to reduce energy consumption at home will not cost you anything to implement.

Energy-efficient appliances and energy products

From the get-go, you can make sure you prioritise energy efficiency when you buy your appliances. Efficient energy products come with a high energy star rating. This means you can recoup the extra purchase costs in the long run through reduced energy bills and running costs. As such, check the energy rating label when buying appliances.

An extra energy-saving step is to unplug appliances when you are not using them. Products such as televisions and microwaves have little lights or clocks. This means they consume 'standby power,' which causes an increase of up to 10% in your electricity bills.

As a result, it is recommended to unplug appliances from the wall when not fully used. This is in addition to turning the appliances off. Appliances often use some electricity even when on standby.

Switch to LED lights

LED lighting lasts far longer and is more energy efficient than halogen light bulbs. LED lights can save as much as 80% of your lighting costs. Meanwhile, you may occasionally use natural lighting, ceiling fans (instead of air-cons), and cross-ventilation air flow as energy savers.

Close up gaps

Air can leak out of your home through small gaps and cracks and cause heat losses. You can seal these gaps and close your curtains and blinds to draught-proof your home. Pay attention to air-leaking gaps in windows and doors.

Other DIY energy options include sealing gaps in floors and skirting boards and using a sand-filled draught-stopper. These measures will help you reduce your energy bills quickly and cheaply. Inviting an energy auditor to check your home's electricity and gas can also be worthwhile for energy-saving opportunities.

Keep your thermostat well-regulated

Chances are you do not optimise your thermostat's heat and cool features properly to save energy at home. The tendency is to set your home's heat temperature too high when cold and too low when it's hot.

The recommendation is to set the heating temperature between 18°C and 20°C to cool your home. On the other hand, you can keep the temperature between 25°C and 27°C to heat your home. There is a 5% or more increase in energy usage for every increase in degree.

Use better insulation to save energy

Make a special effort to improve floor, ceiling, roof, and wall insulation. This gives you better control over the room temperature. Ultimately, you can save a large amount of energy costs. After all, over half of your energy bills are likely from your home's heating and cooling processes.

Double glazing windows and doors

This is a modern energy-saving solution for homes. Replacing your windows with double glazing can help reduce the release of greenhouse gases due to cooling and heating. In turn, this reduces carbon footprints and lowers energy bills.

Be more efficient in hot water consumption

Reducing hot water consumption is one way to reduce your water bills. At the same time, you will be reducing your gas or electricity bills. Ways to reduce hot water consumption include the following:

• Take shorter showers.
• Washing clothes in cold water occasionally can help you to conserve hot water.
• Leave the washing of clothes and dishes for when you have a full load.
• You may fit a showerhead with low flow in your bathroom.
• Invest in heat pumps or solar hot water systems with solar batteries to enjoy green and renewable energy features.
  

Installing solar panels for energy bill savings

Setting up solar energy panels and solar battery energy storage systems can help you to save money on energy bills. You will have free electricity and solar batteries that store excess solar power. Moreover, you could take advantage of modern solar photovoltaic (solar PV) technology and tax incentives.

Use geothermal power options

An efficient way to save energy consumption is to use geothermal power. Ground source heat pumps are great at consistently heating and cooling your home durably and efficiently.

Water heater energy-saving tips

Here are some excellent ways to save energy and money at home while using your water heater:

• Keep the water heater off if you leave your home for an extended period.
• The exit hot water pipes for water heaters should have good insulation. This raises the pipe hot water temperatures and reduces tap hot water waiting times.
• You can explore using solar hot water systems to help reduce the amount of energy needed from retailers.
• With solar electricity, you can also avoid gas charges from using gas-fired water heaters.
  

Expert Tips to Save On Electric Bills

• Do away with extra fridges and freezers you do not need, and do not overload the ones you run.
• You may dry your clothes on the line instead of always using the dryer.
• Install heat pumps to help you reduce electricity consumption.
• Installing smart appliances that monitor and turn off appliances when necessary can save you money on electric bills.
• HVAC cooling systems should only be cooling your home when you are around.
• You can also use a programmable thermostat. It is an energy-saving device for smart homes.
• While at it, you can set up a smart metre to directly track power consumption in real-time and know areas to optimise.
• Paying your bills will bring less heartache if you sensitise household members to implement energy conservation practices.
• An electrical contractor can help you with energy plans that help you save on electricity costs.
• You can also make use of interactive calculators and other energy tools.
  

Appliances Contributing to High Electricity Costs

A significant way of reducing your electricity bills and energy consumption is to pay mind to home appliances that consume electricity the most. The following appliances consume the most electricity:

Air conditioners

Heating and cooling appliances like air conditioners consume the largest share of electricity in standard households.

Hot water heaters

Electric water heaters and other water heating appliances also consume a large share of the energy in your home. This happens when you use your water heater to shower, do your laundry, and wash dishes.

Refrigerators

The tendency is that your refrigerator is always on. This can consume quite a bit of electrical energy.

Washers and dryers

This appliance contributes quite a share of your monthly energy usage. This usage is increased if you use hot water. However, energy consumption can depend on how frequently you do your laundry.

Electric ovens and cooktops

Cooking appliances can consume a lot of energy. Ultimately, electric ovens and cooktops take up their own share of monthly electricity usage.

Pool pumps

Pool pumps can consume up to 1kWh unit of energy every hour. You can look for ways to relax pump water schedules during off-peak periods.

Air Conditioning Contractors Can Help

You have now read up on various tips on how to save energy. This includes water heater energy-saving tips and expert tips to save on electric bills. Indeed, implementing good energy consumption practices can help you save money and energy bills.

However, you may be unable to optimally install or set up appliances such as air conditioners. Besides, you may also need specialised maintenance and repair services. So, if you are in such a scenario, call on an air conditioning contractor to help you.