7 Tips for Lowering Your Electricity Consumption
One thing that many homeowners struggle with is keeping their electricity costs in check. There are several reasons why it’s so easy to let your energy usage get out of control. For one, electronics have become so prominent in the modern world that most of us rely on them constantly. So, there’s a good chance your household has many different things plugged in and using electricity at any given time. Plus, the weather conditions in Louisville, KY can become very harsh during the summers and winters. So, to keep your household comfortable, you probably rely heavily on your air conditioner and heater during those seasons, which can lead to costly electricity bills. Fortunately, there are always things you can do to lower your home’s energy consumption. Here, we’ll look at a handful of straightforward measures you can take to save electricity and keep your monthly bills reasonable.
1. Turn Things Off
Let’s start with the simplest solution to your electricity consumption problem: turning a few things off. You may not realize it, but electronics such as your computer, television, and other household devices could still be using up electricity when you aren’t actually using them. As long as these electronics are still plugged in, you’ll likely see that little light indicating that they’re still consuming power. It can be a hassle to constantly be unplugging devices and plugging them back in every day, and doing so isn’t necessary. Instead, consider plugging a few of the main electronics in your home into one power strip. That way, when you’re going to sleep, leaving the house, or simply not using the devices, you can stop all of them from consuming electricity by flipping the power strip off. If you make this a habit, it can save quite a bit of energy over time.
2. Schedule Yearly HVAC Tune-ups
If you want to conserve electricity in your Kentucky home, keeping your heating and cooling systems running smoothly and efficiently is essential. Otherwise, you’re going to use a ton of energy during the summer and winter just to keep your living space comfortable. One of the best ways to improve HVAC efficiency is to schedule professional maintenance at least once a year. At Absolute Services, our skilled technicians are always available to provide this service for residents of the greater Louisville area. When you schedule a heating or cooling tune-up, we’ll clean out your system, inspect its components, and make adjustments to improve its energy efficiency. That way, you’ll be able to keep your home comfortable without having your electricity bills go through the roof.
3. Invest in Ceiling Fans
While keeping your heating and cooling units in good condition will improve their efficiency, running them frequently will still consume lots of electricity. So, if you can find ways to rely a bit less on those appliances, it will help you reduce your overall energy usage. One way to achieve this is by installing a few ceiling fans around your household. Ceiling fans don’t use nearly as much electricity as furnaces or air conditioners, but they can be effective in keeping your home’s climate comfortable. When a fan spins counterclockwise, it will help cool the house down, but if you reverse its direction, it will push the heat down and help keep the house warm. That means that with a few ceiling fans installed, you can save some electricity during both the summer and winter.
4. Switch to LED Bulbs
One easy way to start saving electricity in your home is to switch to lightbulbs that are more energy efficient. Typically, LED bulbs are relatively affordable, and they tend to use significantly less electricity than most other types of lightbulbs. Granted, switching one lamp to an LED bulb probably won’t make a massive difference. However, if you switch all of the bulbs throughout your house, that can add up to some major electricity savings over the course of several months or years.
5. Find and Seal Air Leaks
If there are multiple air leaks around your home, they could be causing your HVAC system to waste quite a bit of electricity throughout the year. You may not even realize that these leaks are present, but even if they’re tiny, they can result in wasted energy. For example, when you have the heater running during the chilly Kentucky winter, warm air will consistently escape through the leaks. That will force your furnace to run longer and use more energy to keep your dwelling comfortable. And during the summer, air leaks can allow conditioned air to escape, putting extra pressure on your AC unit to compensate for the loss.
When you’re looking for ways to save electricity, searching your home for any leaks and sealing the ones you find is a prudent step to take. The best places to look for these openings are around the edges of all your doorways and windows. Sometimes, the gaps will be too small to spot, but if you feel around with your hands, you might notice air flowing through the tiny leaks. If you find any of these air leaks, you should be able to thoroughly seal them using caulking and weather stripping from your local hardware store.
6. Get an Energy Audit
If you aren’t particularly experienced in working with electrical systems and finding ways to conserve electricity, there’s no shame in enlisting outside help. For example, you could schedule an energy audit with your local utility provider. They should be able to send someone to your home to inspect the place thoroughly, searching for any areas where you may potentially be wasting energy. These audits will often uncover household issues that most homeowners would never think to address. Scheduling an energy audit is typically fairly affordable. In the long run, it could save you quite a bit of money by helping you further improve the energy efficiency of your household.
7. Use Energy-saving Curtains
Another effective way to save electricity is to invest in special energy-saving curtains for your household. When you use these kinds of curtains strategically, they can greatly improve the energy efficiency of your home all year long. During the chilly fall and winter months, you can close the curtains around your home in the evening. This will trap the vast majority of the warm air inside your living space, so you won’t need to run your heater for nearly as long to stay comfortable.
Energy-saving curtains can help reduce your electricity usage during the hot summers as well. Rather than keeping your AC running all day and night, you can let it run for a short amount of time with the curtains closed. The high-efficiency curtains will help keep the cool, refreshing air trapped inside your home, which will ensure that you and your family stay comfortable. In addition to helping you conserve electricity, having energy-saving curtains will also help your heating and cooling systems remain healthy and have longer life spans.
Since 2008, we at Absolute Services have been proudly serving residents of the Louisville, Lexington, and Elizabethtown areas. Whether you need a new garage door serviced or installed or any heating, cooling, electrical, and plumbing installation, repairs, and maintenance services, our skilled team is always available to help. Contact us at Absolute Services today to learn more or schedule an appointment!
