10 Ways to Put Your Home on an Energy Diet
Are you bracing yourself each month before you open your energy bills? You’re not alone. Many items in our homes use an excessive amount of electricity and water.
Conserve energy by putting your home on an energy diet using these 10 simple steps!
Unplug
You wake up in the morning, unplug your cell phone from the charger, make a pot of coffee, toast some bread, then leave the house for a day of work or school. But did you pull the plugs from the outlet after using each of those appliances? Simply turning an appliance off does not mean it is no longer using electricity. Any appliance that is plugged into an outlet is still drawing a minimum electrical charge called phantom power. The charge may seem minute, but multiply that by all the appliances and devices throughout your home and that drain of un-necessary electricity can really add up! Remember to pull the plug from the electrical socket when you are finished with an item to save on electricity. Or, plug devices into a power bar and you can immediately stop the flow of electricity at the flick of an on/off switch!
Brighten Up
No, we do not mean you…we mean your lights! Swap out light bulbs or even light fixtures to an Energy Star Certified variety. Make the switch from incandescent bulbs to LED bulbs; they provide a higher quality light output and save you money in the process using approximately 75% less energy. The cost of an LED bulb is slightly higher but the lifespan is approximately six times longer. Six incandescent light bulbs and the pain of having to constantly change them, or one LED light bulb that puts money back in your wallet? It’s a no-brainer!
Temperature Control
Are you sporting a t-shirt in the house during winter or putting a sweater on in the summer? Chances are your thermostat settings are totally out of control and energy bills are sky-rocketing through the roof. Lowering the temperature in winter and raising it in summer by just a few degrees will greatly impact your electricity savings.
Even better, invest in a programmable thermostat that can control varying temperatures depending on the time of day or when you will be away from home. There is no use in wasting money on heating and cooling when you’re not even home! Some programmable thermostats even allow mobile control through a downloadable app so that you can easily stay in tune with your thermostat controls while away from home. If you do not have a programmable thermostat, simply remember to change the temperature when you leave the house and return.
The temperature setting of your hot water heater can also have a great impact on your electricity use. Often times the control is set to extremely hot temperatures – but who needs boiling hot water straight from the tap? If you need water that hot, boil a small amount in a kettle rather than continually heating a full hot water tank, or invest in a water heater blanket which will add extra insulation to keep water inside the water tank hot.
Circulate Air
The reason a hot air balloon floats is because hot air rises. This principle is the reason behind your basement remaining quite cool while the upper level feels like a sauna. Keep air flow circulating throughout the home using ceiling fans. Depending on the blade rotation, hot air on the upper level can be pushed downwards while cool air on lower levels can be pushed upwards. Circulating warm air down through the home will also keep hot air from literally escaping through the roof. The cost of purchasing and operating a ceiling fan is much less than that of operating a central air unit. You don’t need to compromise on style, either – modern ceiling fan design has evolved, offering an array of trendy options to suit every taste and allow you to make a statement with your décor.
Swap the Filter
Ensuring good air flow is a key component to the lifespan and function of your home’s furnace. Change the furnace filter on a regular basis, even more so during winter months, to ensure open air flow. Clogged and dusty air filters result in restricted air flow which, in turn, makes your furnace run more, impacting your wallet with higher electricity charges. Simply changing the furnace filter can save anywhere from 5-15% on your heating and cooling costs.
Drafts Be Gone
Do you feel a draft when standing next to a window in the winter? If so, there’s a good chance you have an air leak. Seals around windows and doors can wear down over time, creating tiny cracks or pockets where air can flow in and out of your home. Use caulking or sealant stripping to fill in air leaks. While you’re at it, replace broken and worn weatherstipping along the bottom of doors to prevent heat loss under doorways. Stopping air leaks can save up to a whopping 20% on your home energy costs!
Fill It Full
If you’re regularly throwing that favourite outfit in the wash even though you don’t have a full load of laundry to do yet, you’re throwing money away. Running wash machines, dryers and dishwashers for only a few items is a waste of both energy and water resources. Make sure these appliances are only running when you’ve got a full load to do.
Many laundry detergents are created specifically for cold water cleaning; this saves a significant amount on water heating costs. Save even more money by hanging clothes to dry rather than using the clothes dryer. For a minimal cost, purchasing a retractable indoor or outdoor clothesline can save a fortune in the long run and can still be tucked away out of sight.
Did you know that the average dishwasher uses approximately 35% less water than you would by washing a full load of dishes by hand? By the time you soak, wash and rinse off sudsy bubbles, unnecessary water costs have flown right down the drain. Save even more money by opening the dishwasher door to let dishes air dry after the rinse cycle.
Fix The Leak
The cost in wasted water caused by leaky taps and toilets can really ad up. A drip between 1/5 to 1/3 ml from a faucet can waste anywhere from 10 to 30 gallons of water per day. Leaky toilets can be caused by worn out seals or flappers in the back tank which allows a constant stream of water you may not even see or hear. Perform this simple leak-test regularly: drop food colouring in the back tank of the toilet (enough to colour the water) and then let the toilet sit for about 20 minutes without flushing. Check to see if any of the coloured water has flown into the bowl of the toilet. If so, you’ve got a leak, so fix that flapper!
Low Flow
Cut back on everyday water use by taking shorter showers or reducing your flush count. If you’d like to further reduce water use, make the switch to low flow shower heads and low flush toilets. Low flow varieties will conserve water and reduce water-heating costs. A low flow toilet uses approximately 4.5 litres of water per flush compared to six or more litres per flush used by a regular flow toilet. Adding a faucet aerator will decrease water flow by adding air into the water. Water pressure will not be reduced, but you will benefit from a broader water coverage coming out of the tap.
Rain Drain
In the dead of summer when lawns and gardens are looking scorched, we all hope for a rainy day, but what if you could benefit from a rainy day every day? Invest in a rain barrel which can collect run-off from gutters and downspouts rather than the water being evaporated when the sun comes back out, and then use the water you’ve collected on your gardens. By saving water in a rain barrel, your wallet and your garden will thank you!
