Electricity is a blessing, one we don’t realize the value of until we don’t have it. But, electricity also comes with a cost in more ways than one. Electricity can be a financial drain for your home or business if used wastefully, resulting in monthly electricity bills that are much higher than they needed to be. Not only does using energy affect your wallet, it also affects the environment. Electricity is derived from resources that will eventually run out, for you and for the rest of the world. While many people are turning to alternative electricity sources like solar and wind power, the majority of Americans still rely on grid-supplied electricity to power their homes. However, if we all made a commitment to using energy a little more economically, we could make a big difference in how far our natural resources stretch. Conserving energy is a win-win kind of effort. You can save money and the planet with just a few small changes to your daily electricity habits. Start with the list below, and get your family or office involved to help promote conservation. Here are some easy, no-cost-involved tips for saving electricity every day.
- Turn off lights when not in use. This is a no brainer. Why leave lights on that no one benefits from? Make a habit of turning off lights when you exit a room, and try to use natural light as much as possible during the day. As much as possible, use smaller lighting sources like lamps instead of overhead lighting, which uses more energy.
- Take shorter showers. Heating high volumes of water is a huge drain on resources and can escalate your bill quickly. Start by reducing your shower by a couple minutes, then see how low you can go from there.
- Turn water off when not needed. When shaving, brushing teeth, etc., turn the water off until you really need it. Don’t just let the faucet run, and be sure to fix leaky faucets.
- Unplug electronics not in use. Plugged-in appliances that aren’t being used can account for 10% of your household’s annual electricity use. Unplug your phone charger unless you’re charging. Unplug your blender unless you’re blending. Unplug your electric razor unless you’re shaving. These things add up.
- Manage your thermostat. The higher you set your temperatures, the more energy you’ll use. Try to cut back and maintain a slightly cooler temperature, and avoid changing the thermostat frequently to reduce how hard your system has to work to accommodate the fluctuation.
- Take advantage of the outdoors. Instead of using your stove or oven in spring and summer, why not get outside and use the grill?
- Wash laundry with cold water. Again, heating water takes considerable energy, so using cold water during washes will take away the need and is just as effective.
- Change your dryer habits. Toss a towel in the dryer with wet clothes to reduce drying times. You can also consider hang-drying your laundry when the weather is nice to avoid needing the dryer at all.
- Use your refrigerator efficiently. Maintain an appropriate temperature for your fridge and freezer to cut down on how hard your system runs.
Check the CMC Service Experts blog regularly for more tips and tricks like this!
