Save Money With These Energy Saving Tips

Paula Gallagher on
Saving energy at home helps the environmet - every day is Earth Day.

While we all use energy differently, the most energy is generally used for heating and cooling the home, with hot water coming in second. Good energy habits can help you save money, but also the lesson the impact on our natural resources. With Earth Day coming up, we could all use a few reminders about what we can do individually.

6 Tips to Save Energy & Money

Here are six tips to help you save energy – which helps our environment and keeps the green in your wallet, too.

    1. In the kitchen

    Make sure your fridge is full! Full fridges and freezers use less energy, so fill up your fridge so it can recover its internal temperature more quickly after being opened. But remember to leave enough space around food items to allow circulation of cold air.

    2. Around the home

    Use your blinds and drapes. In the winter, open your blinds during the day to allow sunlight to heat your home, then close them at night to minimize heat loss. In the summer, keep them closed during the day to block out the heat.

    3. Home appliances

    Electricity demand is greatest during the day. Running major appliances at night or in the early morning will put less strain on the electricity grid. Ask your electricity provider when the cheapest rates are. Our rates literally are cut in half after 7pm, so that is when I try to do the laundry and run the dishwasher.

    4. Insulation and heating

    Cover your existing hot water heater with an insulating cover. You can buy a hot water heater jacket at your hardware store – it will be worth the trip, saving you on your water heating costs. While you’re at it, add insulating covers to any exposed pipes for even more savings.

    5. Appliances and electronics

    The age, condition and efficiency of your appliances plays a big role in how much energy you use, so it’s important to keep them in good working order, and at some point, consider upgrading to the most energy-efficient models. Whenever you’re shopping for electronics of any kind, make sure you tell sales staff you’re looking for energy efficiency. When consumers start demanding it, companies will start supplying it.

    6. Unplug appliances and electrical devices

    Turning off appliances is great way to save energy, but did you know that many electronic devices and appliances continually consume electricity when turned off but still plugged into an outlet? This is referred to as a “phantom load” or “vampire energy.” These appliances and electronic devices provide the modern-day conveniences we rely on, but they also waste energy and cost money. The U.S. Department of Energy says on average, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics and appliances is consumed while the products are turned off.

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