Energy Saving Tips

Have you ever considered how much energy your home is using on a daily basis? We may not realize how much we use until we see that hydro bill and we are baffled by the amount. That is why we want to try to be more energy efficient. When you save energy you not only save money, but also help the planet. As you go around reminding everyone in house to turn the bathroom light off, share these energy saving tips with them as well!

Heating & Cooling

Properly heating and cooling your home can have one of the biggest impacts on how much energy you are using. First thing is first, be patient with your thermostat. Cranking it up or down quickly will not cool or heat the house down any faster, it actually causes you to waste energy. A good idea could be to invest in a smart thermostat. This technology will learn your heating and cooling patterns and automatically adjusts the temperature accordingly. Additionally, when looking for an air conditioning unit, make sure you are getting the proper size and installing it correctly, as these are critical to your home’s energy efficiency.

Water

Another one of our energy saving tips is to save on water. A double whammy on the hydro and water bill! There are simple yet impactful changes you can make to save water. Take shorter showers or take showers instead of baths. You can turn off the water while brushing your teeth, shaving and washing hands as well. One of the easiest and quickest ways to save money is to fix that leaky faucet.

Pay attention to your water heater as well. Heating your water takes a lot of energy, around 18% of the total amount of energy consumed in your home. To try to save your hot water, you can try to use less of it, try turning down the water heater’s thermostat or insulate it.

Laundry

There are some quick and easy habits you change when doing your laundry that helps save energy. Start with only washing full loads of laundry to help save water. Wash your clothes in cold water to avoid wasting hot water, causing the use of more energy. When it is nice out in the summer you can break out the clothes pins and hang your laundry to dry!

Lighting

Maybe it's obvious, but another great energy saving tip is to use as much natural light as you can! Try not to turn the lights on until it gets dark outside. Also, turn off any lights that are unnecessary, in rooms you aren’t using or if you have more than one lamp on. Using lamps instead of overhead lighting will help with energy efficiency as well. Outside, you can switch your porch light and other exterior lights to motion sensor lighting, so they only work when they are needed. If you want to try to save energy, you can switch your light bulbs to LED, halogen incandescent or compact fluorescent (CFLs).

Electronics & Appliances

Things like desktop computers, TVs, and game consoles each take small amounts of energy, but cumulatively use a lot and rack up electricity costs. Using sleep modes on your computer and TV can help save energy, but you should be turning these devices off when they’re not being used. If you and your family use laptops most often, consider ditching the desktop computer altogether!

When it comes to appliances, there is a lot of room to cut down on energy costs as well. Starting with the fridge, avoid putting hot food in the fridge because it can raise the temperature, making the fridge work harder to keep the food inside cool. Also, avoid overstuffing your fridge and freezer. When they are overstuffed, the air doesn’t circulate properly causing uneven temperatures and using more energy. For the dishwasher, you can simply take a minute to scrape the dishes before putting them in. While rinsing the dishes helps, the dishwasher will use more water to get off hard to remove debris that is stuck on the dishes, which is why scraping them will allow the dishwasher to use less water. Lastly, instead of using the stove or oven every day, try using your microwave or toaster oven more often to cook or reheat small portions. In the summer time, this will allow the house to not get as hot, reducing your cost for air conditioning.

There are very easy energy saving tips you can start incorporating into your daily life, such as making sure all of the lights are turned off or taking shorter showers. You would be surprised how far these small changes can take you! Not only are you saving yourself some money, but the environment will thank you too.