Conserve Electricity at Home
If you know you want to conserve electricity at home, but you don't know where to start, you are in luck because this article is all about that exact subject. These savers will not only save you money, but they will save energy as well. Many of these might be things you've thought about or are already doing and you can tell from your action, that these are all pretty easy ways to converse electricity. Nothing here is too far-fetched or outlandish, they are all things you can start doing right now, today. Have a look and see what new ways you can try out in your own home. If after reading this article you are still unsure about how to conserve electricity or want to do an electrical audit of your home you should contact a professional electrician in NJ. Electricians in New Jersey are experts at energy conservation and can work with you to save you money as well as the planet!
Heating Conservation
Did you know that turning your thermostat down by just 2 notches (degrees) could save you up to $100 a year? It’s true! Instead of saving money and energy, but being freezing cold, try getting cozy and comfortable when you are at home. Light a fire, put on some warm socks, and tries a blanket or some warm pajamas. Starting a fire is a really good place to start, though if you have a fireplace. It uses renewable energy (wood) and it can warm up the entire house depending on the size of the fireplace, as well as the design of the house i.e.; an open floor plan would tend to conserve heat a lot more than a house with a lot of turns, twists, bends, and doors.
Heating Water Conservation
Obviously it takes heat to warm your shower. And while this might feel really good - taking a hot shower can actually raise the energy used. This is especially true if you have an electric water heater. But, even if you have a conventional water heater, these still can use electricity to heat up the water. Instead of taking steaming hot showers, put it down a few more notches than you usually would and take a warm shower, wash your clothes in warm water, and wash your hands in warm water. It takes less energy to make warm water than it does to make boiling hot water. Even doing these dishes can cause your electricity to spike because the water ultimately gets heated by the water heater.
Electricity Conservation - Cooking
If you plan on putting a few things in the oven tonight, or you want to use an electric stovetop for dinner over the next few days, why not think about prepping a few food items and then refrigerating or freezing them? This way you can bake a few meals at a time and get the most out of having the oven on. Plus, after you turn the oven off, you can leave it open a crack and let the warm air warm the kitchen space, which if you are still doing the cooking in the kitchen, means you can turn down the thermostat for the time being - also a conservation saver.
Electricity Conservation - The Freezer
One of the most well-known things about freezers and refrigerators is the more things you have in them, the harder they have to work. So if you have anything in your fridge you no longer need or it’s expired do yourself a favor now and throw it out. On the tip side, if you haven't thawed your freezer out in a while and you have big chunks of ice attached to the top and the sides, this also might be wasting unneeded energy. You will need a place to store your frozen stuff in the meantime, but it’s a good idea to get rid of all that excess ice so your freezer has to stop working so hard to keep the box cold.
Electricity Conservation - The Dishwasher
If you are lucky enough to have a dishwasher AND it’s an energy star dishwasher, don't bother washing the dishes by hand. Washing the dishes by hand could be costing you hundreds of gallons of water, not to mention all the energy you are wasting making the water hot to scrub those plates, pots, and pans. A quick wash under warm water should be fine and then into the dishwasher they can go. Dishwashers go up to 130 and 170 °F, sometimes even 200 degrees F, so this is the perfect place for you to get rid of any leftover food on the plates and it’s still hot enough to kill any bacteria. Especially if you have the steam option on because these can go up to 350 degrees F.
Electricity - Drying Your Clothes
This is obviously only going to become a daily thing if you have the right weather for it. But, drying your clothes in the dryer can end up costing a lot of money for your electricity bills, especially if the dryer isn't an energy star product. Instead of putting them in the dryer think about hanging a line outside in the yard and letting them dry that way. Or if you don't have a yard you can still get some rope for the linens to hang from and hook that up out on your deck. It’s only going to be for a few hours while the sun is hot and will dry the clothes, so it’s not like you have to worry about anything happening to them and you WILL be saving a lot of energy in doing so.
Heating Conservation
Did you know that turning your thermostat down by just 2 notches (degrees) could save you up to $100 a year? It’s true! Instead of saving money and energy, but being freezing cold, try getting cozy and comfortable when you are at home. Light a fire, put on some warm socks, and tries a blanket or some warm pajamas. Starting a fire is a really good place to start, though if you have a fireplace. It uses renewable energy (wood) and it can warm up the entire house depending on the size of the fireplace, as well as the design of the house i.e.; an open floor plan would tend to conserve heat a lot more than a house with a lot of turns, twists, bends, and doors.
Heating Water Conservation
Obviously it takes heat to warm your shower. And while this might feel really good - taking a hot shower can actually raise the energy used. This is especially true if you have an electric water heater. But, even if you have a conventional water heater, these still can use electricity to heat up the water. Instead of taking steaming hot showers, put it down a few more notches than you usually would and take a warm shower, wash your clothes in warm water, and wash your hands in warm water. It takes less energy to make warm water than it does to make boiling hot water. Even doing these dishes can cause your electricity to spike because the water ultimately gets heated by the water heater.
Electricity Conservation - Cooking
If you plan on putting a few things in the oven tonight, or you want to use an electric stovetop for dinner over the next few days, why not think about prepping a few food items and then refrigerating or freezing them? This way you can bake a few meals at a time and get the most out of having the oven on. Plus, after you turn the oven off, you can leave it open a crack and let the warm air warm the kitchen space, which if you are still doing the cooking in the kitchen, means you can turn down the thermostat for the time being - also a conservation saver.
Electricity Conservation - The Freezer
One of the most well-known things about freezers and refrigerators is the more things you have in them, the harder they have to work. So if you have anything in your fridge you no longer need or it’s expired do yourself a favor now and throw it out. On the tip side, if you haven't thawed your freezer out in a while and you have big chunks of ice attached to the top and the sides, this also might be wasting unneeded energy. You will need a place to store your frozen stuff in the meantime, but it’s a good idea to get rid of all that excess ice so your freezer has to stop working so hard to keep the box cold.
Electricity Conservation - The Dishwasher
If you are lucky enough to have a dishwasher AND it’s an energy star dishwasher, don't bother washing the dishes by hand. Washing the dishes by hand could be costing you hundreds of gallons of water, not to mention all the energy you are wasting making the water hot to scrub those plates, pots, and pans. A quick wash under warm water should be fine and then into the dishwasher they can go. Dishwashers go up to 130 and 170 °F, sometimes even 200 degrees F, so this is the perfect place for you to get rid of any leftover food on the plates and it’s still hot enough to kill any bacteria. Especially if you have the steam option on because these can go up to 350 degrees F.
Electricity - Drying Your Clothes
This is obviously only going to become a daily thing if you have the right weather for it. But, drying your clothes in the dryer can end up costing a lot of money for your electricity bills, especially if the dryer isn't an energy star product. Instead of putting them in the dryer think about hanging a line outside in the yard and letting them dry that way. Or if you don't have a yard you can still get some rope for the linens to hang from and hook that up out on your deck. It’s only going to be for a few hours while the sun is hot and will dry the clothes, so it’s not like you have to worry about anything happening to them and you WILL be saving a lot of energy in doing so.