10 energy saving hacks for your home

NOV 24, 2017 AT 07:27 AM
by Mary Weber

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Tips to maximize energy saving in your appliances

Use the power management features and sleep mode on your computers and laptops to save money – because so many people work from home at least one day per week, you cut out commuting fees, but you may increase your home bills unless you use energy saving equipment.

Unplug electronics when not in use – you can use a power strip and use to switch to cut all power to the appliance, to avoid ‘vampire’ loads. This phenomenon of appliances sucking out power can occur in items such as stereo players, DVD players and kitchen appliances like microwaves. Unplug your battery chargers when not in use or battery is full. A similar option is to use rechargeable batteries for items like digital cameras, which are more cost-effective than disposable batteries.

Computers – one of the most important tips when using your computer -understand your computer uses more energy when running for long periods, as opposed to when it starts up. Therefore, spend a lot of time I low-power mode to help your equipment last longer and run cooler. As a rule of thumb, consider the following savings:

Turn off the CPU and monitor if you will not use your computer for more than 2 hours

Turn off the monitor if you will not use your computer for more than 20 minutes.

Your printers, monitors and other accessories like external speakers should be on a surge protector to guard them against drawing power when the power is off. If you do not have a power strip, make sure to unplug them when not in use. PCs produce heat as they run, so keeping them off reduces building cooling loads.

Sleep mode – most computers that are currently in the market have sleep modes or power management features, which can help you save up to $30 in your energy bill per year. One thing to note is screen savers are NOT energy savers. In fact, using a screen saver uses more energy than not using one, and modern LCD color monitors do not even need them. Instead, consider setting up the power-down feature on your computer through your Operating system.

Who would know that your appliances would lead to high-energy costs? Consider the tips above and watch your bills reduce, saving you money to do other things and increasing your efficiency.

During winter and fall months, your house can get cold, forcing you to turn up your heater. The more hours and days, you turn it up, the higher your energy bill – but you cannot live without the heat. During other days, most consumption is due to things like the refrigerator and microwave, but you really cannot eliminate these items from your home.