How to Save Energy at Home: 26+ Best Ways to Save Energy ...

Turn off the lights: 5% of your bill is because of lighting, but this can increase if you're not careful. · Swap out old lights with energy-saving bulbs: Switch ... Call(866)937-5207Getstarted→MenuOurrenewableenergyplansCleanenergy→OurapproachtoimpactYourimpact→Socialimpact→AboutusCareersBlogGetstarted→Wanttotalktoahuman?Calltollfree(866)937-5207Home-BlogHowtoSaveEnergyatHome:26+BestWaystoSaveEnergyToday14minreadcategory:CleanEnergy101SharethisarticleDon'tworryaboutclimatechange—dosomethingaboutit.Ourcleanenergyplansaretheeasiestwaytoreduceyourhome'scarbonfootprint.Switchtocleanenergy→Ifyoucareabouttheenvironmentandprotectingtheplanet,you’reprobablyinterestedinsavingenergy.Butmanypeopleaskthemselves,“WhatcanIdotosaveenergyathome?” Energyconservationandclimatechangehavebecomeaconstantdiscussionoverthepastfewyears.Newsarticles,advertisementsandlocalpoliticalcampaignsconstantlyfeaturebuzzwordslike“energyconservation,”“climatecrisis,”and“renewableenergy.” Ofcourse,whilewe’rereadytodoourpart,it’snotalwayseasytoknowwhatthesetermsmeanforusonanindividualbasis.Weunderstandthewaywelivehastochange,butwhatexactlyisitallabout,whatcanwedoandhowcanwedoit? Whyisenergyconservationathomeimportant? Moreandmorepeoplearebecomingpassionateaboutconservingenergyinthehome,andthisboilsdowntotwofundamentalreasons:tosavemoneyandtoreducetheamountofdamagecausedtotheenvironment. Ifmorehouseholdsuselessenergy(oracleanerenergysource),we'llseeareductionindamagetotheozonelayer,andwe'llreduceourdependenceonfossilfuelswhicharenonrenewableandharmfultotheenvironment. However,forthistohappenmeaningfully,we'veallgottodoourpart. Livingamoresustainableandenvironmentallyfriendlylifestyledoesn'tmeanyouhavetochangeyourwayoflivingdrastically—youdon'tneedtowashyourclothesbyhandortositinthedark. Theactofsimplytakingsmallstepstolivewithmoreawarenesshelpstoundosomeofthedamagealreadydonetotheenvironment.Thesestepscanbe: Switchingtorenewableenergyinyourhousehold Turningoffthelightswhenyouleavearoom Usingenergy-efficientlightbulbs Usinglesswater Turningthingsoffratherthanleavingthemonstandby Whatwastesthemostelectricityintheaveragehousehold? Theanswertothisquestiondependsonwhereyoulive,butoverall,heatingandairconditioningarethebiggestelectricityusers.Ofcourse,heatingandcoolingyourhomeisoftenessential,butyoucancutbackbyonlyusingyourheatingandcoolingwhennecessary. Whatistheaverageelectricbillforahouseandapartment? AccordingtoFinanceGuru,in2017,theaverageAmericanhouseholdpays$111.67forelectricitypermonth1.Thisaveragetakesavastrangeofhomesandfamiliesintoaccount,andsomestateshavesignificantlyhigherelectricityusagethanothers.Louisianahasthehighestaveragemonthlyelectricbill,whileNewMexico'saverageelectricitybillisalmostawhole$20lesseachmonth2.Wehaveanarticlededicatedtotheaverageapartmentelectricbillifyou'dliketolearnmore. Doesunpluggingthingssavemoney? Ifit'sunplugged,itcan'tuseelectricity.Evenwhenturnedoff,manyappliancescontinuetodrawpower,andthesamegoesforchargers,whetheradeviceischargingornot. Thatmeansyourlaptopandphonechargermaycontinuetousepowerevenwhentheyaren'tinuse.Thisminorproblemcanequateto8%ofyourhome'sannualelectricity.Ofcourse,thisiseasilyfixedjustbyunplugginganythingthatisnotinuse. HowcanIkeepmyelectricitybilldown? Thankfully,savingenergyandreducingyourelectricitybillareintrinsicallylinked,soifyoudoone,you'llalsodotheother. Herearesixwaysyoucankeepyourenergybillsdown: Turnoffthelights:5%ofyourbillisbecauseoflighting,butthiscanincreaseifyou'renotcareful.Onesimplehabittoformistoturnofflightswhenyouleavearoom. Swapoutoldlightswithenergy-savingbulbs:Switchtoenergy-savinglightbulbs,suchasLEDs.IfyouuseCFLandLEDs,trynottoturnthemoffifyou'regoingtobeoutoftheroomfor10minutesorlessbecausetheyusemorepowerturningonandoffthantheydotorunforthattime. Usesmarttechnology:Innovativetechnologyisanupfrontinvestmentbutwillsaveyoumoney(andenergy)inthelongrun.Ifyouforget,itcanturnlightsonandoff,turntheheatingonanhourbeforeyougethomeandmore. Upgradeoldappliances:Lookingforanexcusetoreplaceyourolddishwasher?It'slikelyusingatonmoreenergythanamodernonewould.Maybeit’stimetoupgrade? Switchtoanenergysupplyplan:Oneofthesignificantbenefitsofswappingtoanenergysupplyplanthatoffersaflatrateisthatyouneverhavetoworryaboutseasonalormonthlyfluctuationsinyourbill.Knowexactlyhowmuchyouarepayingeverymonthforconsistentbudgeting. HowcanIsavemoreenergyathome? Highlevelsofwateruseoftengohandinhandwithhighenergyuseinthehome.Thewayweuseourdishwashersandwashingmachinescanmakeanenormousdifferenceintheamountofenergyweuseathome. Herearesomemoregreattipsonhowtosavemoreenergyathome: Makesureyourdishwasherisfullbeforeyouuseit Useanyappliance'seco-mode Makesureyourwashingmachineisfullandsettoacoolsetting Considerdryingyourclothesoutsideinsteadofusingthedryer Turnoffyouroutsidelightsatnight Howtosaveenergyathomeduringthesummer Herearesixwaystosaveenergyathomeduringsummer: Replaceyourair-con'sairfiltersonceeverythreemonths Ensureyourfridgeandfreezersarefullyclosed Showerwithcoolerwater Don'tleavelightsonduringtheday Turnoffyourair-conwhenyou’renotintheroom Howtosaveenergyathomeduringthewinter Herearesixwaystosaveenergyathomeduringwinter: Turntheheatdown—keepitatatemperaturewhereyouneedasweater Putyourheatingonatimer,soitcomesonwhenyouneedit Turnyourheatingoffwhennoone'shome Useyourfireplaceifyouhaveone Howcanwesaveenergyinourdailylivesoutsideofourhomes? Justlikegettingintothehabitofswitchingoffappliancesthataren'tinuse,livingamoresustainablelifestyledoesn'thavetobecomplicated. Hereareafewsimpleswitchesyoucanmakeinyoureverydaylife: Usereusableitems—single-useplasticsandotheritemstakealotofenergytomake Encourageyourplaceofworktoturntheirheatingoffontheweekends Shutdownyourworkcomputerentirely Putyourcellphoneonenergy-savingmode,soyoudon'thavetochargeitasfrequently Recyclewheneverpossible—mostofwhatwerecycleisusedtoproducemoreenergy HowcanIsaveenergywhileatwork? Ifyouworkinanofficeandleaveyourhomeforseveralhoursduringtheday,youshoulddoafewthingseachdaytomakesureyouarenotusingexcessenergy.Thefirstandmostobviouswaytoconserveenergyatyourhomewhenatworkistoshutoffeverylightinthehousebeforeyouleave.Leavingunnecessarylightsoninyourhomeduringthedayisalargecontributortoenergywaste.Next,unplugallunnecessaryappliancesbeforeyougo.Certainapplianceslikeatoasterovenorblender,forexample,shouldonlybepluggedinduringuse.Lastly,youwillwanttomakesureyourhomecomputerisshutdownandthatyourtelevision,radio,andotherelectronicdevicesareoffandnotconsumingenergywhileyouareaway. Whyisitimportanttosaveenergy? Livinganenergy-efficientlifestyleisessentialforseveralreasons.First,itcanhelpkeepthecostofclimbingenergypricesdown.Energycompaniesarefrequentlyraisingratespartlytoprofitandcovercostsbutalsotoencourageconsumerstoreduceusage.Savingenergycanalsohelpaddressairpollutionandclimatechangewhicharelinkedtowildfires,increasedtemperatures,moreintensedroughtsandhurricanes.Savingenergycanhelpourenvironmentwhilebenefitingourpersonallives. Someofthemajorbenefitsofanenergy-efficientlifestyleinclude3: Environmentalbenefits:Livinganenergy-efficientlifestylecanhelplowergreenhouseemissionsandotherpollutants,whichwouldbehighlybeneficialtoourenvironment. Economicbenefits:Switchingtoarenewableenergysourcecansaveenergyandmoney.Naturalgaspricesandvolatilitywillbeforcedtogodownifwesavemoreenergy. Utilitysystembenefits:Ifenergyusagecontinuestorise,sowillthedemandforadditionalgenerationandtransmissionassets.Bytakingadvantageofrenewableenergyplans,baseloadandpeakdemandcanbelowered. Riskmanagementbenefits:Energyusageaffectsfluctuatingfuelpricesandotherriskfactors.Ifweconserveenergy,wecanreduceuncertaintyforseveralriskfactors. Whatarethetypesofenergyconsumption? Generallyspeaking,theUnitedStatesconsumesmanytypesofenergythatcanbecategorizedaseitherprimaryorsecondary.Primaryenergyconsumptionincludespowerplantsthateitherburnfossilfuelslikepetroleum,naturalgas,orcoalorusearenewablesourcelikesolar,wind,orhydroelectricpower.Theconsumptionofthisenergyisthenturnedintothesecondaryenergyconsumptioncategory,electricity.Thesecondarycategoryofenergyconsumption,electricity,iswhatbusinessesandresidencesusedailytotakepartinsociety4. Howbadisenergyconsumption? Energyconsumptionisnecessary.However,themethodsweusetocreatetheenergyweneedcanhurttheenvironmentandsociety.Thewayswegenerateelectricityforconsumptioncancontributetogreenhouseemissionsandspeeduptheharmfuleffectsofclimatechange. Burningfossilfuelscanproducegaseslikecarbondioxideandmethane,whichtrapsthesun'senergyonearth,preventingitfrombeingreleasedbackintospace.Thiscanincreasetheearth'ssurfacetemperatureandwarmouroceans.Whenthetemperaturerisesonthelandandintheoceans,thefrequencyandseverityofstormsystemscanskyrocket.Theincreaseinsurfacetemperatures,combinedwithchangesinrainandsnowfallpatterns,canproduceextensiveareasthatundergodrought-likeconditions.Droughtscanleadtoadecreaseinagriculturalproduction,ariseinlivestockdeaths,anduncontrollablewildfires. Otheradverseconsequencesofenergyconsumptionincludepollutionandenvironmentaldegradation.Theinstallationoflargeenergyprojectscanhaveharmfuleffectsontheenvironmentandthepopulationsinthatarea.Clearingoutlandanddestroyinganimalhabitatstoconstructalargeenergyinfrastructurecanhavedevastatingeffectsonalocalecosystem.Ifthereisapipelineburstoroilspill,itoftencreatesanenvironmentaldisasterthatcanhavealargeimpactonthelocalenvironmentandcommunity,sometimesforseveraldecades. Whatarethethreelargestsourcesofenergyconsumptionintheworld? Thethreelargestsourcesofenergyconsumptionareoil,coal,andgas,withtheU.S.beingthelargestconsumerofoilintheworld.Oilisusedinmanyindustries,anditcanberefinedintogasoline,whichthenprovidestheprimaryfuelsourcefortheworld'stransportation.Individualsconsumegasolinefortheirautomobiles,andforshippingandreceivinggoodsandservices. Coalisstillalargeenergy-producingfuelsource.Manycoalpowerplantsstillarefullyoperational,especiallyinChinaandIndia.Steadily,countriesaremovingawayfromcoal,butfornow,itstillhasaplaceinthegrandschemeoftheworld'stotalenergyconsumption5. Whattypesofenergydoyouuseinyourdailylife? Therearemanywaysthatyouuseenergythroughoutyourdailylife,andtheycanvarydependingonwhatyourday-to-daylookslike.Doyouworkathomeorinanoffice?Doyouliketokeepyourlivingareasupercoldduringthesummer?Doyouwanttolistentomusic,watchTV,and/orbrowsetheinternetinyourleisure?Dependingonhowyouliveyourlife,yourenergyconsumptionandenergydemandscanvary. Intheresidentialsector,thefollowingaremajortypesofenergyusage6: Electricity:Inalmosteveryhome,electricityisused.Whilewehaveseentheaverageusageperhouseholddecline,thedemandisstillverymuchpresent.Theslidecanbeattributedtobuildinginsulationandmaterialsimprovements,energy-efficientappliancesandsystemsandpopulationsmigratingtoareaswithlessheatingandcoolingdemand. Naturalgas:Asof2020,naturalgasaccountedfor42%ofenergyconsumptionintheresidentialsector.Wecanusenaturalgasforspaceandwaterheating,cooking,clothesdryingandotherhouseholdactivities. Petroleum:Followingnaturalgas,petroleumwasthenextmost-consumedenergysourcein2020asfarastheresidentialsectorisconcerned. Renewableenergysources:In2020,solarenergy,geothermalenergyandwoodfuelsaccountedforapproximately7%ofenergyusageintheresidentialsector. Energyusageperhouseholdcanvarydependingonlocationandclimate,thetypeofhome,efficiencyofappliances,numberofresidentsinthefamily,physicalcharacteristicsinthehouseandmore.Whilethesefactorsmayvary,socanouractions.Ascontributingmembersofsociety,weshouldalladdresswayswecanreduceourenergyusage.Startfocusingonwhattypesofenergyyouusethemostandhowyoucanreduceusage.Itwouldsurpriseyouhowjustafewsimplehabitscanmakeanoticeabledifferenceinyourusage. Whichmonthhasthehighestenergyconsumption? EnergyconsumptionintheUnitedStatesisthehighestinJulyandAugust,whentemperaturespeak.Manybusinessesandresidencesneedtoruntheirairconditioningunitsthroughoutthedaytoensuretheirindoorenvironmentistemperature-controlledandsafe.Withasteadyincreaseinthefrequency,durationandintensityofsummerheatwaves,havingafunctioningACisnolongersimplyaluxury;itisanecessity.Ittakesalotofenergytohandlealltheelectricitydemandsofanactivesociety.WhenyouaddinextremetemperaturesandincreasedACuse,itcansometimesstraintheelectricalgrid.Thisiswhy,attimes,youmayexperienceorhearaboutrollingblackoutsandpowerfailuresfromelectricalgridsbecomingoverloaded. Itisestimatedthatair-conditioningequipmentisusedinabout87%ofhomeswithintheUnitedStates.DuringJulyandAugust,youcanseeenergyconsumptiongraduallyrisethroughoutthedayasthetemperatureincreases.Peakenergyconsumptionusuallyhappensbetweenfiveandsixintheevening7. Whyyoushouldconsidercleanenergyforyourhome Cleanenergy(alsoknownasrenewableenergy)isderivedfromrenewable,zero-emissionssources.Itisenergydrawnfromnaturalprocessesthatareregenerativeovershortperiodsandcan'tbedepleted.Themostcommonrenewableenergyresourcesaresolar,wind,biomass,geothermal,andhydropower. Examplesofcleanenergyuseinthehomemayinclude:usingenergy-efficientlightbulbs,installingsolarpanels,andinsulatingyourattic. Energyefficiencycanbenefityourhomeinamyriadofways: Itcansaveyoumoneybyloweringyourelectricandgasutilitybills. Itcanmaintainthetemperatureofyourhome,makingitmorecomfortable. Itimprovestheindoorairqualitythatyourfamilyandpetsbreatheeveryday. Itmaintainsthelongevityofyourhomeandincreasesitsoverallvalue. Itmaycorrectseveralunderlyinghealthhazardsandsafetyissuesfromgas-emittingequipment. Itcanincreaseyourhousehold'slevelofindependence,reducingyourhome'sdependenceonoilandcoal. Itcansignificantlyreducetheharmfuleffectyourhomehasontheenvironment. Overall,thereareveryfew—ifany—downsidestoreducingtheamountofenergyyouuseinyourhome.You'llsavemoney,improveairquality,andyou'llbetakingstepstowardsacleanerandmoresustainablelifestyle. Asyoulearnedinthisarticle,therearemanywaysyoucansaveenergyathome.Anotherwayyoucansaveenergyathomeisbyswitchingtoaproviderthatcansaveenergywhilesavingyoumoney.AsanInspiremember,youcanaccesscleanenergyforoneflatprice. Sohowdoesitwork? Togetstarted,visitourhomepageandenteryouraddressand/orZIPCode.DiscoverthebeginningofconsistentandpredictablemonthlyenergybillswhenyoubecomeanInspiremember. Access100%cleanenergyforoneflatmonthlyprice—subscribetoday. financeguru.com/news/average-electric-bill↩ eu.usatoday.com/story/money/economy/2018/08/24/where-youll-pay-the-most-in-electric-bills/36600427↩ epa.gov/statelocalenergy/state-energy-efficiency-benefits-and-opportunities↩ eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts↩ ourworldindata.org/energy-mix↩ eia.gov/energyexplained/use-of-energy/homes.php↩ eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=42915↩ Don'tworryaboutclimatechange—dosomethingaboutit.Ourcleanenergyplansaretheeasiestwaytoreduceyourhome'scarbonfootprint.Switchtocleanenergy→SharethisarticleInspireCleanEnergy—We'reonamissiontotransformthewaypeopleaccesscleanenergyandaccelerateanet-zerocarbonfuture.LearnmoreaboutInspire→TogetherwecanpoweragreenerfutureGetrenewabletoday→GetthelatestclimateupdatesdirecttoyourinboxSignUpByenteringyouremailyouagreetoInspire'sElectronicCommunicationsDisclosure©2022Inspire.Allrightsreserved.TermsofusePrivacynotice