How to Save on Energy Costs Without Remodeling

The virtues of energy consumption are many: we save money and help reduce our enormous carbon footprint. There are many changes people can make to their daily lifestyles to encourage conscious living and save energy. Ultimately, these steps are only superficial unless we also incorporate habits that avoid energy. Keep reading for new ideas to save you money!

AROUND YOUR HOME

1) Exorcise phantom loads: About 5% of our total energy use goes to keep appliances on after we've turned them off! TVs, battery chargers, computers and other electronics draw power regardless of whether the on button has been pressed; this means they turn on faster and often display the time and so forth. When I started unplugging my tv and vcr at night, I noticed my electricity bill dropped noticeably (a few dollars a month) and that there wasn't a distant hum in the background anymore. If you want to leave some cords plugged in, use Smart Power strips that allow you to cut power to certain plugged in items while leaving others on.

2) Turning down the thermostat vs. using a space heater: The US Dept of Energy runs the math for lowering thermostat temperature as follows: every 24 hours, a 1° decrease in heating temperature will save you 3% of your heating bill. So if you turn your thermostat down 3°, you'll get a nearly 10% discount on your heating bill. But, turning down your heater too much just causes discomfort and is a sacrifice most of us won't make. If you primarily use one or two rooms in your house during the day, though, turn your heat way down and invest in a tower space heater for each of those rooms you use. This will allow you to stay warm, but also avoid heating rooms you rarely go into. Look for one that will easily let you maintain the temperature. Mine has a thermostat and when you reach the desired temperature, you can shift the heat to low, which maintains a constant temperature.