How much electricity do you use at home? If your monthly energy bill makes your eyes water, there’s a good chance that you use a good deal more than you need to. And with energy prices continuing to steadily increase, there’s no better time than now to understand how to reduce your electrical consumption.
But how can you cut back on the electricity you use without going back to the primitive days of cooking over a fire and lighting your home with candles? Here are some practical tips that won’t make you feel like you’re cutting back.
1. Understand Where Your Power Goes
You won’t know that you’re reducing your electrical consumption until you know how much you’re using right now, so start by tracking your energy usage with a smart meter or energy monitoring device.
This is a quick and easy way to identify high-consumption appliances, which you can target on your electricity-reducing plan going forward. Also take a look at your monthly bills and see if there are any patterns and spikes that you can attest to certain seasons or periods where you’re using appliances more than normal.
2. Get a Professional Energy Audit
For an even more extensive understanding of your electricity use, consider hiring a professional electrician like BreakerPro to conduct an energy audit on your home.
Beyond the more obvious stuff, these audits can help you identify hidden issues like wiring issues or overloaded circuits. Your electrician can offer fixes and recommend updates if necessary.
3. Switch to Energy-Efficient Lighting
If you can’t remember the last time you changed the lightbulbs in your home, there’s a good chance that they’re an inefficient bulb type, like incandescent or halogen.
It’s worth switching to LED bulbs ASAP, since these use far less energy (up to 80% less) to produce the same amount of light, which really adds up when you’re keeping the lights on for hours during the darker months.
4. Unplug Devices When They’re Not in Use
One of the simplest ways to reduce your electricity bill is to unplug devices like your TV and microwave when you’re not using them.
Standby power, which is also known as phantom load, occurs when your devices are plugged in and still consume a small amount of power for features like clocks and lights, which can unnecessarily add to your bills over time. Get into the habit of unplugging any devices that don’t need to be on 24/7 whenever you’ve finished using them.
5. Use Appliances More Efficiently
Finally, the way you use your appliances can make a difference when it comes to reducing your electricity usage.
A big one is only using your dishwasher and washing machine when you’ve got a full load. Also, use cold water in your washing machine unless you need to give your laundry a deeper clean, and air-dry your clothes whenever you can. Some people even choose to give up their dishwasher and clothes dryer, so they don’t have the option to use them at all. They’re nice to have, but not necessary for most homes!
