By Taivan Acer
The first thing that Google will tell you if you ask how to save energy at home is to buy appliances with Energy Star labels. After all, that investment in this new technology is well-worth your money. It is less expensive now than it was a decade ago. You can get an energy-efficient fan for less than $35. Air-conditioning unit with inverter technology costs around $900 to $1,500, depending on the horsepower. Unfortunately, with the economy and the health crisis battering families, buying a new appliance isn’t the most practical thing for them to do.
So, what can you do if you cannot invest in a new appliance for now? What are the options available for you? How can you cut down your energy bill without needing to troop to the store?
Use Cold Water as Much as Possible
Old water heaters use a lot of power and can cause your energy bill to balloon. The best thing to do is to get a water heater replacement. But if this is not possible, you can go the old way and use cold water then heat it using your gas range. Using cold water (or whatever the temperature the water that comes from your faucet is in) saves energy. Simply turning the faucet lever to hot can cause a huge spike in power usage. Yes, even if you turn it to cold again and the water does not reach the faucet.
When washing your clothes, use cold water. Many people tend to use warm water because it’s more ideal. However, it basically does the same thing to your clothes. Cold water can still clean your clothes with today’s high-efficiency detergents.
Turn Off the Fan When You Leave the Room (But Don’t the Same for the AC)
Fans have no capacity to cool the air. What it does is to blow warm water toward the people in the room to cool them down. When you leave the room, the motor from the fan will actually add more heat. Don’t you notice that when you are sitting behind the fan, the air in your part is warmer? Turn the fan off when you leave the room because it consumes energy and it makes the room warmer.
The same logic does not apply to an air-conditioning unit. The AC system takes time to cool a room. When you leave the room for a while and turn the AC off, it’s going to use energy again to cool the room to the temperature you desire. If you are leaving the room only for 10 minutes or so, it is much smarter not to let the AC work harder to cool it down when you enter the room again.
Draw Your Curtains Close During the Day
The idea is not to let the warm air get into your house. Whether you are using the air-conditioning or simply the fan, letting the warm air get in will double the work of the device. For air-conditioning, the hot air will make it harder for it to cool the room down. It will use more energy than necessary; even more than its usual consumption.
During winter, the opposite happens. You still shouldn’t let the air from outside get in because it will affect the power consumption of the heater. Another technique you can do is to rearrange the furniture, so you can take advantage of the weather. For example, you can place the dining table near a window, so you can crack it open when it’s hot inside the room.
Cover Food That You Put in the Refrigerator
Uncovered food and drink in the refrigerator force the compressor to work harder. The problem is that food produces and releases moisture that can also get trapped in the cooling system. Cover the plate with plastic wrap. Or, better yet, use reusable plastic containers with lids, so you don’t have to throw away the plastic wrap.
Unplug Devices
Do you know what vampire power is? It refers to the power that devices waste when they are turned off, but still plugged in. Most newer devices like smart TV simply goes on standby mode when turned off. Make sure to unplug it so it doesn’t draw power. Unplug also your chargers since they can also contribute to your rising energy bill.
Not being able to invest in and afford energy-efficient appliances should not be the reason for you to pay high energy bills. There are other ways to save on power in your home. Studies said that although not as effective as an energy-efficient appliance, these simple things can cut your energy bill by as much as 30%.
