The energy-conscious customers of Experts In Your Home appreciate tips, especially with regard to reducing their electric bill. This makes our relationship perfectly symbiotic because we gets a legitimate charge from passing these tips along.
But we also understand that no one can do everything at once, especially at this time of year, when your resources – from your time to your money – might be stretched to the limit.
So how do you manage these somewhat competing objectives? Simple. Limit yourself to visiting only two neighboring aisles of your favorite home improvement store to pick up the products that will most assuredly help reduce your electric bill. (And these are products endorsed by the U.S. Department of Energy, not your favorite home improvement store.)
Aisle 1: Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs
Making the switch to energy-efficient light bulbs is a sure-fire way to slash your electric bill. “Compared to traditional incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) can yield as much as 75 percent energy savings and last 10 times longer,” the department says.
You might not wish to replace all the bulbs in your home at once; energy-efficient bulbs do cost more than incandescents. So try enacting a house-wide “bulb replacement program” in which you replace a few bulbs at a time – say, maybe five or six at a time.
“By replacing your home's five most frequently used light fixtures or bulbs with models that have earned the Energy Star (designation), you can save $75 each year,” the department says. With regular use – or about four hours a day – a CFL should pay for itself in energy savings in less than nine months – all while saving you money on your electric bill.
Since the wattage numbers vary among incandescents and CFLs, replace:
- 60-watt bulbs with 13-watt CFLs and use 78 less energy
- 75-watt bulbs with 18-watt CFLs and use 76 less energy
- 100-watt incandescent bulbs with 23-watt CFLs and use 77 less energy
- Recessed lighting with reflector CFLs and use 75 less energy
- Globe bulbs for vanity mirrors with globe CFLs and use 75 less power
Aisle 2: Advanced Power Strips
Every electronic device that you leave plugged in – whether it's turned on or off – constantly draws energy. This continuous drain is known as a “phantom” or “vampire” load because it drains energy from your home and money from your pocket – probably to the tune of about $200 a year, says the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Advanced power strips help stem these losses even more effectively than standard power strips. “By replacing your standard power strip with an APS, you can significantly cut the amount of electricity used by your home office and entertainment center devices and save money on your electric bill,” the lab says.
Advanced power strips also are known as “smart” power strips – and for good reason. Consider your choices:
- Timer power strip, which turns off outlets based on a pre-set schedule
- Activity monitor power strip, which scans for activity in a room and turns off outlets when none is detected
- Remote switch power strip, which can be turned off remotely
- Master-controlled power strip, which turns off peripheral devices (such as a printer or fax machine) when the primary device (such as the computer) is turned off
- Masterless power strip, which turns off power to the outlets completely when all devices have been turned off
No matter how economical they may be, making changes in how you “run” your home can inspire a few questions along the way. Contact a Chico electrician at Experts In Your Home for all the help you need in “flipping the switch” to these energy-saving strategies.
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