Do you feel that nervous feeling in your stomach just before opening that power use bill? It is no surprise gas continues to go up in price, but were you aware that electric prices are going up too?
Reduce the amount of energy - 02:17 min.
This is not an article about gas vs electric, most homes need and use both. You obviously can not just stop your electric use or your power use. But there are definitely simple ways to reduce the electrical use around the house.
The first step in reducing any power use or electric use is simply awareness. Most people take for granted everything in their household and are not really aware of their power use or electric use at all. Now that you can make yourself aware, you start to see things you can do to reduce the power use.
Next, start limiting your electrical use. If you are not in a room, then turn off every non-essential electric use device that you can. Sounds like common sense, right? Again, the whole awareness thing. How many times have you left the light on in a room to go to do something in another room? How many times is it that you get caught up in what you are doing and have left the empty room light on for several minutes or even hours?
That is just the lights! Several people have multiple televisions in different parts of the house today. But really, when was the last time you watched that TV in the bedroom, the spare bedroom, or the basement. Even though the TVs are turned off, they are still drawing electricity constantly to keep their capacitors full so you will get an instant screen when you turn it on. Is that really worth the electric use the TV uses if you only turn it on a handful of times a year? It may take a little more time, but would it be that much effort to just unplug it and plug it in when you want to watch it? You would not believe the electrical use you could save by just doing this.
Computer monitors count too. Many families have multiple computers, but never use that one in the family room. If a computer is not used daily, unplug it. There is not a need to keep that power use draw on your electric bill.
Do you have a cell phone charger or other battery type charges somewhere in the house that you just keep plugged in? I know I used to plug my phone in over night every night. It only took a little behavior change for me to charge it at the office instead. Chances are I am going to sit in front of a work computer for an hour or more, that is usually all the time it takes to charge a cell phone. Then your company pays for the electric use not you and your home bill.
There are also non use items like VCRs, DVD players, stereos, and other items probably being current energy suckers and they are not even being utilized.Take a tour around your house with your new awareness. See if you can not find things that probably do not need to be plugged and drawing electirc use all year long.
Another big difference can be made in electric use by changing all of your incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent light bulbs. Even better are the newly designed compact fluorescent light bulbs known also as CFLs. They give the light of 75 watt light bulb while only drawing 13 watts to do it.
There is a slight disadvantage. The CFLs are not instant bright light. They turn on instantly, but it may take a few moments before it is putting out the maximum light. But it is a small price to pay for the return on the electric use. Besides, you may not know this, but all incandescent lights bulbs will stop being made in 2009. So you might as well get use to using CFLs now and harvest the savings.
You can save power use and money when you have to purchase new appliances. When it comes time to replace that refrigerator, washer, dryer, stove, water heater, or whatever, make sure that your next replacement is a power conserving appliance. Most are energy star compliant. But even if the non energy star compliant appliance is cheaper, it is only temporary compared to the amount of electric use it is going to charge you vs the energy star compliant one. You may save a hundred dollars at purchase, but in the long run you are going to pay hundreds of dollars more from its power use.
Now you are armed with some real use knowledge. Really take the time to do an awareness tour around your house. I bet you will be surprised at the things you find to be able to reduce your power use.
About the Author: Ian Westynn. Protect your family from the high cost of home energy use! Save time and money with the ultimate step-by-step guide to energy independence! Stop the grasp that foreign energy companies have on you - http://enchantedtrader.com/myenergy
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