We all know that turning off the light when you leave the room is a good idea, but when it's time to get serious about reducing your electricity bills, where do you start?
Understand Your Usage
The first step is understanding where you use electricity. This audit will help you identify where you’re using electricity so you can reduce your electricity usage and lower your electric bill. This home energy audit will help you identify areas for improvement in making your home more energy efficient.
Improve Control
If you haven’t replaced your thermostat in the last five years, you are in for a surprise. Programmable thermostats? Good, but a thing of the past. New thermostats are wi-fi or z-wave enabled, so you can manage the thermostat through your smart phone. Forget to adjust the thermostat? Control it from your phone, tablet or PC. Some home automation systems even adjust the thermostat automatically when you set your alarm system.
Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat |
| Amazon Rating: 4 stars |
| Mobile App: Yes |
| LCD Display: Yes |
Honeywell 7 Day Programmable Wi-Fi Enabled Thermostat |
| 4 stars |
| Yes |
| No |
Nest Learning Thermostat - 2nd Generation T200577 |
| 4 stars |
| Yes |
| Yes |
ecobee EB-STAT-02 Smart Thermostat 4 Heat-2 Cool with Full Color Touch Screen |
| 4 stars |
| Yes |
| Yes |
Monitor Your Usage
Most customers in Texas have access to their usage data in 15-minute intervals, through Smart Meter Texas. To manage all this data, some retail electricity providers report this data to you, so you can easily track usage week over week by day and time of day, with weather overlays. Here’s an example from Champion Energy.
Check
your Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system regularly for dirt and grime. A dirty filter can really slow down your HVAC system's airflow. It makes your system work harder to keep you warm or cool and consequently, costs you more money. You can also get an annual or semi-annual tune-up of your HVAC system to help it run more efficiently.
Clean or replace
air filters every 3 month – A dirty filter can make your system work harder and run longer than necessary. They also encourage the buildup of mold and mildew, making cleaning more difficult.
Shade
outside air conditioning units – A/C units shaded by trees or other means work more efficiently and use up to 10% less electricity.
Clean
your A/C’s condenser/evaporator coils at the beginning of the season. Clean coils lower your energy costs, extend the unit’s life and provide cleaner air for you to breathe.
The incandescent light bulbs that we have been so used to are starting to phase out as the introduction of LED (Light Emitting Diode lamps) and CFLs (Compact Fluorescent lamps) prove to be more energy efficient and cost effective for your home. They use up to 80 percent less energy and can last up to 25 times longer.
CFLs were introduced in the 90s as a replacement to incandescent bulbs to be more energy efficient for your home. However, with advancement in technology, LED lighting saves energy, lasts longer, and produces less heat, helping you reduce your electricity bills.
Lower Energy Bill
LEDs require significantly less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, replacing your 60-watt incandescents with 12-watt LEDs will reduce your per-bulb electricity costs by about 70 to 80 percent – a greater reduction than you’d achieve with CFLs, halogen lamps or energy-saving incandescents.
Why LEDs are better than CFLs
Spend Less on Light Bulbs
- Replacing light bulbs with LED light bulbs will last longer.
- Get the same amount of light for less money. Upgrading 15 of the inefficient incandescent light bulbs in your home could save you about $50 per year.
The Oven
- Think glass. Glass and ceramic pans allow you to reduce cooking temps by 25°F. The best part? You don’t have to increase your cooking time.
- No peeking. Well, keep it to a minimum at least. Try to keep your oven door closed while baking. Every time you open it, you’re losing up to 50°!
- Nix the Aluminum Foil. Food cooks more efficiently in ovens where air can circulate freely. Foil traps heat, making the cooking process inefficient. Tip* Stagger pans on upper and lower racks to improve airflow.
The Stovetop
- Use a flat-bottomed pan. Cookware that’s flat maintains good contact with the heat below it, allowing for better distribution of energy.
- Let trapped heat do some of the work. Turn off your stove burner a few minutes early when boiling your pastas and veggies. The hot water and steam will continue to cook those side dishes so you don’t have to use all that extra energy.
- If you like it, then put a lid on it. Cooking without lids can use up to THREE TIMES as much energy. Don’t let heat escape!
- Keep the pressure on. Pressure cookers cook at higher temperatures and reduce cooking time.
- Keep water use to a minimum. The more water you use, the more energy is required to bring it to a boil and keep it at that higher temp.
The Fridge
- Close the door when you’re done. We all have opened the fridge up and stared into it for a while, dreaming our favorite treat will magically appear. Let’s be mindful that there are better ways to cool off your kitchen. Try not to keep the fridge door open longer than necessary.
- Cool off your food before storing it. Putting warm food in the fridge raises the temperature. The fridge has to work hard to lower it—this can bump up your energy costs.
- Don’t overfill it. Much like overeating during the holidays, going over capacity in any sense can be a bad thing. Overfilling the fridge, in particular can block air vents, restrict air circulation and reduce energy efficiency.
- Keep it at the right temps. 38°-40° is optimal.
The Microwave
- Great for leftovers – Microwaves use 30-80% less energy than conventional ovens when reheating food.
The Dishwasher
- Load it up – Dishwashers use the same amount of water regardless of how full they are; full loads equal fewer loads. Running it once in the evening will use less water and energy than washing the dishes by hand throughout the day.
- Economy mode – Many dishwashers have optional settings that consume less energy and water.
- Air dry – Letting your dishes air dry instead of using the heated dry cycle will reduce your energy usage.
Windows
During hot months, keep window coverings closed on the south, east and west windows.
Vents
If you have central air conditioning, do not close vents in unused rooms. This could increase pressure and cause leaks in your ducts.
Laundry
When washing and drying clothes, make sure to adjust your washing cycle to match the size of the load and use cold water whenever possible. Use the low heat setting on the dryer when you can.
Leaks
- Caulk it up. Add caulk or weather-stripping to seal air leaks around leaky doors and windows.
- Find and seal leaks. Seal the air leaks around utility cut-throughs for pipes (“plumbing penetrations”), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets.
