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We all love to receive mail, except when it comes to the inevitable power bill! To make your electricity bill a little easier on the pocket, we have compiled some electrical tips to help ease your electric consumption. All of these tips are simple to implement and can be used within your very own home:
Turn off any lights (including lamps) when you leave a room that you will no longer be using. Lights that stay on may not seem like a big deal but will add to your bill over time. When you leave the house, do not forget to turn off all the lights in your house. This little energy saving habit can save you about $12 a year.
Heating water uses a lot of electricity. Try to take a minute or two off your shower time, and don’t leave any hot water running while you brush your teeth or shave. A bonus with this habit is that you can save on water bills too – up to $30 a year! By easing your hot water consumption, you can save up to $25 a year.
Faulty electrical circuits will waste electricity. If you have any frayed wires that are connected to your appliances, these wires will heat up and consume extra energy. Wires can fray and deteriorate over time from aging, weather conditions and even from being chewed by animals. The wiring within the walls of your home are therefore also susceptible to fraying, especially if your home is older than a decade. Another type of faulty electrical circuit may be an incorrectly wired thermostat, causing the cooling and heating systems to run at the same time. This often happens when people DIY their thermostats. You should call Art Plumbing AC and Electric to have your thermostat safely installed to prevent this problem from occurring. We also have licensed electricians and plumbers who can fix electrical circuits and survey your home to look for any potential faulty or frayed wiring.
This is also a good habit to get into. Unplug any gadgets or electrical appliances that are currently not needing to be used or charged. You can save about $50 – $100 per year just pulling the plug on unused electronics and chargers!
A laptop only needs to be charged, but a desktop PC will constantly need power to stay on. If you have a laptop and a desktop PC, then opt for using your laptop instead – when appropriate of course. It makes a small difference in your electricity bill (about $11 a year), but it’s a difference nonetheless!
Put full loads of laundry into your washing machine. This will reduce the number of loads that you do, ultimately reducing electricity and water costs. Switch to cold water washes as well to reduce the electricity consumption per load. You can also save electricity by hanging your laundry to dry on a clothesline instead of using the dryer.
Cleaning the air conditioner and changing the filter regularly can save you up to $65 per year! Remember that Art Plumbing AC and Electric can service your air conditioner for you, and ensure that it will be running at peak efficiency.
LED bulbs are designed to save energy. They save more electricity because they are “directional” light sources, which means they are designed to emit light in a specific direction. Light emitted in specific directions will also emit heat with it, and emitted heat consumes electricity. The old incandescent bulbs waste a lot of heat and light, as their energy is not emitted to a specific direction, but are produced in all directions instead, and so heat is omitted in all directions too. These old bulbs release about 98% of their consumed energy through heat, while LED bulbs are much more energy efficient, using about a quarter of the energy that the incandescent bulbs use.
New appliances now have energy star ratings that tell you how much energy (electricity) they use. These are more expensive to buy, but they save on electricity bills within the years to come.
Renewable energy sources such as wind or solar energy will save you a lot of money over time. Again, like the energy star products, these are more expensive to buy, but are worth investing in as they save a lot of energy in the long run.
Art Plumbing, AC and Electric is based in South Florida, and we’ve got Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties covered for all your plumbing, air conditioning and electrical needs. Let us help you save energy!
