Simple Ways to Save Electricity around the Home
Electricity is a necessity in every home. As a matter of fact, no matter how beautiful or attractive a house may look, if there is no power supply, it is assumed the building is yet to be completed. Unfortunately, electricity bill turns out to be one of the major bills we pay in our homes. It is worthy of note that you should save cost by curtailing the excesses of the bills we pay. This is done by regulating some of the appliances we use at home. On the hand, some house appliances are not even needed in the sense that you can still do without them. Here are some of the ways through which you can save electricity around and within your home.
Thermostat as a Way to Save Electricity
Thermostat is very important in homes. It is usually one of the devices that are found in houses located in extreme cold countries of the world. However, most countries that experiences winter season actually make this device readily available at affordable price to home owners as it is very vital. Thermostat is a device that regulates temperature within an environment or in another device. Thermostat can be fixed in; homes, vehicles, pressing iron, etc. As a matter of fact, it works with the principle of expansion and contraction of two or more bimetallic strips of varying expansions.
In homes, thermostats are needed to regulate temperature in order not to get the interior part of the house too cold or hot. Thermostat as a device is an energy consuming appliance which when kept on at all times will end up resulting in very high bills. It is therefore very advisable to know when it is most useful in your homes. Now, during summer times, the weather is usually very hot and as a result, our homes are on the high side of temperature. It is very necessary at this period to make more use of air conditioner than heater. Based on this fact, thermostat is not always needed instead you can make good use of AC.
On the other hand, during winter, you experience extreme cold that can cause unnecessary illness to you. In this period, you need more of heater. The thermostat which is attached to heater can be turned on in order to regulate the temperature of your home. Thus; thermostat is usually very important during winter season. Now, in order to save electricity, you should know when thermostat is not needed most and as a result, you can turn it off. This will help you to save excess bill in your home.
2. Lighting as a Way to Save Electricity
Lighting points are very important in your home and can quite save electricity in your home. If used carefully, it can go a long way in saving cost but if used carelessly, it will end up attracting painful unnecessary bills to you. Every room in homes is expected to have one or two lighting points. It is very important to know that most rooms do not even need these lights on during the day owing to the number of windows in them. Especially, rooms at every edge of a house will always have two window spaces; each at different views of the room. In this case, the room will have access to natural light from the sun more than rooms at the middle of a particular view of the building.
However, there are points you should note when you have to save electricity through lighting and they include;
- Put off lighting points in rooms where the occupants of your home are not making use of whether in the day or in the night.
- Switch off most lighting points during the day time as sunlight will always illuminate your home
- Rooms at the edge of your home do not necessarily need much lighting points owing to the fact that they will have access to natural light from the sun through two different views.
- Energy saving bulbs should be used in place of hot filament bulbs.
3. Appliances as a Way to Save Electricity
The way your appliances are used in your home is very vital in maintaining low bills. Appliances are very essential and must be needed at one point in time or the other. To save electricity in your homes, appliances you used must be carefully selected and used correctly. The appliances that you must have to use with caution in your home in order to save cost include;
- Electric Pressing Iron
- Washing machine
- Heater
- Air Conditioner
- Refrigerator
- Electric Boiling rings
- Dryer
- Hot plates, etc.
It may interest you to note that most appliance with hot filament are usually highly energy consuming. Try as much as possible to reduce their usage. Here in a tabular form some vital note to take on appliance usage.
| Appliances | Usage |
| Electric Pressing Iron | Go for clothes that do not need too much ironing. Use Pressing Iron with low power rating |
| Washing Machine | Use washing machine of lower power rating Wash periodically and not daily but with respect to color differences. Wash mostly with cold water instead of hot water to make the clothes remain straight after washing. This will reduce too much ironing. |
| Dryer | Dry mostly in the sun |
| Electric Boiling rings, Hot Plates, etc | Use more of gas cooker in place of all these. |
| Water Heater | Always set your thermostat |
| Refrigerator | Reduce usage during winter |
| Air Conditioner | Reduce usage during winter |
| Television | Use more of modern TV such as LCD or LED in place of the old electron TVs. |
4. Water as a Way to Save Electricity
Water is very useful in your home. However, the supply of water is not all that cheap owing to the processes it must have to pass through before going to its final destination. Hence, in order to save electricity, it is very important you control the excesses of water usage in your home. We use water in many places in our home such as;
- Laundry
- Dishwasher
- Garden
- Bathroom
- Toilet, etc.
It may interest you to know that most hose and pipe used in the supply of water in your home help to either increase or reduce your bills. Therefore, to avoid excess water usage, you can use pipes and hoses with smaller cross sectional areas so as to have moderated supply of water. As a matter of fact, when appliances that require water are receiving moderated amount or volume water, they will not consume unnecessary electric energy. This is because; these appliances will not work for too long. For instance, when little water is supplied to electric water heater, it will take less time and electric energy to get the water heated as compared to when the water volume is large.
5. Electric Oven as a Way to Save Electricity
This appliance is an all important appliance in your kitchen which can either save electricity or increase the cost depending on the usage. Unfortunately, it consumes quite a lot of electric energy when not used properly. It may interest you to note that ovens are most effective during summer periods than in winter. This is because; the surrounding temperature is already high in summer periods. Thus; oven heat gets high easily during this season so much electric energy is not required. During winter, Oven requires quite a long time to heat owing to the fact that the temperature is very low. This invariably consumes a whole lot of energy. However, it is very advisable to reduce oven usage during summer in order to save electricity. You can go for an alternative maybe gas oven during this period.
6. Appliance Cleanliness as a Way to Save Electricity
Dirtiness in some home appliances in one way reduces their performance. This on the other will lead to more unnecessary energy consumption. For instance, dust in your Air Conditioner will inhibit proper air flow and as a result, your home will not get the adequate cooling you desire. The same is applicable to other appliances. When the oven is dirty too, the heating time is prolonged and this does not in any way save electricity in your home.
7. Fireplace as a Way to Save Electricity
Fireplace is a good substitute for heaters. In order to save electricity, you should have fireplace installed in your home. As a matter of fact, it is very useful during winter and less useful during summer. However, there are actually one or two things you must have to do in order to keep it maintained;
- Always clear the chimney of any wood if it is wood fireplace
- Always call on experts to clear the fire ways
- Use thermostat to regulate the temperature of the fireplace
- Ensure the fireplace is properly sealed to avoid leakages to other rooms where the heat is not needed.
- Close the damper when the fireplace is not actually in use.
8. Energy Source as a Way to Save Electricity
The source of your electric energy is also very vital in energy savings. There are various sources of energy such as;
- Solar energy
- Hydro energy
- Gas energy
- Nuclear energy, etc.
As a matter of fact, these sources of electric energy do not have the same consumption billing rate. You can investigate the best form of energy that will save electricity around your home.
9. Make Good Use of Windows as a Way to Save Electricity
Good ventilation is one of the keys in reducing the cost of electricity in your home. Windows save electricity in various ways. They include;
- It reduces the way you use fan or Air Conditioner
- It serves as a source of illumination to your home thereby reducing lighting usage.
- You may not need dryer this time around as the heat from the sun can simply dry up your clothes.
- During winter, you may not need much thermostat settings or heater as your window will stop the entrance of cold air into your home when properly sealed.
Below is the graphical representation of semester energy consumption around your home in watt hours;
In order to save electricity, all these facts enumerated above must be closely and carefully adhered to. This will not only save you from too much exorbitant bills but will also ensure your comfort too.