Winter may still be a few short months away. But it’s never too soon for you to start thinking about how you can lower your electrical bills. Now is a good time for you to get a head start on upgrading your home and making improvements to enhance its energy efficiency. You should also consider making a few lifestyle changes so you can have more money in the bank for the holiday season. Check out the following suggestions. Let us know what you think, and if you have any tips to would like to share with others.
How Smart Is Your Home?
Programmable thermostats take all the guesswork out of trying to regulate the temperature in your home. They are very easy to use and can save you up to $200 a year. They work by turning on your heating and cooling devices when you’re home and awake and turning them down when you’re not. If you’re not familiar with programmable devices, then there is a small learning curve you’ll need to master.
Initially, you’ll set the thermostat by hand from the first few days so the device can learn your preferences. Afterward, it’ll automatically warm and cool your home according to the information it stored from your manual adjustments. Keep in mind that if your home is drafty or takes a long time to heat or cool, the thermostat will modify its performance for better comfort and efficiency. If you’re looking for some good brands of programmable thermostats, Nest, Honeywell and ecobee are good ones to consider.
Getting Rid of the Old Kitchen Appliances
Many people would be surprised to learn that some of their favorite and oldest kitchen appliances are robbing their homes of energy. Almost 20 percent of your home’s energy use comes from the appliances. Your energy usage may be slightly higher depending on how old your appliances are.
The easiest and most cost-efficient way for you to keep your devices from wasting so much energy is to upgrade them. Replace them with Energy-Star certified equipment. Once you do, you’ll notice some great improvements in your energy bills. They’ll be much lower. You’ll also get to enjoy some of the newer features that come with new appliances that can make your household much easier to manage.
Don’t Stop With the Kitchen Appliances
Take a good look at the other appliances in your home like the water heater, washing machine, and dryers. If those devices are more than 8-10 years old, you should consider replacing them. If you think you’ve got a few years of life left in your water heater, keep this in mind. Traditional water heaters constantly use energy to keep your water warm, so it’s easier to heat up when you need it. New tankless water heaters use considerably less energy because they heat the water you need on demand. There’s no energy being wasted on heating the water in a tank because it doesn’t have one.
We know it can be a bit expensive to replace several household appliances at once, which is why we recommend you do a few at a time. Either way, if you’re planning to live in your current home for the next several years, you’ll save more money with newer, Energy-Star rated appliances.
Get an Electrical Wiring Audit
Sometimes the biggest drain on your household energy is an electrical problem. Because electrical problems can be hard for the average person to define, we recommend for you to have an electrician to assess your home’s wiring. They can inform you about any problems that exist, such as damaged or faulty wiring, not enough electrical sockets and low voltage for your home’s electrical needs.
For more advice on how to get your home ready for the cooler months, give us at Gervais Electric a call at 615-965-8420.
