Do you know that energy consumption accounts for a large chunk of your monthly household expenses? According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average monthly electricity bill is $115-$1380 per year. Of course, your energy bills might be higher or lower depending on where you live, size of your home and the number of appliances and devices that you use.
Turn off your HVAC unit
There’s no need to leave your heating or air conditioning unit on when you’re not at home or no one is in specific rooms. For example, if you live in a 2-bed flat, only turn on the cooling or heating in areas of the home that are occupied.
It’s wasteful to turn it on in rooms that no one’s in just because you want to keep the room warm or cool. Most HVAC units are so efficient they’ll cool or warm a room within 3-5 minutes of turning them on, so the space will be comfortable within minutes.
Use your thermostat optimally
Did you know that you can save up to 10 percent of your heating and cooling costs if you optimised your thermostat?
The Department of Energy states that setting your thermostat at 78ºF in the summer and 68ºF in the winter will provide the highest energy efficiency, and reduce your energy costs. Therefore, even if you or your housemates aren’t accustomed to this temperature, consider trying this in your home.
Switch to community solar
If you choose solar energy as an alternative means of energy for your home, you could save a lot of money in the future. However, most people struggle with the initial upfront costs associated with solar panel installations.
This is where community solar providers come in. These providers offer a way for consumers to enjoy the same electricity without any downtime for a guaranteed 10% savings. Community solar works in the same manner as your energy provider.
The only difference is instead of other sources of energy, the utility company gets its power from solar farms and then transmits the power to you. All you have to do is fill out a form and you’ll automatically get a 10 percent discount on your average monthly bill.
Joining a community solar initiative not only saves you money, but also helps the country and county cut down on carbon emissions so climate change can be stalled and, hopefully, reversed.
Unplug devices and appliances
It doesn’t matter if your appliances or devices are turned off. As long as they’re plugged into the power socket, they’ll still consume electricity. This is why you should consider actually unplugging all your devices when they’re not in use.
This way, they won’t keep consuming electricity when they’re not actually in use. Most people aren’t aware that their devices still consume power. These ‘leakages’ contribute to your energy consumption, resulting in higher energy bills.
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