Friday, March 11, 2011

Tips for reducing your energy consumption

Conserving the electricity you use often boils down to what's plugged in. You can generally assume something plugged in is ALWAYS sucking electricity even if it's not in use.  Here are some tips to help you reduce your energy consumption.

Use a power strip for your computer, printers, and other computer equipment. This can protect the devices during electrical surge, and provides an easy way to unplug all those energy sucking electronic devices in one pull.
Electrical appliances, such as toasters and coffee makers, as well as cell phone and other device chargers continue to draw small amount of electricity even when off or not charging. Hence, it is best to unplug them after use.

Do you have a second refrigerator or freezer in the garage?  It may be costing you hundreds year in electricity just to store excess beverages and bulk groceries.

Laptops use less energy than desktops. If your desktop is ready for replacement, consider the versatile laptop.

Other draws on your electric bill are related to heating and cooling your house. Keeping your heating and cooling units clean and maintained will save money on energy.  If your furnace or AC unit are older, getting them replaced with an Energy Star until maybe a good return on your investment.

This is not a comprehensive list, just a few points to get you thinking about your energy usage.  There are books you can buy that dig deep into this topic. If you want a full professional evaluation, get an energy audit.  Some utility companies will offer them for free and some states will reimburse you the cost if you have to pay.

Happy conserving!
Check out more ways to GO GREEN!

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