Important Steps to get you the Lowest Usage and Best Electricity DealsMany people are trying to find ways to conserve electricity. With electricity costs continuing to rise, more and more, renters are trying not to waste it. Not wasting energy is paramount to keeping your bills low but you need to start with the best ‘foundations’ possible, what I mean by this is you need to have the best electricity deals on the market as the base point/foundation. If you have the best electric rates available it means that what little energy you do use from the tips below will be at the greatest rates around. To do this you need to get your business electricity prices compared. However, there are many appliances that we use in our everyday lives that waste electricity. Here are five easy and effective ways you can start saving. - Unplug Appliances and Turn off Lights
When you’re not using appliances, make sure you turn them off. Sometimes you need to go one step further and unplug them. Many appliances still use electricity when they’re turned off, and this adds up. As a good rule of thumb, anything with a little clock or timer on it that stays on all the time should be unplugged when you’re not using it. Embrace natural light. Open up your curtains and let the sunshine in! Using natural light whenever possible instead of relying on artificial light can greatly reduce the amount of electricity you use during the day. The same is true whether you work in an office or spend your days in your house. Exposure to natural light also increases happiness, giving you an even greater incentive to raise the blinds. Try to arrange your workspace so that natural light floods your desk. Keep the overhead lights off when possible. When you need extra lighting, use a low-powered desk lamp instead. Buy curtains or blinds in a light shade. They will still allow light to come through, but also provide privacy when you need it. - Hand-Wash the Dishes
Another thing you can do to conserve electricity is wash dishes by hand. A dishwasher is a very helpful tool, but you really don’t need it. Hand washing your dishes saves energy. When you’re washing dishes by hand, make sure that hot water isn’t just running when you aren’t using it. The most efficient way to wash your dishes is to get a sink-full of hot water and use that to wash your plates and silverware. - Heating and AC Efficiency
If you leave the air conditioning on in your apartment, make sure the windows are shut. That’s one easy yet very important way to save electricity. When you leave the windows open, the cooled air simply blows out of the windows. The same thing is true with heat. If you don’t seem to be warming up as fast as you think you should check to make sure nothing is open, or that cold air is not seeping through a draft. - Defrost Frozen Foods before You Cook Them
When you want to warm something up in the oven that you’ve frozen, you should defrost it first. Some people say that it will defrost by itself if you just put it in the oven and that this method saves time. It might, but it will also waste electricity. Defrost frozen foods by leaving them in the refrigerator overnight. It will take less time and money to cook, even though it might take more time to defrost. - Buy Energy Efficient Lighting
Do you really need the brightest lights possible blazing in your bathroom? Swap out any 100-watt bulbs for 60- or even 40-watt ones. The savings will add up over time. If you use a small reading lamp in the evenings, consider switching to a solar powered one. You can purchase these with a mini solar panel that recharges the lamp during the day. It will cost a little more upfront, but it’s a long-term energy saver, especially if you read every evening. Replacing regular incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFL) or LED bulbs is a big energy saver. Incandescent bulbs release 98% of their consumed energy through heat, while CFL and LED bulbs are much more energy efficient and last several times longer. CFL bulbs were the first alternative to incandescent bulbs, and they use only about 1/4 the energy of incandescent bulbs. They contain trace amounts of mercury, so they must be disposed of properly when they burn out. LED bulbs are newer to the market. They’re more expensive than CFLs, but they last longer and don’t contain mercury. When older appliances were manufactured, companies weren’t as concerned with saving electricity. Newer models are designed to conserve energy, reducing your household costs and lowering your carbon footprint. If you have an older refrigerator, electric stove, and oven, dishwasher, washer and dryer, or other large appliance, look into getting it replaced. Thinking of ways to conserve electricity will help you save more money. An important question to ask yourself is, “Is this a luxury I can do without?” If it is, find an alternative to help you conserve electricity, lowering your environmental footprint on the world and reducing your energy bills. But don’t forget the importance of doing a comparison on your business electricity so that you can get the best energy deals on the energy market! |