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Top 6 Money Saving Electrical Tips

Top 6 Money Saving Electrical Tips

Research has shown that the average household spends around $1300 a year on energy costs, and this makes energy consumption one of the biggest annual costs for Australian families. The average residential home, consisting of four occupants, now uses at least 15 electronic appliances including laptops, home theaters, televisions, mobile phones, among others. This is a massive improvement compared to two decades ago when households only featured four appliances at most.

This only implies that our energy consumption has equally skyrocketed in the last few years. Though most of today’s electronic devices and appliances are fairly more energy efficient, this doesn’t entirely mean that homeowners now don’t have to do anything to reduce their monthly energy consumption as low as possible. If you didn’t know, there are a couple of changes you can make around your home that could potentially help cut down your monthly electricity consumption. When you conserve and save electricity, you inherently save money. As such, it’s a win-win all around. In this article, we are going to provide you with six effective tips on how to keep your energy bills as low as possible. Peruse the article and get to know.

1. Keep your air conditioner in peak condition:

Did you know that half of your monthly energy bills are spent on cooling and heating? And an air conditioner that is in a poor working condition or is poorly maintained will only elevate your energy consumption even further. Keep your central or window air conditioner in tip-top condition so it operates at peak efficiency. According Quick Spark electrical experts, you should have your heating and cooling unit examined by a pro. During the routine maintenance process, your local electrician will check both the refrigerant and the moving components.

Also, if your HVAC unit is more than 12 years old, electrical experts highly recommend that you should replace it with an Energy Star-rated model to help cut your cooling and heating costs by at least 30% and save on maintenance costs as well.

2. Use energy-efficient appliances:

If you are currently using appliances and devices that aren’t Energy Star-rated, you should seriously consider replacing them with ones featuring a high energy-efficiency rating. There are a lot of energy-star rated devices on the market and your local electrician should help you to select the best one. The greater the star rating, the higher the level of energy efficiency of that particular appliance.

3. Purchase a smart thermostat:

With a smart thermostat at your disposal, you will make the most of your heating and cooling system while saving both money and electricity. Also referred to as a communicating thermostat, this device will allow you to create automatic and programmable temp settings based on daily weather conditions, schedules as well as cooling and heating needs. It is also imperative to note that smart thermostats can learn your home’s heating and cooling patterns and adjust accordingly to enhance your overall home comfort while at the same time keeping your energy consumption as low as possible.

4. Unplug unused electronic devices:

Did you know that the total cost of plugged-in but not used electrical appliances is approximately $165 per household? Everything that is plugged in will consume some energy. Also, referred to as standby electricity, this type of energy consumption will increase your total monthly electrical bills by up to 20%. Even when turned off, many appliances will keep drawing up energy. This implies that you should always unplug all your unused appliances to save energy.

5. Harness the Sun’s energy:

Even though the installation of a solar panel isn’t something you can easily implement, they represent real value to homeowners. Solar panels will not only save you a significant amount of money in the long run but will equally keep your carbon footprint as low as possible. According to Forbes, installing solar panels can be equivalent to planting 88 trees annually, dramatically reducing your carbon footprint while saving approximately $84 per month on your energy bills.

6. Switch to LED energy-efficient light bulbs:

If you are still using old incandescent and halogen bulbs, it’s high time you replace them with energy-efficient LEDs. According to the Department of Energy, Energy Star-rated LED bulbs consume nearly 75% less amount of energy and can equally last 25 times longer than their incandescent light bulb counterparts.

Conclusion:

There are potentially endless ways in which you can reduce your monthly energy consumption. However, not all are easy to implement. While changing your old habits is never an easy task, we have provided you with six effective, practical and simple tips which we strongly believe you can easily put into practice.

Matthew Gladman

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