Innovative Electric Energy Saver

Energy costs account for a considerable portion of typical household expenses and looking for innovative electric energy saver ideas is a good way to reduce monthly bills and protect the environment. Electricity is generated through fossil fuel fired plants that create emissions such as carbon dioxide and other pollutants known as greenhouse gases. These gases contribute to global warming and have a negative impact on the planet’s atmosphere.

Becoming an electric energy saver in your home is as easy as making a few minor lifestyle changes and some small monetary investments. If your heating and air conditioning system is run on electricity, this is likely the biggest consumer of your monthly electricity usage. Making these systems run less often and more efficiently will reduce costs and lessen your household demand for electricity. By turning down the thermostat a few degrees in the winter and up a few degrees in the summer you will lessen your demand. Properly maintaining these systems and replacing filters frequently will also make your heating and A/C system run more efficiently and require less energy. Keeping the outdoor compressor for your A/C free from dirt, debris and tall grass and weeds will also maximize electric energy savings.

Another big saver for electric energy is monitoring your use of major appliances and upgrading outdated models with modern energy efficient replacements. Newer models with the Energy Star label perform equally as well as older models while using much less electricity. Being conscientious about only running full loads in your washing machine, clothes dryer and dishwasher are also ways to save on monthly electricity bills.

The simple practice of turning off lights when you leave a room or installing occupancy detectors which automatically turn lights on and off will add up to energy savings over the long run. Replacing incandescent bulbs with high efficiency compact fluorescent light bulbs will save money both in electricity bills and replacement costs. These CFL bulbs require less energy and last longer than incandescent bulbs.

Performing a home energy audit will help you identify where your home is losing precious energy. You can do this yourself or hire a professional to provide this service. Properly installing an adequate amount of insulation is important to reducing the amount of heated and cooled air that escape and enters your home. Once that is completed filling gaps and cracks around doors and windows with weather stripping or caulking will increase your electric energy savings.

A significant amount of electricity is wasted through “phantom” or “vampire” loads. These terms are used to describe the amount of electricity a device uses when it is turned off but plugged in. An electricity monitoring device that plugs into individual outlets or your electrical panel will identify those electrical devices that are using the most power. In many cases these can be turned off and unplugged when not in use to save electricity. Some high-tech devices are sensitive to interruptions in power so check with the manufacturer to see if this is a safe practice for sophisticated electronics.