3 Biggest Energy Suckers in Your Home
Every Georgia homeowner dreams of opening their next power bill and seeing the lowest price possible. However, this isn’t always possible, especially if you’re unaware of how to cut power usage. Discover the perks of lowering your monthly energy bill by identifying the energy vampires throughout your home.
Refrigerators
Image via Flickr by maerzbow
Unless you take the time and effort to buy produce and meat fresh in just the exact amounts each day, a refrigerator is a necessity for your home. Unfortunately, you can’t do much to lessen the energy usage of your fridge, as it must remain plugged in to provide energy to keep perishables fresh. Buying a smaller refrigerator or an ENERGY STAR-approved unit can help reduces costs, but it’s one you’re going to have incur.
One way you can save substantially on your monthly bill is by eliminating that convenient, yet wasteful second refrigerator. Most second refrigerators are designated beer fridges or for extra dishes during the holidays, kept out of sight in the basement or garage. While they make some tasks easier, they’re usually older models. Estimates show that refrigerators 15 years or older can actually cost up to $270 a year. Getting rid of it is the most obvious choice, but if you must keep one, opt for a newer model or a mini-fridge.
Heating and Cooling
According to the most recent study from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, heating and cooling no longer account for a majority of energy usage, but at 48 percent of the total bill, it’s the biggest user of energy in the home. Because of its sizable impact on your monthly bill, it’s in your best interest to eliminate needless waste when heating or cooling your home.
Start by replacing your home air filter at least once every 90 days. You may need to replace it more often if you’re running the air constantly, you own pets, someone in your family has allergies, or you choose a lower-quality filter.
Electronics and Home Entertainment
You can lump numerous products into this category including televisions, video game consoles, tablets, phones, computers, and more. While each individual device isn’t necessarily a strain on your energy bill, collectively, these things can wreak havoc.
The reason that electronics and home entertainment devices are particularly harmful to energy consumption is that they’re on for several hours during the day, but when you think you’ve turned them off, they’re still in standby mode. While standby mode only takes a fraction of the power, it still draws energy.
Avoid costly energy bills by shutting these devices down at the source. Plug each of them into a surge protector to defend them from any incidents, while also giving you the ability to turn them off a single point quickly and efficiently.
While you can take steps to eliminate the energy suckers in your home, some things require the expertise of a professional. The technicians at ISI Indoor Solutions have the HVAC knowledge and experience to eliminate the energy wasters in your home once and for all.
