Every household seeks to reduce their energy use. The main driver behind this might have something to do with financial concerns — minimizing electrical energy consumption is influential in greatly reducing the cost of electricity bills. If you want to have a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly home, then read on to learn more about the different ways of minimizing your household’s energy consumption.
Buy energy-efficient appliances
One of the most effective ways of reducing household energy use, is through buying appliances with a high energy rating. This can range from air conditioning units, electric fans, washing machines, refrigerators, and the like.
If you haven’t thought about it yet, it may be wise to have some of your household appliances which have a poor energy rating, with new and more sustainable ones. Appliances in the Philippines typically make use of the star-based system or rating washing machines, for example. A higher rating means that particular product is better for your household and allows you to reap more energy savings.
Install home insulation
The sweltering heat experienced during summer periods in the country can be especially unbearable to many households. People may experience a spike in electricity bills during this period — residential spaces are turning on their air conditioners in an effort to cool themselves off and mitigate the effects of the heat.
Even if households make use of energy-saving options such as inverter air conditioning units, or refrigerators, using them for sustained periods may still lead to higher utility bills. A better alternative would be to have a household insulation system installed in the different parts of the space. Apart from being inexpensive, they’re more sustainable in keeping your house cool during hot summers and subsequently keeping them warm during the cold rainy season.
Insulating materials can be installed in almost every part of the home such as roofs, walls, floor panels, ceilings, and the like — it’s ultimately up to the homeowner’s preference on where these materials would be placed around the house.
Use electric time switches
You’ve probably experienced having to wake up in the middle of the night because of the cold coming from the A/C unit. Meanwhile, leaving the A/C running is not an option. Fortunately, you can make things easier for you by making use of electric time switches that can be applied in virtually any electrical appliance — not just your A/C unit.
A time switch usually contains a dial that corresponds to the number of hours you want a particular electric device to be running before an off switch is triggered. A device that is plugged in a time switch outlet would no longer be supplied with electrical energy after a certain amount of time that has been set by the user.
These energy-saving devices can also be used to automatically switch off electric fans, A/C units, lights, and more. Using a time switch can be a way of avoiding instances of these systems running unattended for a certain time period, thereby reducing unnecessary and excessive energy use.
Choose LED light bulbs
If you haven’t made the change yet, then perhaps it’s time to change your residential lighting into systems which consume far less energy. Though it has been in existence for quite some time now, the benefits of choosing LED lighting far outweigh other alternative options.
LED light bulbs make use of around ¾ less energy compared to the typical incandescent light bulb, without the drawbacks. Every corner of a particular room would still be illuminated in the desired way. Furthermore, LED light bulbs last longer hours compared to either incandescent, or fluorescent light bulbs — around 49,000 and 40,000 more hours respectively.
This means that you won’t have to spend exorbitant amounts of money in simply repairing your lighting. You also won’t have to frequently change the bulbs in order to maintain the function for a longer time.
Properly maintain electrical equipment
You might already be familiar with the timeless advice of turning off and unplugging electrical devices when not in use. After all, this is one of the simplest ways of reducing your energy use.
But if you want to take it up a notch, you may want to consider looking into the proper maintenance of these electrical devices. You may be turning them off at certain periods. Without proper maintenance, however, simply turning them on and keeping them running might require far greater energy.
Though it may be time-consuming in the beginning, maintaining your electronic devices helps them function better in normal conditions. Making sure that every electrical component is in order can already have unprecedented, energy-saving effects for your home. It’s your best bet to regularly subject these devices to cleaning, inspections, and repairs, whenever necessary.
Key Takeaway
Household energy use can be reduced through a wide range of techniques. Simple ones that you may already be practicing in your own home include turning off light switches, or electrical devices and appliances when not in use.
If you want to further minimize your use, you’ll need to make investments in options that will have long-term benefits for the home. You have the option of buying more appliances with a high energy rating, investing in home insulation, or even simply purchasing electric time switches. As always, the best piece of advice is to make use of techniques in combination with one another for best results.
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