The following contribution is from another author.
No one wants to waste energy. You understand how your usage affects your energy bills and impacts the environment. But changing your habits can be difficult, and even if you want to, you may not know where to begin.
Making an energy change doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and you do not need to completely overhaul your home to make it “smarter.” You can make your home more eco-friendly by following a few simple steps. Doing so will save you money while you do your part to protect the planet.
Use a Voice-Activated Assistant
You may already use Alexa or Siri to find information or play your favorite songs. “Siri, what’s the temperature?” may be the first thing you say every morning. These assistants can do even more to improve your life. For instance, they can run your smart appliances. You can ask your voice-activated assistant to turn these devices on or off or adjust their temperatures whenever necessary, which makes your life more convenient and saves on your energy bills.
Buy a Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats are easy to find and are quite affordable. These devices let you program times to turn your heating and cooling system on and off. You can also program them to raise the temperature right before your return home or at night or lower it when everyone is sleeping. Your home will be more comfortable, and you’ll save on energy bills. Studies show that customers can save around $130.00 each year by taking this simple step, and you’ll be saving resources too.
Upgrade Your Lighting
Saving money is as easy as changing your lightbulbs. Choosing an energy-saving option such as a CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) bulb costs about 75% less per bulb per year. Each Energy Star certified bulb lasts approximately six times as long as traditional incandescent models. Over the life of a CFL bulb, it should save you around $40.
You should not stop with bulbs when it comes to upgrading your lighting. When you use smart technology your lighting can respond to voice commands. This way you can easily adjust the brightness in each room and only turn on lights when you need them. You can also skip the voice commands and simply program your room lighting to turn off when no one is using the space. These steps make your life more convenient while saving you money. And they are a good way to stay eco-friendly.
Replace Old Appliances
Replacing your refrigerator or washer and dryer is expensive, but keeping old models might be more so. An outdated refrigerator wastes energy and may not effectively preserve your food. Old washers do not clean your clothes as well and often require hot water to get stains out – using even more energy. Worn-out dryers take longer to dry your clothing which means lots of wasted energy and time.
You will save money by Investing in Energy Star appliances. They will save you money by using less electricity and by performing better. Replacing your ancient refrigerator alone can save you at least $165 each year. As a bonus, your voice assistant can control some of these large “smart” appliances as well.
Choose Zone Heating and Cooling
Like many people, you may close the vents in unused rooms to save on your heating and cooling bills. In reality, you may be increasing your energy use and harming your HVAC system when you do.
Manufacturers configure their systems to provide the right airflow for your size home. When you shut off the vents, you disrupt the designed flow, forcing all the air into fewer rooms. You don’t slow down the flow but just redistribute it, so you do not save on energy. Also, your vents are not meant to take that extra pressure, so they may develop leaks that use more energy and cost you big in repairs.
If you have large areas that you do not use, install zone heating and cooling. These systems let you choose different temperatures for different areas of your home. So if the upstairs is rarely used, you can keep it hotter or cooler without straining your system. You can even arrange your living spaces according to the season by using only certain zones in the summer or winter. Try a modular sofa and other easy-to-arrange furniture to make this process easier.
Final Thoughts
You do not have to overhaul your home to make smart energy decisions. You can take it one step at a time and still enjoy significant savings. Replacing bulbs, keeping your vents open and buying a smart thermostat is a good start.
