Four Easy Ways to Conserve Energy At Home

There are many benefits to conserving energy, and everyone should do their part to conserve energy where they can. Conserving energy at home is good for the planet and can dramatically lower the costs of utilities and expenses.

Four Ideas for Home Energy Conservation

Here are four easy ways to conserve energy at home simply by changing your habits or making minor repairs.

1. Fix Drafty Areas of the Home

Drafts around doors and windows can cause a number of issues for a home that can increase energy usage. Drafts let out warm air in the winter and cool air in the summer, increasing the costs of controlling the temperature within the home. Drafts can also let in pollen and air pollutants from outdoors. Any drafty areas should be sealed or insulated to restrict the flow of air between the indoors and the outdoors, reducing the amount of energy lost through leakage.

2. Unplug Electronics When Not In Use

Many electronics continue to use energy as long as they are plugged into a socket, even if they are turned off. To reduce energy consumption, these devices should be unplugged when they are not being used and should remain unplugged until they are needed again.

If there is a large number of electronic devices and chargers in your home, it may be practical to invest in a few power strips that will allow the unplugging of multiple devices with one action. Once this action has been incorporated into your daily routine, you will begin to see a significant decrease in your energy consumption.

3. Install High Quality Air Filters in Your HVAC System

Dirty air ducts and HVAC equipment result in more energy being needed to keep the equipment functioning properly. High quality air filters remove most of the dust and pollutants that can damage the equipment from the air and hold it within the filter for easy removal when needed. Choosing a high quality air filter for your home and changing the air filter regularly is one of the best things you can do to conserve energy at home.

4. Wash Only Full Loads of Laundry

Washing just a few items of clothing or linens in the washing machine, instead of waiting until you have a full load of laundry ready to go, will waste a lot of water and energy and cost you more than you realize.

It takes a certain amount of energy to start the machine and rotate the drum and this energy usage does not decrease with a small laundry load. In order to minimize your energy usage, you should resist using the washing machine until to have enough laundry ready to be washed to make a full load for the machine. It is okay to mix colors and fabric types to make a full load if you are using a color-safe laundry detergent or washing the items in cold water.

Doing Your Part to Make a Difference
Making these simple changes can go a long way toward reducing the energy conservation usage in your home and result in savings on your energy bills. If everyone starts taking small steps like these, the positive impact on the environment can be quite powerful.