On an annual basis, Americans spend approximately $2,000 on energy bills per household. This large sum of money can be easily reduced by making minor changes. You can save up to $100 by investing in a “smart” thermostat, for example. Even something as simple as replacing all light bulbs with LED bulbs can save you $50 on your electricity bill.
Use dryer balls when putting your clothes in the dryer
Compared to other home appliances, a dryer spends the biggest amount of energy. That’s why some people tend to air dry their clothes. However, if that’s not possible with you, you can simply add a wool or rubber dryer ball with your clothes. These simple things have the ability to separate your clothes and give them some air to dry faster.
The wool balls especially can absorb some moisture which helps the whole drying process finish faster. Another pro is that dryer balls reduce static, which means that you won’t need to change your dryer sheets as often.
Increase the temperature in both your fridge and freezer
Many people believe that the lower the temperature, the better the food preservation. However, your refrigerator does not need to be set lower than 38°F (3°C), and your freezer will work fine at 5°F (-15°C). It has been suggested that lowering them by at least 10 degrees will result in up to a 25% increase in energy consumption.
If your frozen goods appear to be melting after increasing the temperature, you may need to contact a professional. Another useful tip for keeping your devices operating at peak efficiency is to keep them at least 3 inches away from the wall. As a result, the air will have enough space to circulate.
Turn your blinds off to save up on air conditioning costs
During the winter, approximately 30% of a house’s heat escapes through the windows. And nearly 76 percent of the sunlight that enters our homes is converted into unbearable heat. Blinds may not be able to control heat loss in the winter, but they are very capable of protecting our interiors from the sun’s powerful rays.
Highly reflective blinds, in particular, can protect interiors from extreme heat. Horizontal ones, in particular, can reflect heat onto a light-colored ceiling, which will then diffuse the warmth.
Cook with the lid on
Simply putting lids on your pots and pans is a good habit to develop while cooking. This allows you to cook at a lower temperature for a shorter period of time. This occurs because you do not allow the steam and heat to escape from the pan, resulting in faster cooking times.
Following this habit will also reduce your energy consumption by up to 66 percent. Another useful tip is to match the burner size to the pot size so that no heat escapes through the sides. Using incompatible burners and pots will result in up to 40% energy loss.
Clean your dryer’s lint trap
Letting your dryer operate with its lint trap full of dirt, will only result in it being less efficient at its job. The dirt forces the device to work harder, taking up more energy and time to dry clothes. Depending on how dirty the lint trap is, the dryer could be spending up to 75% more energy than it normally would. That’s because the dirt doesn’t allow the air to circulate properly, forcing it to work extra hard.
The first thing you need to do often remove the lint trap and clean it. If you are still noticing issues with your dryer’s performance, you might need to check the exterior vent. If no steam is coming out while the dryer is working, then you probably need to do some cleaning there too.
Plug all your electronics in power strips
Not everyone realizes that our electronic devices still consume energy even when we have turned them off or put them to sleep mode. That’s why plugging everything in a power strip will give you the ability to completely disable them when you are not using them. Remember that you have to push the on/off button when you want to disable them. If you don’t, then your devices will keep on consuming energy.
Use an electric kettle to boil water instead of the microwave
It’s early in the morning, you only need a cup of tea, and both the microwave and the kettle are nearby. According to a researcher, you should use an electric kettle because it will complete the task much faster and with less energy. According to his findings, a microwave loses 50% of its energy while converting electricity into microwaves. A kettle, on the other hand, is very well insulated and loses only 20% of the total energy it uses.
Keep the oven door closed when broiling
Back in the day, ovens didn’t have any air circulation system and that’s why cooks used to leave it open a tiny bit to prevent a fire from breaking out. However, modern ovens have great air circulation and systems that can prevent overheating. Also, most ovens don’t allow you to keep the door open unless you are holding it. This means that they are telling you in their own way that you need to keep the door shut.
The biggest drawback of keeping the oven door open is that you lose about 50% of the heat. This means that you will need to cook your food for double the time and therefore spend double the energy.
Switch to a low-flow shower head
The average showerhead uses around 2.5 gallons (9.5 liters) of water per minute. However, you can easily switch to a 1.7 gallon per minute (6.6 liters) shower head. This change will save more than 11,000 gallons (42,000 liters) of water and 1.180 kWh of energy per year. You will also notice a huge difference in your water bill, which can vary based on where you live.
