When you have a home, you don’t just have a home. You also have a ton of appliances that make living in your home comfortable, pleasant, and fun. But all these appliances, gizmos, gadgets, and doodads have one thing in common, they all use energy – a lot of energy. And while using energy is not inherently a bad thing, there are some negatives that come along with it, namely expensive utility bills and damage to our planet. If you are looking to make your home more efficient, then it can be useful to know what items in your home are using the most energy. Here are eight items in your home that are using the most energy right now.
The Lights
You need light to see, so don’t take this the wrong way and never use light in your home again. However, the lights in your home do use a lot of energy, particularly if you keep them on most of the day. Luckily, there are a few ways that you can make lighting your home a less energy taxing item, for starters, try to utilize as much natural light as possible. During the day, open your blinds and drapes and let the light in. You should also be using LED bulbs if you can reduce the energy needs of your bulbs, and make sure to turn off your lights in any room you are not using to avoid being wasteful.
The Water Heater
Hot water is a necessity for a livable home. And that’s not just an exaggeration, it’s the law – if you are renting and there is no hot water, your landlord cannot charge rent since your unit is considered unlivable. So having a hot water heater is a necessity, but it is also something that uses a lot of energy. Try replacing your hot water heater with an energy efficient water heater. You should also make sure that you leave your heater set to the factory recommended temperature so that you are not heating your water unnecessarily hot.
Kitchen Appliances
You need kitchen appliances. Cooking is an essential task that your home needs to be able to provide to you, and yet your kitchen appliances are some of the largest users of not just energy, but all your other utilities as well. Make sure that you are using Energy Star appliances in your kitchen If you can, and that you are always running them on their most efficient settings. Make sure to turn off your stove when it is not in use for both safety and energy purposes. With a few simple steps like these you can make your kitchen a more energy efficient space.
Your HVAC
Heating and cooling your home to keep it at a comfortable temperature is always a necessity too. But a necessity that places a heavy strain on your energy usage and utility bills. Energy efficient entry doors save money by reducing the need for your HVAC. Replacing your windows with energy efficient windows can have the same effect as well. You should also be using an efficient HVAC unit or upgrading to one as soon as possible. Another thing that will help is to clean your air filters and vents often so that your HVAC doesn’t have to work so hard to circulate conditioned air around your home.
Washer and Dryer
Having clean and dry clothes is something that you need as well. You can’t live your life wearing dirty clothes in the pursuit of saving energy. But that also doesn’t mean that you need to be wasting energy and water unnecessarily to get your clothes clean. Make sure that you are using Energy Star appliances for your washer and dryer to make sure that they are as efficient as possible. You should also be washing your clothes in cold water when you can so that you aren’t requiring extra heating, and please try not to overfill your washer and dryer, this can cause them to work harder or longer than needed.
Television
Everyone likes a little entertainment every now and again. But that entertainment comes at a cost, and particularly when it comes to energy usage. Televisions, stereos, and gaming equipment all add up to make a very energy efficient entertainment suite. While they use energy, the more modern equipment that you have, the more energy efficient they are likely to be straight out of the box. So, if you are really trying to be energy efficient, perhaps that is a good reason to splurge and upgrade to a newer TV or console.
Computers
Just like with TVs, you need a computer, and if you are like most people, then you probably have two or even three computers that you use in a day. There is not much you can do to make your computers that much more energy efficient, obviously charge them and let them run out of battery before recharging every time if possible. And unplug your computer chargers when not in use, or after your computer has reached a full charge. You don’t need them sitting plugged in when they are not actively in use, it will save you some unnecessary energy usage.
Standby Power
And the last item in your home that is costing you unnecessary energy usage in your home is standby power. While this is not one item, it applies to dozens of appliances and electronics in your home. While something may be turned off, if it is still plugged into the wall, then it is still using a tiny bit of power. And while for one appliance this isn’t huge, when you consider everything, you have plugged in and turned off day in and day out, it adds up. Consider unplugging any unused electronics when you can to cut down on this unnecessary energy user.
There is a lot of energy use in running a home. But it doesn’t have to be as wasteful as it might be. Target these eight items that use the most energy in your home when looking for ways to make your home more energy efficient.
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