There is a lot that you can benefit from conserving energy at home. Apart from saving the environment, you’ll also save your own pockets. You can make a few lifestyle changes to ensure you don’t use more energy than is necessary. Read the following changes that can help you conserve energy in your home.
Do Laundry When There’s a Full Load.
This one’s a no-brainer. Washing single items or small loads that don’t fill the machine means you will frequently do your laundry, consuming a lot of energy in the process. Unless there is a specific item that you can’t do without, it’s best to hold off laundry until you know you have enough clothes to fill the whole machine. By doing this, you will conserve a considerable amount of energy and lower your utility bills.
Don’t Wash with Hot Water.
Apart from waiting for a full load, another way to conserve energy at home would be to stop running your washer with hot water. Experts indicate that almost 90% of the total amount of energy utilized by your washing machine is used to heat water. This means that whenever you use cold water, your machine will be using 90% less energy. This seemingly small change can potentially save a lot of energy.
Take Shorter Showers.
A lot of energy is consumed whenever you heat water. Now, imagine the amount of energy needed to heat water for an entire family. While showering with cold water might not be practical, it can be helpful to at least have everyone in the family cut their shower time a little. This will help conserve energy and help you save water, an increasingly valuable commodity.
Utilize Area Carpets and Rugs.
Most of the time, when you turn up the heat during winter, it’s because you think it’s colder than it is in your home. This is especially true if you have tile flooring. Tiles do not capture heat. Therefore, whenever you touch the floor barefoot, it’s always cold. You can fix this by placing an area rug over your tile floors during winter. When you put something between the floor and your feet, you won’t feel cold every time you walk around. As a result, you won’t need to crank up the heat all the time because of cold floors.
Replace Your Desktop Computer
Most tech experts do not recommend keeping your computer for more than four years. If you still have an old desktop in your home, it might be time to replace it with a laptop. Experts indicate that laptops utilize up to 80% less energy than old desktop computers. Most modern laptops only use about 60 watts, whereas a desktop PC consumes no less than 175 watts.
Open the Curtains and Let the Sun In
When it’s cold, never forget to open the curtains during the day. The sun will help warm the house up, and it won’t be as cold during the night when you close them. This means you won’t need a lot of energy to bring the temperature to a point where you are comfortable at night.
Sometimes all you need to conserve energy in your home is to make a few lifestyle changes. Before you go all out and purchase energy-efficient products, start by turning off lights and appliances when they are not in use. Also, avoid using energy for household tasks that you can do manually, such as putting your laundry in the dryer when you can hang-dry it. These lifestyle changes have a high potential for energy conservation in your home.
