The buzz words are “Go Green”. Going green is good for mother earth and for your wallet, read on for a few tips from an electrician in Richardson TX.
Change from incandescent to compact fluorescent lights throughout your home. Yes, the bulbs are more expensive initially than the incandescent counterpart but believe it or not, they save a lot of money for the homeowner. They use 66% less energy and they last at least ten times longer than incandescent. Incandescent bulbs put out far more heat than they do light so in the hot months you get the additional benefit of not having to run the air-conditioning as frequently.
Turn off and unplug electrical equipment that you are not using. Your electrician in Richardson is always reminding people that when you’re not in the room; turn off the lights, the same with televisions and computers. Many electrical consumers continue to use power even when they are not in use, cell phone chargers and microwave ovens suck up expensive power for no good reason. Either pull the plug or plug similar items into a switch power strip which allows you to remove the power from consumers.
Get used to using water at a lower temperature. According to the electrician in Richardson about 15% of your average power bill goes to heating water. Consider turning the thermostat on your water heater down, water is more than comfortable at 120 to 130 degrees F. If your water tank is not insulated, buy a wrap from the hardware store and install it, keep the heat in where it is supposed to be. Use cold water for your laundry; you will save 50-60 bucks a year.
When you buy new appliances look for the Energy Star label. The label is indicative of the product having passed the U.S. Department of Energy and the EPA guidelines for energy efficiency. Literally all equipment will have this label, Energy Star appliances can save a huge amount of energy in the long run as the consumption will be much less over the life span of the appliance.
Your electrician in Richardson is very keen on maintenance of equipment. Cleaning the filthy air conditioning filers makes them much more efficient, therefore much less costly to run. The equipment will last longer as well as you are reducing the strain on the motor that is being used to force air through a blocked filter.
Weatherizing your home is a reasonably inexpensive way to save a great deal of money. Plug up all the little leaks that you may find around windows and doors that let the heat escape in the cold months and the cool air escape in the hot months. Consider adding shades on your windows, they can be lowered to keep the hot sun out and can be opened to let the sun help in heating during the winter.
