It’s Earth Day! This day is to celebrate the one and only planet that we have. It is our responsibility to care for it in any way possible. This includes while we are at home. It often slips our mind how to reduce our energy use at home because reduce, reuse, and recycle are always presented to us when we are talking about saving our Earth (these are also very important). Here are some ways to reduce your energy use while you spend more time at home.
Your Thermostat is Key
When thinking of your thermostat your mind will immediately go to how hot/cold your house is, but did you know that your thermostat can be affected by the devices near it? The device not only displays the temperature but monitors it (if you didn’t already know). This means that it can be sensitive to the other devices near it. If you have a lamp, light, television or anything else that gives off any heat the thermostat will pick up that heat causing your air conditioning unit to work harder. This will overuse your unit and raise your utility bills.
Since your thermostat controls the temperature in your house you always have the potential to save energy. Just turning your thermostat by 6 degrees can (i.e. From 68-74) will save at least six percent on your energy bill. With this change your unit will also not have to work as hard so you might even save time on your next service call.
Switching to a smart thermostat can also help save energy because you can control your thermostat can be changed from anywhere. This is an easy way to save money on an outdated system in order to catch up on technology and saving energy at the same time.
Light Adds Heat
Natural or artificial light adds heat. When you consider this, especially on Earth Day, how can we stave off the heat while saving energy. One answer is simple: Trees! Just planting a few trees in your yard will reduce heat from the sun onto your house which will in-tern reduce the amount of energy you use through your AC unit and this will also reduce your energy bills.
Now that we’ve covered how to save energy by reducing natural light the answer to saving money and energy with artificial light is just as easy: Don’t leave the lights on! While this may be a fatherly comment because dad is always worried about the bills it also saves energy. Make sure to turn off lights when you leave a room and before you leave the house. If you haven’t made the change yet, change your lightbulbs from incandescent to LED bulbs. This change will save you money because the LED bulbs will last longer and less of their energy has turned into heat.
Inspection
Keeping up to date on air conditioning units, ducts, and systems is a key way to save energy and money. You can always Trust Thompson to make sure your unit is running as efficiently as possible with regular checkups on your AC units. This will make sure that the unit is not freezing over or cooled air isn’t being lost in the ducts. Having Regular checkups on your AC unit will also save money in the long term. It is much more cost effective to have regular checkups than to wait for a disaster to happen to your entire system.
If you are to follow all of these tips your savings and energy will be noticed in your pocketbook and by the Earth itself. Remember to always try to think of ways to save energy and help our precious planet. Happy Earth Day everyone!
