The Reality Behind Home Energy Consumption
“Expensive” is just one of the words that people today use to describe electricity bills. It seems that every day, the cost of electricity keeps getting higher and higher. Because of this, we all tend to look towards alternative energy sources.
However, as governments will tell you, the search for alternative energy sources does not come cheaply. Sometimes, the cost of developing one type of alternative energy source is just not feasible enough to be explored by the government.
There is also the problem of transition from conventional energy sources to the alternative energy sources. Many people are suspicious of any new methods and would prefer to stick with their conventional electricity.
However, these people are gradually being persuaded to the alternative side mainly because of the high cost of home energy consumption. New energy technology, of course, takes some time to perfect. In the meantime, there are a lot of things you can do to minimize your home energy consumption.
The energy of information administration of the US department of energy has recently concluded a survey on the home energy consumption of US households during the year 2001. Through this data, we can at least gain an insight of which appliances are costing us.
At the top of the list, of course, is climate control. Would you believe that American households consume 355.7 billion kWh just to keep themselves cool or hot? That’s 31.2 percent of the total home energy consumption! Do you really need to consume so much energy just to feel hot or cold?
When you use the air-conditioning system or the furnace, maybe you shouldn’t turn the thermostat up so high. It’s not like you are living in the equator or the North Pole, for crying out loud. And when you go out of the house, you do not really need to keep your air-conditioning on, do you?
Think of how much you will be able to eliminate from your home energy consumption by just turning these appliances off when you are not using them.
Next, we come to the kitchen. Kitchen appliances count for 26.7 percent of home energy consumption. Of course, you can’t really turn off your refrigerator when you are not home, could you? Don’t panic, however, there are a lot of alternatives in order to help you reduce your electricity bill.
Did you know that leaving the refrigerator door open increases your home energy consumption? It’s true! When you open your refrigerator door, heat rushes inside the refrigerator. This means that the fridge has to consume more electricity in order to maintain its internal temperature. If you leave the door open, you are wasting electricity!
Water heating cost US households 104.1 billion kWh in electricity. Now let me ask you: is it really necessary that you use hot water when you take a bath? After all, millions of people all over the world take cold showers everyday.
Hot baths are a luxury. If people treated them as such, then they wouldn’t have any problem saving on their home energy consumption. If you do not agree with this, you have to understand that there are alternatives to using electricity to heat your water.
As a matter of fact, there are solar heaters out there which not only save electricity by using solar power to heat your water, but these can also be connected to power small appliances. If everyone just invested in these ideas, people would be able to lessen their home energy consumption considerably.
Now, we come to lighting. Did you know that lighting counts for 8.8 percent of home energy consumption? Now, people would agree that you need light in order to see your way around the house. However, there’s just one question: do you really need to have the lights on 24 hours? When you think about it, the sun still exists, doesn’t it? Why do some people pull down their window shades and then turn on the lights? Doesn’t that seem like a very futile gesture?
So, as you may have observed, there are a lot of easy ways by which we can cut back our home energy consumption. Just by exerting a little effort, we can save a lot of our money. Did you realize how much energy our homes consume just because of wastefulness?
Minggu, 27 Juni 2010
The Reality Behind Home Energy Consumption
The Reality Behind Home Energy Consumption
“Expensive” is just one of the words that people today use to describe electricity bills. It seems that every day, the cost of electricity keeps getting higher and higher. Because of this, we all tend to look towards alternative energy sources.
However, as governments will tell you, the search for alternative energy sources does not come cheaply. Sometimes, the cost of developing one type of alternative energy source is just not feasible enough to be explored by the government.
There is also the problem of transition from conventional energy sources to the alternative energy sources. Many people are suspicious of any new methods and would prefer to stick with their conventional electricity.
However, these people are gradually being persuaded to the alternative side mainly because of the high cost of home energy consumption. New energy technology, of course, takes some time to perfect. In the meantime, there are a lot of things you can do to minimize your home energy consumption.
The energy of information administration of the US department of energy has recently concluded a survey on the home energy consumption of US households during the year 2001. Through this data, we can at least gain an insight of which appliances are costing us.
At the top of the list, of course, is climate control. Would you believe that American households consume 355.7 billion kWh just to keep themselves cool or hot? That’s 31.2 percent of the total home energy consumption! Do you really need to consume so much energy just to feel hot or cold?
When you use the air-conditioning system or the furnace, maybe you shouldn’t turn the thermostat up so high. It’s not like you are living in the equator or the North Pole, for crying out loud. And when you go out of the house, you do not really need to keep your air-conditioning on, do you?
Think of how much you will be able to eliminate from your home energy consumption by just turning these appliances off when you are not using them.
Next, we come to the kitchen. Kitchen appliances count for 26.7 percent of home energy consumption. Of course, you can’t really turn off your refrigerator when you are not home, could you? Don’t panic, however, there are a lot of alternatives in order to help you reduce your electricity bill.
Did you know that leaving the refrigerator door open increases your home energy consumption? It’s true! When you open your refrigerator door, heat rushes inside the refrigerator. This means that the fridge has to consume more electricity in order to maintain its internal temperature. If you leave the door open, you are wasting electricity!
Water heating cost US households 104.1 billion kWh in electricity. Now let me ask you: is it really necessary that you use hot water when you take a bath? After all, millions of people all over the world take cold showers everyday.
Hot baths are a luxury. If people treated them as such, then they wouldn’t have any problem saving on their home energy consumption. If you do not agree with this, you have to understand that there are alternatives to using electricity to heat your water.
As a matter of fact, there are solar heaters out there which not only save electricity by using solar power to heat your water, but these can also be connected to power small appliances. If everyone just invested in these ideas, people would be able to lessen their home energy consumption considerably.
Now, we come to lighting. Did you know that lighting counts for 8.8 percent of home energy consumption? Now, people would agree that you need light in order to see your way around the house. However, there’s just one question: do you really need to have the lights on 24 hours? When you think about it, the sun still exists, doesn’t it? Why do some people pull down their window shades and then turn on the lights? Doesn’t that seem like a very futile gesture?
So, as you may have observed, there are a lot of easy ways by which we can cut back our home energy consumption. Just by exerting a little effort, we can save a lot of our money. Did you realize how much energy our homes consume just because of wastefulness?
“Expensive” is just one of the words that people today use to describe electricity bills. It seems that every day, the cost of electricity keeps getting higher and higher. Because of this, we all tend to look towards alternative energy sources.
However, as governments will tell you, the search for alternative energy sources does not come cheaply. Sometimes, the cost of developing one type of alternative energy source is just not feasible enough to be explored by the government.
There is also the problem of transition from conventional energy sources to the alternative energy sources. Many people are suspicious of any new methods and would prefer to stick with their conventional electricity.
However, these people are gradually being persuaded to the alternative side mainly because of the high cost of home energy consumption. New energy technology, of course, takes some time to perfect. In the meantime, there are a lot of things you can do to minimize your home energy consumption.
The energy of information administration of the US department of energy has recently concluded a survey on the home energy consumption of US households during the year 2001. Through this data, we can at least gain an insight of which appliances are costing us.
At the top of the list, of course, is climate control. Would you believe that American households consume 355.7 billion kWh just to keep themselves cool or hot? That’s 31.2 percent of the total home energy consumption! Do you really need to consume so much energy just to feel hot or cold?
When you use the air-conditioning system or the furnace, maybe you shouldn’t turn the thermostat up so high. It’s not like you are living in the equator or the North Pole, for crying out loud. And when you go out of the house, you do not really need to keep your air-conditioning on, do you?
Think of how much you will be able to eliminate from your home energy consumption by just turning these appliances off when you are not using them.
Next, we come to the kitchen. Kitchen appliances count for 26.7 percent of home energy consumption. Of course, you can’t really turn off your refrigerator when you are not home, could you? Don’t panic, however, there are a lot of alternatives in order to help you reduce your electricity bill.
Did you know that leaving the refrigerator door open increases your home energy consumption? It’s true! When you open your refrigerator door, heat rushes inside the refrigerator. This means that the fridge has to consume more electricity in order to maintain its internal temperature. If you leave the door open, you are wasting electricity!
Water heating cost US households 104.1 billion kWh in electricity. Now let me ask you: is it really necessary that you use hot water when you take a bath? After all, millions of people all over the world take cold showers everyday.
Hot baths are a luxury. If people treated them as such, then they wouldn’t have any problem saving on their home energy consumption. If you do not agree with this, you have to understand that there are alternatives to using electricity to heat your water.
As a matter of fact, there are solar heaters out there which not only save electricity by using solar power to heat your water, but these can also be connected to power small appliances. If everyone just invested in these ideas, people would be able to lessen their home energy consumption considerably.
Now, we come to lighting. Did you know that lighting counts for 8.8 percent of home energy consumption? Now, people would agree that you need light in order to see your way around the house. However, there’s just one question: do you really need to have the lights on 24 hours? When you think about it, the sun still exists, doesn’t it? Why do some people pull down their window shades and then turn on the lights? Doesn’t that seem like a very futile gesture?
So, as you may have observed, there are a lot of easy ways by which we can cut back our home energy consumption. Just by exerting a little effort, we can save a lot of our money. Did you realize how much energy our homes consume just because of wastefulness?
Home Energy Savings for Less
Home Energy Savings for Less
A typical American home would spend almost $2000 a year on electric bills alone. That would equate to more than $160 a month. But did you know that a large portion of the energy is wasted than used? And if we can only sum up all the wastes of every American household and divert this somewhere else, we can power the rest of the world living in darkness. Unfortunately, we couldn’t. We cannot convert this wasted energy in more useful ways. But this does not mean that we cannot do anything about it. We can start making changes right at our very home.
Without spending too much before you can actually save, you can convert your home into an energy efficient environment. Here’s how:
1. Repair and leaks and damages all over your house
During winter, your house needs to be secured and sealed. In this way, the cold air outside would not enter your home that would give your heating system a hard time warming up the house. Make sure the doorframes, windows, sills, and joints would not let the cold air enter the house. Sealants can easily do the job. For portions of the house with moving parts contacting to the non-moving parts like garage doors, exterior doors, operable windows, and door of attic, weatherstrippings act as a good sealant. Weatherstripper is a rubber material that seals the movable object from its non-moveable object. Weatherstripper can usually be seen on vehicles between the doors and the doorframes.
2. Use plastic window covers
To efficiently block the heat from going out of your house, you can use plastic window covers. This would effectively reduce the energy cost since your heating system would not be forced to replace the heat lost. This is one inexpensive and smart way to start your home energy saver.
3. Remove all the door gaps
Door gaps usually occur when the wood used for your door shrinks due to the temperature change or if the doors are not properly installed. If this happens, make sure you seal and remove these door gaps. As was mentioned above, leaks could cause additional work on your heating system that in turn, cost you a lot of money. Make sure you keep your doors sealed and tight.
4. Replace your incandescent bulbs with fluorescent lights.
You will save as much as $40 on electric bills over the life of the fluorescent light. And since it lasts 8 to 10 times more than the regular incandescent, you spare yourself in spending 8 to 10 times on replacing bulbs.
5. Replace your regular overhead shower with low-flow showerheads.
It may not sound as a pretty good idea especially if you are the type of person who loves to take a shower every now and then. But low-flow showerheads will work efficiently and would yield to better energy use. Not only it will contribute on your energy conservation, the shower experience would not be very bad at all. Doing so would let you save about $50 every year.
6. Keep the volume of your electronic devices at the moderate level.
Sure, many people would like their televisions or their stereos to be as loud as their ears can endure. But, as the speakers get louder, more electricity is consumed. If you really have the urge for loud music, using a headphone is a great idea.
7. Buy energy efficient appliance.
When you shop, you may want to see EnerGuide labels first. The EnerGuide states how much energy the appliance consumes. You can see it on most appliances for sale. Knowing this would give you better electricity savings would yield to long-term energy saving effect.
8. Keep the walls sealed.
You would not only concentrate on your windows, doors, sills, on joints, you should also consider sealing the walls. Any cracks have a tendency to grow larger and larger. Make sure that your walls are sealed so that the air from the outside would not enter.
9. Use laptops instead of desktops.
Believe it or not, desktops consume 10 times more energy than laptops. So whenever possible or if you have the choice between the two you can prefer the more energy efficient one. One last thing: there are printers and fax machines with power management feature, prefer buying them.
A typical American home would spend almost $2000 a year on electric bills alone. That would equate to more than $160 a month. But did you know that a large portion of the energy is wasted than used? And if we can only sum up all the wastes of every American household and divert this somewhere else, we can power the rest of the world living in darkness. Unfortunately, we couldn’t. We cannot convert this wasted energy in more useful ways. But this does not mean that we cannot do anything about it. We can start making changes right at our very home.
Without spending too much before you can actually save, you can convert your home into an energy efficient environment. Here’s how:
1. Repair and leaks and damages all over your house
During winter, your house needs to be secured and sealed. In this way, the cold air outside would not enter your home that would give your heating system a hard time warming up the house. Make sure the doorframes, windows, sills, and joints would not let the cold air enter the house. Sealants can easily do the job. For portions of the house with moving parts contacting to the non-moving parts like garage doors, exterior doors, operable windows, and door of attic, weatherstrippings act as a good sealant. Weatherstripper is a rubber material that seals the movable object from its non-moveable object. Weatherstripper can usually be seen on vehicles between the doors and the doorframes.
2. Use plastic window covers
To efficiently block the heat from going out of your house, you can use plastic window covers. This would effectively reduce the energy cost since your heating system would not be forced to replace the heat lost. This is one inexpensive and smart way to start your home energy saver.
3. Remove all the door gaps
Door gaps usually occur when the wood used for your door shrinks due to the temperature change or if the doors are not properly installed. If this happens, make sure you seal and remove these door gaps. As was mentioned above, leaks could cause additional work on your heating system that in turn, cost you a lot of money. Make sure you keep your doors sealed and tight.
4. Replace your incandescent bulbs with fluorescent lights.
You will save as much as $40 on electric bills over the life of the fluorescent light. And since it lasts 8 to 10 times more than the regular incandescent, you spare yourself in spending 8 to 10 times on replacing bulbs.
5. Replace your regular overhead shower with low-flow showerheads.
It may not sound as a pretty good idea especially if you are the type of person who loves to take a shower every now and then. But low-flow showerheads will work efficiently and would yield to better energy use. Not only it will contribute on your energy conservation, the shower experience would not be very bad at all. Doing so would let you save about $50 every year.
6. Keep the volume of your electronic devices at the moderate level.
Sure, many people would like their televisions or their stereos to be as loud as their ears can endure. But, as the speakers get louder, more electricity is consumed. If you really have the urge for loud music, using a headphone is a great idea.
7. Buy energy efficient appliance.
When you shop, you may want to see EnerGuide labels first. The EnerGuide states how much energy the appliance consumes. You can see it on most appliances for sale. Knowing this would give you better electricity savings would yield to long-term energy saving effect.
8. Keep the walls sealed.
You would not only concentrate on your windows, doors, sills, on joints, you should also consider sealing the walls. Any cracks have a tendency to grow larger and larger. Make sure that your walls are sealed so that the air from the outside would not enter.
9. Use laptops instead of desktops.
Believe it or not, desktops consume 10 times more energy than laptops. So whenever possible or if you have the choice between the two you can prefer the more energy efficient one. One last thing: there are printers and fax machines with power management feature, prefer buying them.
Jumat, 25 Juni 2010
Home Energy Saving Tips
Home Energy Saving Tips
Whether you admit it or not, with all the expenses you have in mind, no matter how big your salary is, you still want to save some extra bucks in one way or another. And the best place to start saving is right at your very home; on your power bills. Yes, your power bills.
All your appliances and electric gadget consume electricity and pile up to your ever-growing electric bills month after month contribute to your burden as a homeowner (or a tenant on a rented place). This calls for complete information on how to start lowering your home energy consumption while not depriving yourself with all the technology you have bought.
· Let us start with how well-sealed your home is…
Ensuring that your house is totally sealed keeps your heating devices maximize its use, at the same time, save some energy. If you live on the southern part of the country, a perfectly sealed home keeps the temperature of your house maintained. This will also maximize the power of your air conditioning system.
To do this, keep your window, sills, doorframes, and joints tight. Apply sealant on these places so that the air from the outside does not mix with the air on the inside. Whether you want to heat up or cool down your home, properly sealed house will keep your heater or air conditioning system in its best functions. You surely don’t want the warm or cold air go in and out of your home. This will consume more energy than it should be.
Heat loss can also occur on windows. To prevent this, use plastic window cover. Plastics are best material to insulate and keep the heat of your home inside.
A free flowing heating vents and air grills will maximize the flow of heat in your home. Keep interference such as rugs, furniture and drapes away from them.
On moveable sections of windows and doors, you may want to use weatherstripping. Weatherstrips are rubber materials that seal the movable object from its non-moveable object. This will go on garage doors, exterior doors, operable windows, and door of attic.
· Then, proceed on the blinds and drapes…
If you want to keep your home warm during cold weather, choose drapes that would cover the windows entirely. If it is sunny, open the drapes let the sun’s heat insulate your home. In this way, you save a lot of money on heating system.
· The thermostat…
You can lower down your thermostat while you are away and while you are asleep. A centigrade lower equals to 2% saved energy. Again, you may want to turn the heating down if you are not around.
· Then the laundry and dishwashing…
You should know this: You can save as much as 85 to 90% when you turn the dial of your laundry to cold. Heating the water will consume a lot of energy. Also, you can save a lot when you wash full load. One last thing: a front loading washing machine saves you 50% on water and 50% on energy.
Dishwashers consume the same energy regardless of wash loads. Therefore, it would be much energy efficient if you load your dishwasher full.
· Go to the basement…
Most heat is lost when your basement has leaks and drafts on the walls. Make sure you seal these places so that you can conserve a lot of heat and energy. You may also add insulation in your basement to ensure that the heat is conserved.
One good way to know if your basement has leaks or draft is to look for spider webs. When there are web, there are leaks.
· Time to go to the garage…
Do not turn on the heating system at your garage full time. Whether you stay at your garage often or not, you can always heat it up minutes before you get in there. You can save a lot of energy if you do this. Remember: use your garage heating system only if necessary.
· And finally… you electronic devices.
Whether it is your tv, stereo, lights, or any other devices that use electricity, make sure that you turn them off when not in use.
All your appliances and electric gadget consume electricity and pile up to your ever-growing electric bills month after month contribute to your burden as a homeowner (or a tenant on a rented place). This calls for complete information on how to start lowering your home energy consumption while not depriving yourself with all the technology you have bought.
· Let us start with how well-sealed your home is…
Ensuring that your house is totally sealed keeps your heating devices maximize its use, at the same time, save some energy. If you live on the southern part of the country, a perfectly sealed home keeps the temperature of your house maintained. This will also maximize the power of your air conditioning system.
To do this, keep your window, sills, doorframes, and joints tight. Apply sealant on these places so that the air from the outside does not mix with the air on the inside. Whether you want to heat up or cool down your home, properly sealed house will keep your heater or air conditioning system in its best functions. You surely don’t want the warm or cold air go in and out of your home. This will consume more energy than it should be.
Heat loss can also occur on windows. To prevent this, use plastic window cover. Plastics are best material to insulate and keep the heat of your home inside.
A free flowing heating vents and air grills will maximize the flow of heat in your home. Keep interference such as rugs, furniture and drapes away from them.
On moveable sections of windows and doors, you may want to use weatherstripping. Weatherstrips are rubber materials that seal the movable object from its non-moveable object. This will go on garage doors, exterior doors, operable windows, and door of attic.
· Then, proceed on the blinds and drapes…
If you want to keep your home warm during cold weather, choose drapes that would cover the windows entirely. If it is sunny, open the drapes let the sun’s heat insulate your home. In this way, you save a lot of money on heating system.
· The thermostat…
You can lower down your thermostat while you are away and while you are asleep. A centigrade lower equals to 2% saved energy. Again, you may want to turn the heating down if you are not around.
· Then the laundry and dishwashing…
You should know this: You can save as much as 85 to 90% when you turn the dial of your laundry to cold. Heating the water will consume a lot of energy. Also, you can save a lot when you wash full load. One last thing: a front loading washing machine saves you 50% on water and 50% on energy.
Dishwashers consume the same energy regardless of wash loads. Therefore, it would be much energy efficient if you load your dishwasher full.
· Go to the basement…
Most heat is lost when your basement has leaks and drafts on the walls. Make sure you seal these places so that you can conserve a lot of heat and energy. You may also add insulation in your basement to ensure that the heat is conserved.
One good way to know if your basement has leaks or draft is to look for spider webs. When there are web, there are leaks.
· Time to go to the garage…
Do not turn on the heating system at your garage full time. Whether you stay at your garage often or not, you can always heat it up minutes before you get in there. You can save a lot of energy if you do this. Remember: use your garage heating system only if necessary.
· And finally… you electronic devices.
Whether it is your tv, stereo, lights, or any other devices that use electricity, make sure that you turn them off when not in use.
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