Energy-Saving Tips Anyone Can Do

Saving energy saves you money on your electrical bills. But how do you do that? Bill Lutz, an electrician with Generation 3 Electric in Philadelphia, shows some simple steps you can take today to save electricity.

Use “Green Outlets”: These are outlets designed for entertainment equipment and home theater systems. You might not be aware of it, but almost all appliances use electricity while they are plugged in – even if they are turned “off.” This is what is known as a “vampire load.” According to the U.S. Department of Energy, vampire loads are responsible for sucking up to 20% of the energy used in most homes. Appliances like HDTVs often have a “standby” mode that they go into when they are switched “off” which still drains lots of electricity. Lots of other appliances can drain energy as well, even if they are entirely powered down, just by being plugged in. Special “Green Outlets” can detect appliances that are draining power and cut off the flow to them, greatly reducing the energy you are wasting as well as the numbers on your utility bill. Some advanced models can detect how much power is being used when appliances are on and off and display those readings on a small screen for you to read and adjust accordingly.

Install Fluorescent Lights: While for some people this is not as aesthetically as desirable a light, there are always places such as utility closets and bathrooms that it are certainly worth it to install these energy-saving bulbs. You can also design your home style around energy-saving lighting rather than more expensive and wasteful halogen and incandescent bulbs. In America, we often design our homes around warm, yellow (and energy-wasting) lights. That is why we tend to use browns, maroons and wooden colors in our living rooms. Because our aesthetics are designed around these tones, it seems that in many rooms fluorescent lights don’t vibe well with the decor. However, in Europe they design their interiors around energy-saving fluorescent and the home decor in European countries often have starker colors and fabrics to match the lighting better. For example, compare European company’s Ikea’s material look to American company’s Ethan Allen’s warmer shades.

Unplug Chargers: Cell phones chargers are a major vampire of electricity. They continue to suck electricity simply by being plugged into the wall, wasting it by putting pumping into nothings. These little devils continue to drain quite a bit of power even when your phone is not plugged into them, so be sure to unplug your chargers if you are not actively using them to juice up your devices.

Use a Surge Strip: Unplugging to reduce vampire loads does not just apply to chargers. When possible, keep as many appliances as possible unplugged when they are not in use. The easiest way to do this is to purchase surge strips and keep many appliances plugged into that one strip. This way, you can safely and effectively “unplug” an array of devices with the simple flick of a switch. But be careful as not all surge strips are equal. We buy quality ones for electricians. The ones in the stores are rated in Jules and the cheap ones are not usually a great way to protect against actual surges – these cheaper models are more of a fancy outlet splitter than a true surge protector. Turning them off should still cut power to entire strip, but be sure to read the fine print to see if it is indeed a complete cutoff.

Turn Your Lights Off: There used to be a debate about turning lights on and off. A lot of people thought that the electricity used to activate and deactivate the light was more than the steady power used when the light burns continuously. This is incorrect and not true. While it does take some energy to power up your bulb, it is still worth it to turn off your lights. As a general rule: If the light will remain on for over two minutes, you will save money by turning it off.


Electric Heat Can Be Good: Usually, electric space heaters are a a huge waste of energy. They are an inefficient way to heat a house and also can be a fire hazard. However, there are instances where using an electric heater, preferably a built-in unit such as electric baseboard heater, is a good idea. If you have a large house and are usually just in one or two rooms (like a living room or an office), it is better to just heat those rooms than the entire vacant house. Another place where space heaters might come in handy is the bathroom. Though you may like to keep your house slightly chilly to save electricity and money, a space heater can keep your bathroom toasty so you don’t have to step shivering out of the shower.

Try Timers: Timers might be a good idea in many places in your home. They might be a good choice for your basement where you only go to do laundry or on outdoor lights that you will only need at night. Timers are not only great for saving energy but also for security. Lights turning off and on when you are on vacation are an effective deterrent against break-ins as they fool criminals into thinking someone is at home.