Living Green is Cool: Greening your home: Part 1 of 6

Greening your home: Part 1 of 6

Posted on February 5th, 2010 by admin

During the winter and fall with the AC unit turned off, the electricity bill can get pretty high as we spend time in doors. I spent time walking around my house to find out how much I can save by cutting corners. To cut cost, others may place several kitchen appliances and electronics away in the attic. If that approach does not meet your satisfaction, we have several economic tips along with suggestions that you can use to save within your household. Trying some of these suggestions may work out as Part 1 of 6 of our greening your home series.

Appliances on standby mode:
You may already know what standby mode is or heard of the term thrown around at your local Radio Shack, BestBuy, or favorite electronics store. However as a refresher, picture yourself at a bus stop waiting for a bus. I remember back in high school and college standing hours waiting for public transportation. The most I spent at a bus stop was longer during half a days when class ended during irregular periods. I was doing nothing efficient but just standing there idle.

Similarly… Having your home electronics on while not in use can be very inefficient because they still use up electricity while on. The US Department of Energy notes, “In the average home, 75% of the electricity used to power home electronics and appliances is consumed while the products are turned off.” I pulled out a couple of appliances from Australia’s website to see what we can compare to our neighbors down under at the EIA’s office. Seems like we share some common appliances that include:

Televisions
Fax Machines
Cordless Telephones
Microwave Ovens
Battery Chargers for Portable Devices (such as mobile phones)
Remote Control Devices
Any appliances with a built in electronic clock. My stove is one of those.
Any appliance which does not have an “off” switch

Some suggestions are to put these devices into common power strips around your home and turning the power strips off when the equipment is not in use. Another simpler method is simply turn off your computer and monitor when not in use. If you have an electronic device or appliance that is not efficient, try trading it in for an energy star related device. Going back to the US EIA assessment, if 75% of my energy is being wasted, how much money is my household losing….

If you would like to have an analysis of heat loss at your home or small business, a nice energy audit will send you in the right direction. The insight you gain from it will give you plenty of ideas for a little green remodeling, so you can become part of the solution. Sign up for an energy audit through Sobuka by typing in your zip code and selecting contractors in your area.

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