Spare Strøm: Important Energy Saving Tips 

Electricity is an essential commodity in every space where humans operate whether it is a home, office/workspace or factory. Since its discovery it almost seems as if humans can no longer function well without it. However, as with every good thing in life, it comes at a cost and with the rate of inflation, the cost of electricity is also on the rise.

Seeing that electricity is essential for almost every human activity and endeavour, we must as a matter of necessity find ways to conserve it. This will in turn help to lower the amount of money that we will have to spend on it monthly or annually.

In this article, we will look at the importance of electricity and conserving energy and how we can save on it. Stay with us as we share tips on how to conserve electricity to save money.

The Importance of Electricity

We have mentioned at the beginning of this article that almost every human activity anywhere requires electricity for successful implementation. Let’s delve more into the importance of electricity and conserving energy.

Light up our Space

Before the discovery of electricity, people could not do much after dark but with the advent of this commodity, we can light up bulbs. This therefore means that people can perform tasks well into the night all thanks to artificial lighting.

Power Home Appliances

We can power our home appliances such as fridge, microwave, iron, TV, vacuum cleaner, dishwasher, computers, heater and others with electricity. This in turn simplifies our lives and helps us achieve more in our day to day activities.

Run Medical and Health Facilities

Every hospital is highly dependent on electricity to power its equipment and function optimally. There are a lot of technological inventions that have helped to save countless lives that can’t function without electricity.

Operate Eco-Friendly Transportation Systems

Many countries in the bid to reduce carbon footprints on the environment have embarked on transport systems that are operated by electricity. Additionally, many companies have also contributed their quota by manufacturing electric cars and bikes. This electronic transportation not only eases the stress of mobility but makes it by far healthier for commuters. Check out this article for more about electric cars and bikes.

Aid Industrial Operations

Every country’s industrial operation is largely dependent on electricity and the lack of it can cripple the economy. In times past, industries used manual machines and labour for their operations and it was quite tedious. These days however, electricity has made industrial operations simpler and faster which in turn translates to higher production and more profit.

We could go on and on to enumerate the importance of electricity in the everyday lives of individuals, communities and even nations. Therefore suffice it to say that this commodity is all pervasive and one that nobody can afford to do without. This now brings us to how we can conserve this commodity to save money and also reduce carbon footprints on the environment.

Tips on how to Save Electricity

Saving electricity is not only about saving money like we have already mentioned but also about reducing carbon footprints on our ecosystem. As our contribution to this cause, find below tips on how to save electricity:-

Change Old Electrical Appliances

If your home appliances are old models, they will suck up so much energy that it will affect your energy bill. So in order to conserve energy, you may have to change all your old model appliances to energy efficient appliances.

When you go shopping for new appliances, look out for the ones that have the ENERGY STAR label. That label is a certification by the government that the appliance is energy efficient. For example a washing machine that has the energy star label will save up to 20% energy and over 30% of water usage annually. Although energy efficient fridges do not save that much energy, but the energy they save also amounts to a substantial reduction in your energy bill at the end of the year.

Use Only Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

Replace all the traditional bulbs in your home with CFL, LED and Halogen Incandescent bulbs. These bulbs consume less electricity than regular bulbs by as much as 80%; the ones that are not so energy efficient still save as much as 25% of energy. Additionally, these bulbs last longer too!

Although the initial purchase cost of these bulbs are on the high side, the longevity makes up for it. However, ensure that when you go shopping, you look out for brands that have the ENERGY STAR label.

Lifestyle Change

One of the major ways of conserving energy in your home is to change your lifestyle. If you are not ready to change the appliances that you have, you can start out by changing some habits. Put off light bulbs and appliances when they are not in use.

You can also do some of your chores manually instead of using machines. One of such chore is air drying your clothes instead of using dryer. You can also wash your dishes by hand instead of using a dishwasher.

Try using your AC less during summer and utilize natural ventilation more. Also turn down your thermostat during winter. Heating and cooling usually cost some substantial sum and if you are able to reduce the usage of these systems, you will save some money.

You can also use some tools to monitor your energy consumption. When you figure out which appliances and daily tasks consume energy the most, you can then figure out how to adjust their usage to reduce cost.

Use Energy Efficient Power Strips

There is something known as vampire, standby or phantom energy and it is electricity used by electronic appliances when they are not in use. This is actually a major source of waste of energy. The US department of energy reports that standby energy makes up for at least 5% of the energy waste in many American homes.

Smart power strips help to eliminate the issue of standby energy because it shuts off power to appliances connected to it when they are not in use. You can set smart power strips to shut down at a particular time or when appliances are not in use.

Seal Air Leaks in your Home

Sealing air leaks in your home or weatherizing it is a major way that you can reduce your cooling and heating expenses. The most common places from which air leaks out of and into a home are windows, doors and vents. So weatherizing your home means closing up any opening or cracks between the vents and walls, doorframes and windows of your home.

You use caulk to seal air leaks between window frames and walls but for cracks between places such as doors and windows you can use weather stripping. Caulking and weather stripping are simple techniques used for sealing air leaks and they are inexpensive enough that you recoup your investment in a year.

Air leaks in homes are often from inside the house into the attic through small openings. This may happen through light fixtures, attic hatch or ducts. So since heat flows naturally from warmer areas to cooler ones, small openings can contribute to higher heating bills if you have an attic that is insufficiently insulated.

This therefore means that to really enjoy the full benefits of weatherization, you have to fully insulate the entire house. Visit https://bestestrøm.no/hvordan-spare-strøm/ for more tips.

Always be on the Lookout for Cheaper Suppliers

One way that you can reduce your energy bill is by always being on the lookout for electricity suppliers that are cheaper than the one you are using currently. You may not know but there are usually price differences between electricity companies. This therefore means that comparing prices between suppliers can help you get the cheapest and best option available to you.

When looking for cheaper suppliers, you need to consider as many suppliers as possible. Check the amount you have to pay monthly and how much it is. Look at the monthly fee in addition to the surcharge; this will tell you whether the contract is cheap or expensive.

Although the difference in monthly charges and fees between different suppliers may seem insignificant, it does add up at the end of the day. So it actually makes sense to take into consideration any little discount that you can get.

Conclusion

Electricity as we have established in this article is a very essential commodity that nobody can do without. Furthermore we established that this commodity also comes at a cost which often adds up and impacts on one’s finances. Therefore there is need to find ways to save on this commodity.

To this end, we have shared some tips that will come in handy. Bear them in mind and implement them; they will surely help you save some money.