Sunday, January 10, 2010

Increasing Energy Costs Means Energy Savings in the Home is Critical

By Jack Bailey
Now is the best time for everyone to focus on lowering our energy consumption - and essentially energy costs - in our home. Energy savings in the home is essential to our environment and good for our family. Keep in mind that any energy saving that you can do will easily translate into savings for other day to day expenses. With the current state of our economy we are all looking for ways to save for now and for the future of our family. Cutting down on energy consumption is good for us and the environment.

You might be thinking that you practice energy conservation in your home. After all, nobody wastes energy on purpose, right? While that can be true, there are several small things that may have become part of your daily routine. You may not be aware that such things affect how much energy you consume each month.

For example, do you usually leave your appliances in standby mode? If yes, then you may want to change this routine to something a little more energy efficeint. Placing the appliances on standby mode still uses power. Try plugging your appliances into a power strip or a plug board and plug your appliances to this device instead. Whenever the appliances are not in use or whenever you're leaving the house, you can simply turn off or disconnect the plug board. This helps in reducing your energy costs, and at the same time, helps avoid the risk of fire.

Do you usually take long baths instead of short showers? Of course, taking a long, warm bath is a way to relax and soothe your tired muscles at the end of a stressful day. However, filling a bathtub increases your energy and water costs. Try taking short showers instead. This way you cut down on both your water and energy usage.

Do you usually wash a few dishes or a few pieces of clothing at a time? Full loads of both your dishwasher and clothes washer is a much more efficient use of energy and water. By washing full loads at a time, you not only save time but more efficiently use both energy and water. If you normally use the dishwasher to dry your dishes, try air-drying them instead. Most dishwashers have an energy saving mode that will allow dishes to air dry and thereby save energy. You can also apply the same energy saving mode to your laundry routine during the summer months. Instead of using the dryer, hang them outside to dry. Another real energy saver is the use of cold water for laundering your clothes. Most laundry detergents today are designed to be effective in cold water and they really do the job well.

These are only a few of the tips that you can use to cut down on your energy consumption at home. Remember that energy saving is a good practice for you and your family because it's good for the environment. Energy saving has the added bonus of saving your family money every day with little or no effort. Let's do it for our world and our future.

Jack Bailey is a freelance writer and green home energy enthusiast. It's Jack's goal to help home owners learn how to save money on their energy bills while they help make the planet a better place to live.

Please visit http://www.HomeEnergyAdvisory.com for tips on how to save big money on your monthly electricity bill; and learn more about how Green Home Energy can help solve the world energy problem.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Bailey

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