10 Electrician Secrets to Save Electricity Year Round

Electricity is wasted because of using it in excess or not using it wisely. Following simple steps and changing your routine can help you cut down your electricity expenses and conserve it too.

Why there is a need to save electricity?

Since years we have been hearing that we need to save electricity. But why should we save electricity?

Wise use of energy saves money and it also saves the environment.

We obtain electricity from energy sources like wind or solar power, but much of it is obtained by burning oil and coal.

These are non-renewable sources of energy which will get depleted one day, considering the excess use.

These sources aren’t a clean source of energy like the wind or solar energy and cause pollution.

We also have nuclear reactors to produce electricity but they also produce radioactive waste as byproducts.

Less use of electricity means a decreased need of nuclear reactors and lesser pollution.

10 Tips to Save Electricity

There are many ways in which you can save electricity like insulating your home, unplugging the appliances when not in use and so on. Let us see some more tips to save electricity.

1. Turn off the Lights when Not in Use

• This is the simplest thing which we have been hearing for ages.

• If you pay attention to the number of lights you keep on, when not in use, you will know how much energy is wasted.

• You can request your family members to gather in one or two rooms rather than laying all over the house.

2. Use Natural Light

• Many times, we switch on lights during the daytime even when there is ample of sunlight available.

• Use natural light as much as possible.

• If there isn’t enough light coming into your house, find some ways like rearranging the furniture that obstructs the natural light.

• Use lighter shade curtains to allow sunlight in the house.

3. Switch to CFL

• Replace incandescent light bulbs with CFL or LED bulbs to save electricity.

• CFL bulbs use only ¼ energy than incandescent bulbs.

• LED bulbs last longer than the others.

4. Unplug Appliances

• A plugged-in appliance consumes energy even if it is not switched on.  

• Unplug appliances like television, washing machines, computers etc. when not in use.

• Small appliances like hair dryers and chargers are often ignored but even they consume some amount of energy.

5. Replace Old Appliances

• If you want to reduce the cost and save energy, try replacing the old appliances with the newer models.

• They are designed to use less electricity and save your household cost.

• For example, switching to laptops for two hours can save $11 in a year.

• Buy appliances with Energy Star labels to save electricity.

6. Change your Routine

• If you change some routine things like doing full loads of laundry than smaller loads and turning on the dishwasher only when it is full, can save lots of electricity.

• Every load that needs to be washed will consume electricity.

• Also, some keep the refrigerator open for a long time which makes the cold air escape.

• Ensure that once you open and close it as soon as possible.

7. Don’t use AC often

• The use of air conditioner can be restricted rather than keeping it on 24x7.

• Turn on the fan for some time, keep the windows open or find other ways to cool yourself.

• Replacing the filters will also prevent the AC from overexerting itself and consuming less energy.

8. Don’t Bath with Hot Water

• Heating water consumes a lot of electricity.

• Bath with warm water instead of hot water.

• Buy an insulated water heater so that it doesn’t lose heat during the process.

• Take shorter showers instead of baths to save electricity and water.

9. Don’t Overheat or Overcool

• Adhere to a consistent room temperature irrespective of the season.

• Avoid changing your thermostat frequently or overheating or overcooling the room to conserve electricity.

10. Dry your Laundry in the Sun

• Hanging dry your laundry in the natural sunlight will not consume electricity and it is the best way to benefit from this free source of energy.

• Alternatively, if using the dryer is unavoidable, then put a dry towel in it to reduce the drying time.

If the wiring can’t handle too many appliances the breaker will often trip.  Upgrading your electrical wiring or installing/replacing the electrical elements that consume energy will also cut down your electricity expenses.