Saving Money With Electricity Saving Devices
Electricity saving devices teach us the valuable lesson that powering our homes need not be expensive, and saving on energy costs is not a burden.
For instance, you can now purchase energy saving light bulbs that last twice as long and burn fewer kilowatt hours than ever before. If you are reading in your den and feel cool, put on a sweater or jacket rather than turning up the thermostat. These are a few of the ways to save on electricity and gas bills that cost us very little, but can make a difference when the bill comes in.
But there are other electricity saving devices as well:
* One of the big power savers, especially during winter, are electric saving heaters. The old space heaters that you grew up with consume enormous amounts of electrictity (Next time you see one in use, just feel how warm the power cord is). The best energy-efficient heaters improve the way in which heat is distributed through the room, so that the heater pulls fewer watts for a lesser amount of time.
* Thermometers. That's right, the old-fashioned thermometer can be used to save on electricity costs. Use these to measure temperatures of your freezer, refrigerator or hot water. This will give you a heads-up to adjust them if the temperature goes too far toward one temperature extreme or the other.
* Electricity monitors that plug into a standard wall outlet are growing in popularity. These will help you determine the amount of electricity being used by a given appliance or device. You might just find out that you should invest in a less resource-hungry model. Also, the monitor will show you which device uses "phantom" energy, i.e., which one uses wattage even when it's not in use. For instance, some electronics devices do this; your electricity monitor might just tell you to unplug those devices if you're not using them.
There are also energy efficient major appliances that are now available to replace those “avocado green” appliances we all knew about back in the seventies! The price of crude oil has made getting energy efficient furnaces and water heaters a necessity in the homes of today. Those are being made and there are financial rewards being offered by the government to help offset the cost of major appliance purchases. Appliances being made today can pay for themselves in money not spent on electricity and gas bills that you are paying now due to their inefficiencies. There is a push on the world stage to be more efficient with how we use all power sources in today’s world, and energy independence is the goal for the United States. If that were to happen, you would see major cuts in the cost of gas and electricity bills, among others that would benefit all of us.
It's amazing how many people overlook the energy being used by these small appliances, computers, printers and sound systems that are left plugged in for lengthy periods of time when they are not in use. Once again, if you know they will be idle for an extended period of time, unplug them, it will save on your electricity and gas bills over time.
* Motion activated lights and switches can be another power saving device. Rather than leavin the outside light on all during the night, this will turn it on only when someone needs it, i.e., they pull into the driveway and get out of the car.
In addition to these electric power saving devices, there's one other thing you should remember as you try to cut back on energy costs: Don't be afraid to get an energy audit from your local gas or electric company if you feel there are numerous areas you might be overlooking when it comes to savings. These audits are not very expensive, but what they can tell you about how to save on gas and electric bills can be significant in a short period of time. Replacing a worn out storm door, regular maintenance of the generator, replacing windows with double-pane insulated glass, replacing an old thermostat and running appliances at off-peak hours are all ways to help save on electricity and gas bills over time.
The best way to address these areas of concern is to be realistic about what needs to be done to really remedy a waste of energy. Once you've figured that out, determine which electricity saving devices will help you toward this goal. Do not put a band-aid on something that really needs a tourniquet! Be realistic, and the results you achieve will be more comfort for yourself and your wallet!
