In today’s international economy, everybody is barely making ends meet; it is a morbid situation. The thought of saving a substantial amount of money on things is hard to imagine. The costs of basic amenities only keep rising.
This holds true for the portion of monthly income individuals and households spend on energy, too. However, all hope is not lost. There is a way out. Minimal lifestyle changes, a slight shift of perspective and some investments in long term solutions can help people cut down on energy costs. This article will walk readers through all the necessary steps that can be taken, as soon as possible.
Energy conservation
A massive, tangled up web of jargon or new technology does not need to be studied to understand the fundamentals of energy costs. High energy costs almost always stem from high energy usage.
Hence, conserving energy is the main way this problem can be nipped in the bud.
Saving the environment while you are at it is a great bonus, that comes along, too. Lower power usage or moving to renewable energy sources reduces pollution and lowers the carbon footprint.
Less expenses and saving the environment, simultaneously? Sounds great, right? Let us now discuss how to achieve this.
Develop some new habits
While changing your behavior towards energy is easy to say, it is much harder to keep it going and form a habit. One can still try. Below is a list of actions that do not require much effort. You do not need to make a shopping run to buy new things in order to perform these.
- Turn off extra lights and power outlets, that are not in use. Make it a habit to not leave anything switched on in your absence. This excess usage that seems little to us contributes a lot of additions to energy bills.
- Wash your dishes by hand and dry them yourself, do not use the dishwasher much. This is a bit of work, but the trick here is to not let dishes pile up. Clean up regularly.
- Ensure full washing machine loads, so there is less long-term usage. Further, use cold water; it is better for fabrics anyway and will save heating costs. In weathers that do allow it, leave the dryer alone and hang your clothes on a line to save money.
- Only iron clothes that necessarily need it. Luckily, it is trendy to deviate from the norm, so an un-ironed shirt can easily be rocked.
- Cover your food in the fridge. It has been proven that condensation leads to refrigerators working harder, accounting to higher power usage and bills.
Replace technology
With the advent of science and newer inventions being released every day, it is no surprise that we need to stay updated and take advantage of that. Most of the new technology is energy efficient and cost-effective. Incorporating these in houses and businesses could help lower energy bills.
- Swap out your old lights with new LED lights. They would not just help you save some cash but might do your eyes some favors too. These might be an expensive buy, but the long lifetime and money saving more than make up for that.
- Install motion sensors. A connection between these sensors and electrical appliances can be set up. This will turn off all unnecessary appliances that use power when a movement, or human presence is not detected. It can be hard to get accustomed to these, but the ease of the job being done for you feels great.
- Get a smart power strip. Unlike traditional power strips, these completely shut down the power flow to appliances when turned off. Limits and times of usage can also be set on these. This saves a lot of money.
- Switch to efficient appliances. Every company has begun manufacturing appliances that contain technology which requires less power to function. Similar to the lights, these may seem expensive at first. However, the unit expenditure made by an individual who buys these is a lot lower. They pay you back the cost, and more, in the form of savings.
- Fix a smart thermostat. As the name suggests, these can be programmable to adapt with your schedules and needs. An accurate routine can be set up into this which will help it work around it. It will cool and heat water only when needed. A major part of the heating cost can be saved through this. When you are away, it will completely shut down, adding no costs.
Long-term investments
Not all methods of limiting energy costs are quick fixes or low investments, though. Some bigger efforts require a lot more commitment and money to bring to fruition. Decisions to do this cannot be taken in a spur of moment. They require research and consideration, to go through. However, as the saying goes, bigger risks lead to bigger rewards in the end. Let’s explore what these solutions are and if they are ideal.
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is abundant and comes from nature, hence is free. However, the real deal is the technology that turns nature into power and requires hefty investment. There are different sources. The most commonly used are solar power and wind power. The only cost that is incurred is the cost of the set up and follow up maintenance. The rest is completely free. Moving to this source of energy is by far the best way to cut down on money spent on energy.
When using renewable energy sources, the need to conserve energy is also not felt, as it is not adding up to costs.
Sometimes, when the power being made is higher than the power being used, this can be sold back to the government and money can be generated!
Insulation
Insulation does not require as much of an upfront investment as the method discussed prior, but still a considerable amount would have to be dispensed. Windows can be insulated to prevent heat and cool to enter or exit based on the weather. Costs are saved by reducing the usage of heating and cooling systems. This works in collaboration with fixing your space and ensuring there are no leaks in walls or doors, which might impact the temperature inside. This is referred to as weatherization.
One could stop at insulating windows, but you can go all the way too. Floors, walls, and ceilings can also be insulated. This would incur a higher cost but would completely seal your house and might completely diminish the need for cooling or heating, except for during extreme weather conditions.
Conclusion
Saving energy costs is not impossible at all, as it turns out. Only a will to go through with it and stay consistent later is needed. Given the scarcity that exists, this could soon be the need of the hour. We know our readers will already be prepared. Not just that, with our tips they will have bank accounts with extra money that was previously spent on electricity bills, too.
All of the money that is saved can be put towards other expenses that one might have. Sometimes the savings could be enough to completely transform the quality of life for an individual. Limiting energy costs can be life changing. The best part is, once you start there is no stopping.