10 ways to conserve electricity at home

You don’t need many ways to conserve electricity in order to see a major difference on your next energy bill.

You just need information on our 10 proven ways to conserve electricity at home to get started.

With these 10 ways to conserve electricity at home, you can rest assured you’re doing everything you can to protect the environment.

1. Learn to set the air conditioning properly.

Air conditioning is the cold elephant in the room when it comes to electric bills. Nothing beats walking into a cold wall of A/C after spending time outside during the summer.

You should change your air conditioner filter monthly. On hot days, keep your house cool and your power bills lower by using the energy saver option on your air conditioner, and leave it on when you’re not at home.

2. Unplug devices you’re not using.

All those smaller appliances and devices in your home don’t use much energy individually, but collectively they can really add up.

Instead of manually plugging and unplugging everything in your house each day, if you connect your items to a power strip and then simply turn that strip off when you aren’t using something, your items will not drain energy.

3. Ditch the oven.

Ditching your oven is probably not one you thought of but an easy way to save on electricity nonetheless.

Using lower wattage devices like toaster ovens, microwaves, and crock pots can save you big bucks. A microwave is nearly 4 times as energy efficient as an oven. If you’re re-heating food, or cooking it for the first time, sacrificing a little “taste” is at least going to save you a little money.

4. Turn off unnecessary lights.

How many times did your mom yell at you growing up to turn off all the lights before you left the house?

Just think about how many light bulbs you have in your house. Now think about how much money you’re throwing away each and every year.

Stop that.

5. Open the window instead of using an extractor fan.

Zero electricity usage, plenty of fresh air and it stops condensation, what’s not to love? This simple change can make a real difference over the course of a year.

6. Install smart switches.

There’s loads available, from simple timed switches to ones that can be controlled remotely from your smartphone.

This makes it much easier to make sure that your electronics aren’t left on standby.

7. Switch to LED Bulbs.

They’re far more efficient than incandescent lightbulbs, last longer and can provide a cleaner, more natural looking light.

8. Use a fan.

If you live in an area of the world where the summers are hot, turn on your ceiling fans before you touch your thermostat.

Using a ceiling fan can make a room feel 10 degrees cooler and a fan uses just 10 percent of the energy that a central air conditioner does.

9. Put it on standby.

Putting your electronics on standby saves more money than leaving them on. Remember, though, standby still uses a substantial amount of electricity.

According to the US Department of Energy, electronics on standby account for 10 percent or more of your electricity bill.

10. Stop spending so much on electricity.

If living in self-quarantine has made you well aware of the extra electricity you’ve been using on lights, laundry and the stovetop, there are plenty of simple measures you can take to lower your electric bill.