Earth Day Special: 10 Ways To Save Electricity

1. LED Bulbs: According to Philips, a conventional 60-watt bulb will last about 1,000 hours, while an AmbientLED bulb will last about 25,000 hours, or roughly 15 years. Assuming an electricity rate of 12.5 cents/kWh, a conventional 60-watt bulb will cost about $180 to run for 25,000 hours, while an AmbientLED bulb will cost about $37.50.

2. Radiant Barrier: Radiant barriers work by reflecting most of the sun’s heat energy away from a roof so that the roof retransmits the sun’s heat energy and radiates it back outside the attic. Most radiant barriers reflect from 95 percent to 97 percent of the sun’s heat.

3. Window Film: After-market solar window films work by blocking the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) light, and, with some film types, the sun’s infrared light while allowing visible light to pass through. As light enters your home, less heat enters along with it, allowing you to use less energy to cool your home.

4. Turn Off Your Computer: According to the U.S. Department of Energy, an ENERGY STAR certified computer consumes 15 watts or less when sleeping, which is about 70 percent less than when the same computer is running without the operating system’s power management features turned on.

5. Slay Energy Vampires: According to the Energy Information Institute, the average U.S. household spends about $2,000 a year on electricity, and about 10 percent of that, or $200, is spent paying for electricity you’re not even using.

6. Tankless Water Heater: According to ENERGY STAR, homeowners with certified whole-home gas tankless water heaters can cut gas use by about 30 percent each month and save between $115 and $260 a year, depending on family size.

7. Save While Doing Laundry: Using high efficiency (HE) front-loading clothes washers can help you reduce bill costs. Such washers can cut the electricity you use to wash clothes by up to 70 percent, and, over the life of the machine, can save you more than $850 in water and detergent costs.

8. Stop air leaks: One of the easiest ways to start reducing your monthly bill costs is to seal air leaks in your home. And the first step to saving energy by sealing air leaks is to discover where those leaks are. To help, many people get a professional home energy audit.

9. Programmable Thermostat: Consumers can save about 10 percent a year on heating and cooling bills with the help of programmable thermostats, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

10. Home Energy Audit: Professional home energy audits can help homeowners identify the ways their homes use energy and can help provide strategies for making homes more comfortable and more energy-efficient. Home energy audits can pinpoint all sorts of opportunities to increase your comfort and reduce your monthly energy bills.