National Energy Awareness month was last month, but saving
as much energy as possible shouldn’t be reserved just for October. The Maynard
Man is here to tell you that you can save money on your electrical bills
throughout the year!
We’re the clean energy experts and want you to use that
energy as efficiently as possible. Questions? Reach out to the Maynard Man. In
the meantime, read below for some great energy saving tips.
Swap Out Outdated Lightbulbs
Are you still using standard incandescent light bulbs? Phase
them out. Seriously—CFL, or Compact Fluorescent Light, bulbs last 10x longer
and use about 75% less energy—ultimately saving you money in the process. While
CFL bulbs are more expensive upfront, the fact that they last far longer and
save enough energy that the initial cost gets paid back quickly.
Upgrade Your Thermostat
Are you using an old, manual slider thermostat? There’s a
slight flaw with these—they’re not accurate. That is, you can’t set the
temperature as precisely as you’d be able to with a programmable or even a
digital thermostat. If your thermostat is off by even just a couple of degrees,
it will cause your air conditioner or heater to run for longer than it should
have to, wasting energy and money.
Don’t Overuse Your Electronics and Lighting
One of the best ways to save energy, no matter the time of
year, is to turn off lights you’re not using. We get it, for security purposes
it may make sense to leave a few lights on when you’re not home so the home
looks occupied. But if you’re consistently leaving lights on in all your rooms
whether you’re home or not, this is a waste of energy.
Innocent habits like this one extend to other electronics
too—do you fall asleep with your TV on? Do you leave devices plugged in? These
are all ways we waste energy in our homes without even realizing it. But the
smallest of adjustments to these habits can make a huge difference on your
energy bills.
Weather Seal Your Home
Do you have drafty doors or windows? You may know why this
is a problem in the winter—it allows cold air in and you don’t feel as
comfortable. It’s just as inconvenient in the summer though—cooled air is
allowed to escape out of your home,
instead. As a result, your HVAC systems run longer than they should have to
because they’re trying to compensate for the change in temperature in your
living space.
Use Your Ceiling Fans to Adjust the Temperature
A ceiling fan on its own won’t lower the temperature of your
rooms. But when you use it in combination with your air conditioner, it allows
you to turn the thermostat up a few degrees, which makes your cooling system
more affordable to run.
The same concept applies to your heater. In the winter, you
can reverse the direction of your ceiling fan blades to more evenly distribute
the heated air and make your home feel warmer.
These are just a few of the ways you can conserve energy or
use energy more wisely. We encourage you to ask our electricians for more tips,
tricks and advice.
Need a Helping Hand, Call the Maynard Man! We are The Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Energy Expert. Contact our professional Nashville electricians today.
