Saving ElectricitySaving electricity AND money is easy if you know a few lighting facts and make some small changes around the house.
•Use LED bulbs in hard-to-reach fixtures because they don't need to be changed as often since they last 35 times longer than standard bulbs.
•Make use of natural light from windows and skylights whenever possible.
•Turn lights off when they are not in use. For example, if you leave a room for more than 10 minutes.
•Keep your lamps, shades and fixtures clean. Dirt can reduce the effectiveness of the light being produced and then we may use higher wattage bulbs than we need.
•Build-up of static electricity can attract dust, so allow plastic parts to drip-dry after cleaning. Make sure there is no power to the fixture while cleaning it.
•Avoid having too many lights controlled by a single switch - this can result in having lights on where and when you don't need them. An example of this might be a basement where turning on one switch may illuminate a whole string of bulbs.
•Replace ordinary wall switches with settings for high, low and off. In order that you will save energy make sure the switches don’t use resistors to vary the brightness of the light.
•Dimmer switches can be used to adjust light levels in a room to match your needs. This helps with saving electricity and extends bulb life.
•Install timers that automatically turn lights on and off after a set period of time, or install motion sensors that turn lights off when a room is unoccupied. This prevents a light being left on for hours at a time when no one is in the room.
•Light-coloured walls and ceilings reflect about 80 percent of light that strikes them, and dark-coloured surfaces reflect only about 10 percent of the light. So when you are redecorating, lighter colours can result in lower energy costs.
•Place lamps in a corner instead of in the middle of a wall. This will allow them to reflect light from two walls, giving you more usable light for your money. •Install LED bulbs in areas where lights are on for long periods, such as the kitchen, family room, work area and outdoors, for maximum savings. There are other ways of saving electricity without significantly changing our way of life. The first area of energy drain is from the multitude of small electrical appliances plugged in all around our homes. We can unplug all of our small appliances when we are not using them. If the toaster oven is plugged into the receptacle, it is still drawing power, even if we are not using it. We can equip our commonly used outlets with power strips. Plug appliances into the power strip and when they are not in use, turn off the power strip with one simple flick of the switch. A power strip costs, on average, $20. A small investment at the start, this energy friendly tool will save money in the long run. Plug the computer and accessories, i.e., printers, monitors, speakers and hard drives into a power strip. Turn the power strip off when the computer is not in use to save on the electricity bill. This has the added benefit of protecting equipment during a power surge. A computer is one of the top energy users among household appliances and, fortunately, can be turned off when not being used. Also note that older appliances, such as analog televisions and older refrigerators, tend to use more energy. Look for appliances with the energy star label, to help keep electrical costs down. LED lighting can also be good for saving electricity Replacement LED lighting As you begin your foray into energy efficiency, consider bolder ways to save energy and protect the environment.
Solar heat collectors are some of the less expensive ways of collecting free energy from the sun. Buy a windmill, or build one yourself, to provide your home with free energy. See www.realgoods.com Solar power is another option to provide your home with free energy. Alternative Energy Store provides useful guidelines that can show you the right way to install the solar panels. Saving electricity is not only valuable for our planet, but for your wallet too. During this economic down-turn consider including energy efficiency in your home. Start small by unplugging electronics that are not in use and build from there. A significant way to save on electricity costs is to learn
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Energy Saving Tips
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