New year, new energy-savings. Here’s our top tips on how to save energy in 2021!
1. Unplug your chargers when not in use.
Did you know energy can “haunt” your home? ? Chargers are a big culprit of “phantom loads”—when energy is building up but not being used. By simply unplugging your phone or laptop charger when not in use, you can rid your electric bill of these ghoulish, unnecessary costs.
Or, you can program a smart power strip to do that for you…
2. Get yourself a smart power strip.
Smart power strips can control which devices are getting electricity or not. For instance, appliances such as TVs, printers, and computers go into a standby mode when not in use and continue to suck energy (some call these “energy vampires”). Smart power strips recognize when a device goes into standby mode, and are able to shut off and save energy.
Standby power consumption ranges from 5-10% of household energy, and about 1% of the worldwide carbon dioxide emissions [source: Lawrence Berkley Nation Laboratory]. So getting a smart power strip can save you money, while keeping the earth happy, too.
You can find smart power strips here. Prices vary from $25 – $50.
3. Try a programmable thermostat.
Similar to the smart power strip, programmable thermostats give you more control over the energy being used in your home. With a smart thermostat, you’re able to turn off heating and cooling while you’re out of the house, reduce heat while you’re sleeping, have heating stop at a certain temperature, and so on. This reduces energy waste and saves you on average up to $180 a year.
One of the most popular is Google’s Nest thermostat which goes for $199. You can check it out here.
4. Switch to LED lighting.
Naturally, as a team of lightbulb nerds ?, this is one of our favorites. Year after year, research continues to show the benefits of switching to LED (which by the way, stands for light-emitting diode)! These energy-saving bulbs can save you anywhere from 60-80% in energy costs compared to other lighting options.
In addition, LEDs last up to 20x longer, and many LED options allow you to control your lighting to be either bright or soft. This gives you the option to create the lighting look you want, while also reducing your energy costs even more.
Take a look at some of our LED options here.
We’re always happy to help you with custom options. Give us a call any time at 701-205-4953 or chat with us directly on our website, here. ?