Ways To Save A Little Extra Energy At Home Or Work

As a Calgary Electrician, we know many ways to save energy and would love to share them with you. The best way you can save energy at home or at your place of business is by turning off the things you don't need while you're away or not using them. Unfortunately, the way we live our lives most often doesn't consider the impact to our environment. The more energy we consume, the more energy has to be produced and the more our planet can suffer from being drained of its natural resources.

If we could just understand what a huge impact we could all make together if each of us were being a little more responsible, the world's energy usage in the U.S. alone could make a significant impact to the health of our planet.

You wouldn't think about some of the items in your home making much difference in your energy bills, and indeed there are some items that could be left on with little impact to your energy bill. But put them together and you could be looking at some savings every month that will make you take notice and motivate you to make a few tweaks in how your household or business functions.

The first thing to consider may seem like it's insignificant enough to matter. But consider that many homes and work places have more than one desktop PC in use. Many homes contain two to three forms of computers including desktop PCs and laptops. Today, we also have netbooks, notebooks, smartphones and more electronic devices that we keep plugged in.

The desktop computer, for instance, can take up a significant amount of energy to operate if left on. Taking an average of 30 watts for an LCD monitor and the top watts of 250 for a computer (see your manufacturer), you're using about 280 watts. If left on 24 hours a day all year and you pay an average utility rate of .12/kWh, you'll be paying close to $300 for that one desktop PC.

By turning off your computer for at least 8 hours, you've cut your energy cost down to about $184 per year. And let's say you only turn your PC on when you're actually using it at an estimate of 5 hours per day, your energy cost would be remarkably lowered to $61 per year. That's quite a bit of difference from the initial $300 for just one PC.

Imagine a business that owns 20 computers with a policy set for employees to turn off all the desktop PCs after leaving work! That's a significant energy saver right there with just one type of digital device.

Other ways you can save energy at home is to replace some of your larger energy gobbling devices and appliances in your home. Tankless water heaters, energy rated appliances, electrical inspections and panel upgrades, dimmer switches, energy efficient interior and exterior lighting, ceiling fans, energy efficient HVAC equipment, and other systems for your home can matter. Call your local trusted electricians at Total Electrical Solutions for information on custom energy saving packages for your home!

* Sources: http://energy.gov/energysaver/estimating-appliance-and-home-electronic-energy-use