Everyone has their bad habits. We’re only human, after all. But maybe one of those bad habits is wasting energy in your home. If you’re looking for ways to save some money, cut some costs or make your wallet a little more flush with cash for yourself, then listen up. Here are some bad energy-related habits you should work to break.
Let’s jump right in!
Leaving lights on in rooms you’re not in
You’d be surprised at how something like this adds up in a hurry. If you left a room that had two lamps with 60 watt bulbs in it – and then left it on a few days a week, you’d add almost $25 a year to your electrical bill. Switch off those lights whether you’re leaving your house, going to work or even going downstairs.
Not washing full loads of dishes
The dishwasher is a god-send and probably one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century, but for as important as they are – there’s no doubt that they consume a TON of energy. In fact – your average dishwasher will suck down about 1,800 watts of electricity. That means if you run your dishwasher once a day for a year – it’ll cost you about $66 per year JUST to use that appliance. We recommend not getting caught up in the partial loads and instead giving it a day for the dishwasher to load up and be full. You can cut that $66 bill almost in half: $33 from wasting energy!
Energy suckers
Energy suckers are silent beasts that say they’re powered off – but aren’t really. They’re ‘sleeping,’ they say. That’s electronic speak for ‘using energy.’ Want to know something nuts? Your average cable box with DVR plugged in for one year and never used even once – will STILL cost you $38 a year. Be sure to have these guys hooked up to a power strip that you can easily turn on and off. It can save you a lot of cash.
Not programming your thermostat
Guys, just do this, please! There’s no reason to keep your temperature up when you’re not there. If you can program your thermostat, then take the 10 minutes (max) that it’s going to take to set it. By not keeping your heat on all day, folks at the US Department of energy figure you could save as much as 15% a year on your heating bill.
Now add it all up
For most in certain areas of the country – your average heating bill is around $2,500.00. 15% of that is $375.00. Now add in the $38 dollars just to plug a cable box into the wall, $66 in the busy dishwasher and $25 a year (on the low end) for not turning your lights off. That’s $504.00. Just for not wasting energy! That’s not even getting into all the other things in your house that can add up. Wouldn’t it be nice to have that money for vacation? Or a plane ticket? Or just to spend however you want to spend it?
Keep on yourself, maintain some discipline and your energy savings will add up quickly.
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