The average household in the US spends around $120 a month on electricity. If you have a larger home or have lots of inefficient appliances, your bill could obviously be much higher. No matter how much you pay, the fact is that there are almost certainly numerous ways that you could reduce your electricity consumption and lower your monthly bill. In fact, some studies have shown that around 35% of the average electricity bill is wasted due to so-called “vampire” appliances, which are appliances that continue to draw electricity even when not in use. If you are looking for ways to reduce your electricity consumption, the first thing you’ll want to know is which appliances, devices and systems use the most electricity.

Air Conditioning and Heating Units

HVAC systems account for by far the largest percentage of a household’s total energy consumption. In most cases, heating and air conditioning will typically account for approximately half of your total electricity bill. Electric furnaces and most other types of electric heating use a huge amount of electricity, which is why a gas furnace or a heat pump is generally always the better option. Heat pumps are an especially great choice since they use much less energy than any other heating option.

If your home has a central cooling system, it is by far the single biggest source of electricity consumption. Depending on the size, age and efficiency of your AC unit, it could easily use anywhere from 25 to 65 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per day. The good news is that there are a number of ways that you can reduce how much electricity your HVAC system uses to help save some money.

One of the most important tasks you should accomplish is to have your HVAC system serviced regularly. Without regular HVAC maintenance, the energy efficiency and effectiveness of the system will quickly decrease. This leads to greater electricity consumption and higher energy bills. Replacing the HVAC air filter every one to two months is also essential as a dirty filter will drastically reduce the effectiveness of your heating and cooling and lead to much higher energy costs. Dirty air filters also increase the wear and tear on the system and can lead to expensive repairs.

Keeping your window coverings closed during the hotter parts of the day can be a great help, too, as it reduces how much heat gain your home gets from the sun. During the winter, you will want to keep your window coverings open during the day to take advantage of the natural heat from the sun.

Ceiling fans can also be a great help both during summer and winter. Having the fans spin clockwise in the winter will push heat down from the ceiling and make it so your heating system doesn’t need to run as often. Running the fans counterclockwise in the summer works to create a breeze that will help to keep you cooler. This means you can set your thermostat to a slightly higher temperature and reduce how often your AC has to run and how much energy it uses.

Water Heater

If your home has an electric tank-style water heater, it is most likely the second biggest source of electricity consumption. On average, an electric water heater will account for around 12% of your monthly electricity bill. Leaving the temperature set to no higher than 120 degrees is definitely a smart choice as it will reduce how often the unit runs and how much electricity it uses.

Reducing your hot water consumption can help you save even more. For instance, taking showers instead of baths will always use less hot water. Installing low-flow showerheads and sink aerators can also help cut back on your hot water usage.

Another great option is to consider upgrading to a tankless water heater. Tankless water heaters are far more energy efficient than tank units since they only need to turn on and start heating when you’re actually using hot water. Tank units end up wasting lots of energy since they will need to occasionally turn on and reheat the water in the tank even if you’re not using any hot water. Compared to an electric tank unit, an electric tankless water heater will typically use anywhere between 10 and 40% less electricity depending on how much hot water you use on a normal day.

Lighting

Lighting usually accounts for somewhere around 10% of a home’s total energy consumption. Making sure to turn off the lights whenever you leave a room is important for saving energy. Still, one of the best things you can do is to upgrade all of your lighting fixtures with LED bulbs. Not only do LED bulbs have a far longer lifespan than incandescent or compact fluorescent bulbs, but they also use much less electricity.

A single 100-watt incandescent light bulb that is on for two hours a day will use around 6 kWh of electricity per month. If you had 50 100-watt bulbs on for two hours a month, they would use approximately 300 kWh every month. If you were to instead use comparable LED bulbs, the electricity consumption would drop to only around 42 kWh a month.

Refrigerator

The average home’s refrigerator uses somewhere around 160 kWh of electricity a month. This accounts for approximately 8% of the total electricity consumption. Unfortunately, there really isn’t all that much you can do to lower how much electricity your refrigerator and freezer use since they obviously have to stay on all the time. Limiting how often you open the fridge or freezer and how long it stays open can both help by keeping things colder. It is also important to regularly clean underneath the fridge as this will help to improve airflow and thus reduce how much electricity the unit uses. If your refrigerator or freezer is more than 10 to 15 years old, replacing them can also save you quite a bit as new units are far more energy efficient than older models.

Washer and Dryer

Washers and dryers typically account for around 5% of a home’s total energy consumption. The two best things you can do to reduce how much electricity your laundry consumes are to only ever wash full loads and try to avoid washing on the hottest setting whenever possible. If you always wash on the hottest setting, your washing machine will use much more energy as it takes a lot of electricity for the unit to heat water.

Dishwasher

Dishwashers are typically not a major source of energy consumption and usually only account for around 2% of a home’s monthly energy bill. You can reduce this slightly by making sure to always wash a full load and also by not using the heat dry setting, as this uses quite a bit of energy.

Electronics

Your TV, cable box, streaming devices and other electronics typically account for around 2 to 4% of your total energy consumption. The best way to reduce how much electricity these devices use is to turn off the standby mode. When standby mode is on, your TV and other electronics will continue to draw some energy even when shut off. You can also reduce electricity consumption even further by making sure to always purchase ENERGY STAR-rated devices.

At Aurora Pro Services Heating, Air, Plumbing, Electrical, & Roofing, we specialize in all types of residential electrical services, and our team can help ensure your home is as energy efficient as possible. Give us a call today to learn more about the ways you can save. You can also schedule any electrical, plumbing, HVAC or roofing service in the Greensboro area.

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