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This is the second article in a four-part series on how to green your electricity. We will give you practical tips to help improve your environmental footprint, as well as your monthly energy bills. Your house might even become more comfortable in the process.
Last week, we learned about the importance of conducting a energy audit (either with the help of a professional, or with freely available online tools).
This week, we'll look at some of the ways to reduce your electricity usage. The list will not be exhaustive and we won't go into details, party because that would take too much space and this series is only an overview, a tool to get you started in the right direction, but also because each specific case is slightly different so not every tip will apply equally to your situation. If you have followed our recommendation and audited your house, you should have gotten recommendations. Lets take a quick look at some of the things you can do:
At the more expensive end of the spectrum, you have replacing old inefficient central heating units, badly insulated windows, or fixing the roof. When you look at the cost of these, think long-term. A big investment now might pay for itself with lower bills over a few years, and after that payback period, it is extra money in your pockets. Your house might also become more comfortable and valuable.
With energy prices on a solid upward trend, the return-on-investment period is likely to become shorter and shorter as time goes on. You could even beat the stock market; An energy efficiency home improvement that pays for itself in 5 years is getting the equivalent of 20% returns.
A step down from structural changes to the house are big appliances. We will give specific tips on these in other articles and series, but for now, what you must know is that they represent an important part of your electricity consumption and that in many cases, big gains can be made by consciously selecting efficient models.
If you already have recent "Energy Star" compliant appliances, it is probably not worth upgrading to slightly more efficient models. Just keep in mind that the next time you are shopping, you should look for the most efficient model that fits both your needs and budget.
If you have old appliances, there is a good chance that they are a lot less efficient than modern ones. It is not rare to see two old fridges (the second one used as a "beer" fridge), cramped and non-ergonomic, be replaced by one efficient model that uses between 4 and 6 times less energy than the two dinosaurs.
Finally, you can reduce your electricity consumption by reducing the number of electronic gadgets that keep drawing "phantom power" even when not in use (follow the previous link for more information on that topic), and you can cut down on the amount of electricity that you use for lighting: According to the Department of Energy, 1/4 of all the electricity used in the US is used for lighting. The typical incandescent lightbulb could be called a "heat" bulb since about 90% of the electricity is turned into heat.
Better choices are compact fluorescents (CFLs) and LEDs (but they are more expensive for now and it is not quite a mature technology). Also don't forget to turn off the light when you leave the room.
This has been only an overview, Planet Green will write more detailed articles on each specific example above in the future. Next week we will look at how to green the source of your electricity.
Difficulty level: Easy to Moderate
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