Photos By: Freepik

Our world is dominated by technology and innovation. We’re fortunate enough to have useful apps available that help us measure and track our energy usage. With all this amazing tech around us, it’s surprising that we’re still paying so much for electricity. Here is how to stop paying so much in energy bills today:

Do an Energy Audit

Doing an audit can be a complicated process. So if you’re serious about finding how you’re wasting energy in your home, consider hiring a professional. A certified auditor will inspect your house to narrow in on saving opportunities and identify areas that need improvement. You can visit EnergyBot or any other comparison website to compare various providers’ rates to make sure you’re not paying too much.

Control Your Thermostat

Develop the habit of lowering the temperature on your thermostat if you’re going to be away from home. Dropping the temp by 3 to 5 degrees will reduce your utility bill. If you can lower your thermostat 10 to 15 digits more during your workday, you could save up to as much as 15% every year.

Seal the Windows

Put in some extra effort by sealing the air leaks in and around all the windows in your house. If the openings are considerably draughty, add some weatherstripping around the frames. Place a bead of silicone caulk over any large cracks in your drywall. Covering crevices and gaps is an easy and affordable way to lower energy costs.

Insulate Your Home

Adding insulation inside your house can help seal air leaks and improve your home’s heating and cooling costs. It’s especially useful if you put filling in your attic. The amount of material you need to cover your loft floor will depend on your home size and the climate in your area. 

Unplug Chargers

Chargers that are plugged in but aren’t in use are often referred to as energy vampires. Battery and cell phone charging units are the biggest culprits that draw electricity even when they’re not plugged into any device. One cable itself won’t make much impact, but when you put all of them together, they can be responsible for as much as 10% of your electricity bills. 

Install Solar Panels

Solar panels aren’t cheap, but they’re becoming more popular, especially to save energy when heating water and generating electricity for homes. In the long run, the panels will help you save money and promote lower fossil fuel usage, which can qualify you for annual tax incentives. They’re usually installed on the roof of the home, and if set up correctly, can set you free from your utility company as they generate power independently. 

Buy Energy-Efficient Appliances

The EPA has set up an initiative called Energy Star Products. It requires appliances to meet certain specifications set out by the department and to use up to 50% less power than the standard machines. Furthermore, the regulated pieces of equipment are used to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. It includes products such as refrigerators, stoves, televisions, washers, and air conditioners. If you’re planning to replace an appliance, consider getting an Energy Star certified product, which will add up to cost-saving in the long run.

Final Thoughts

Going green is easier than people think by making a few simple changes in your home. You’ll be able to save money as well as help the environment. One of the easiest ways to cut your bill is by lowering your thermostat temperature when you’re not home and sealing the windows to stop draughts. If you have some money, you can invest in insulating your home, which will lower your heating and cooling costs. Do an audit and find out exactly where you draw the most electricity. If it’s time to buy new appliances, consider getting EPA Energy Star rated products that draw up to 50% less power than standard machines.

Photos By: Unsplash

As the colder weather comes around again, you may start to think about how you are going to keep your home and your family warmer during the colder months of the years! Running heating can become expensive, especially if you are heating rooms that you don’t really use much of the time. Also, some homes don’t have central heating, so you might be looking at alternative heat sources. Electrical heaters have come a long way since your grandparents had that scarily noisy, clunking heater that didn’t actually seem to produce much heat! Let’s have a look at some of the benefits an electrical heater can provide you.

Boilers Are Not Always Energy Efficient

Many of the newer boilers that are installed these days are much more energy efficient than their older counterparts. If your boiler has not been replaced in recent years, then they may be one of the older, less efficient models that used to be previously installed. This means that your old boiler is having to use more energy to heat your central heating system, which is ultimately going to cost you more money. Hot water is usually heated by a boiler in most homes, however if you are only using a boiler for this purpose, you may only need a smaller model, which will save you money on servicing and replacement when that time comes around. Another thing to consider about boilers is, the older they are, the more noisy they can be! An electric radiator is silent, with the exception of fan heaters, and so your home will be more peaceful without a boiler rattling away as it tries to heat your home. If your boiler does break down – and this does sometimes happen – you will be left without hot water or heating with a traditional central heating system. However if you use electric heaters, you will still be able to warm your home, which is very important in cold months, especially if you or a family member are particularly vulnerable.

Environmental Impact

If you choose to warm up a room with electric heaters, you can also be helping do your bit for the environment. Gas does have emissions which are not good for the environment, in particular Carbon Dioxide, and in an age where we realise how fragile our planet is, we really should be trying to do more to protect it. Electric is a much ‘cleaner’ energy, and it is renewable too, especially as more wind farms, solar panels and hydropower. Electricity can be generated without the consumption of fossil fuels. Natural gas is also a finite resource, eventually it will run out, and the mining of gas is fraught with problems, such as fracking and the like. One big drawback of using natural gas within the home is the risk of a gas leak, and therefore Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Carbon Monoxide is often known as the silent killer, because there is no smell or any indication it is present in your home, and it is a fatal gas when inhaled in large quantities. If you do have a gas boiler in your home, always ensure you have at least one carbon monoxide alarm on each floor of your house.

You Can Save Money

To work out exactly how much money you will be saving, you need to look at how much you are currently paying for gas and electricity, and also how well your home is insulated. You may well find that your current system is inefficient, and you are spending money on heating rooms that you are not using, or you are losing heat from a particular area of the home. By using an electric heater, you can concentrate on only heating the areas of the house that you need to be wam, therefore saving money. New electrical heaters are much more energy efficient than they used to be, and when you are researching which model to buy, you will be able to compare their energy efficiency rating to decide what works best for you.

Type Of Electric Heater

Traditionally when thinking of an electric heater, most people think of the old fan heaters that were incredibly noisy, and inefficient. Whilst you can still buy – much better – fan heaters, there are so many other options available. There are oil filled radiators, these tend to heat up quite slowly, but stay warm long after they have been turned off, and keep a room warmer for longer. Other styles include, convector heaters, infrared heaters, electric panel heaters, storage heaters, and many other types of electrical heaters. It will require some research on your part to find what suits you, but there will definitely be something out there that suits your home and your needs. However, never leave an electric heater unattended, and check it regularly to ensure it is working properly, and there are no wires that are bared and need repairing.

Other Ways To Keep Your House Warm

You can have all the heating you want in your home, but if you don’t have good insulation then the heat will not stay in. You can always get a professional to come out and have a look at your home, and advise on any areas that need extra insulation such as your roof, or replacing your single glazed windows with double glazed ones. Heavy curtains are also useful for keeping heat in, in front of windows of course, but did you know you can put one in front of your front door as well? Front doors often let in a lot of draughts, so a curtain will help to keep them out. Putting rugs on the floor can help to keep cold floors, such as tiled flooring, warmer. Keep yourself warm with cosy clothes like jumpers and dressing gowns, and wearing house shoes or socks in the house.

As you can see, electric heaters can be extremely beneficial for many reasons, research your product properly, and you should soon be living in a toasty warm home!

In recent years, many activities that humans have engaged in have affected Mother Nature in ways we could never have thought possible. For example, deforestation, over-fishing, overconsumption, burning fossil fuels for energy and more. Global warming is one phenomenon we have given rise to as a result of burning fossil fuels for energy. It’s essential to understand the importance of why we need to conserve energy so we can have a positive impact on the environment. In today’s article we’re going to discuss the 4 benefits of saving energy.

1. Save Money

If you save electricity, you end up saving money. There are several ways in which you can save money on electricity. First and foremost, switch off lights that are not in use. Second, purchase LED light bulbs because they use less energy while giving you a better result. Third, make sure to remove the plugs of your TV, microwave and similar devices. This is because even if the appliance is not in use, energy is still being used by the appliance when the plug is in the socket. This energy is called standby power. Last, if you think you are doing everything to conserve energy, but you still have a pricey electricity bill at the end of the month, take help from Electricity Monster.

2. Decreases Air Pollution

When coal is burnt to create energy, particles of ash, called fly ash, are given off. This ash results in smog. Furthermore, the sulfur in coal binds with oxygen to make sulfur dioxide which then combines with rainwater to form sulfuric acid during rainfall. Sulfuric acid causes deforestation, which leads to soil erosion and so on and so forth. Do you see how one thing is leading to a chain reaction that is affecting our whole environment? If we conserve energy or rely on renewable sources of energy like solar and wind, we can greatly reduce air pollution.

3. Improves Health

There is no doubt that if we conserve energy, non-renewable energy in this case, we can improve our health. By saving energy, we will be using less coal and other non-renewable energy sources to get electricity from and, therefore, reducing emission of greenhouse gases, ash and other particles that can pollute the air and cause damage to Mother Nature. Hence, if we protect our environment we can say that we’re protecting ourselves as well; we’ll get greener trees and cleaner air to breathe.

4. Helps Us Rely on Renewable Energy Resources

We discussed in the previous points how relying on non-renewable energy resources like coal leads to air pollution and ultimately does damage to the environment as well. We need quickly switch to renewable energy resources like solar and wind before we wreck more havoc to planet earth. Solar energy is becoming increasingly popular, and many people have even started installing them in their homes. This helps to reduce electricity bills as well. A significant benefit of utilizing renewable energy is that there are no by-products that will negatively affect the environment.