Some of our most popular posts on The Electric Blog have to do with saving you money through energy conservation and efficiency. This doesn’t surprise us, as we like to cut down on our energy costs just as much as you do! If you’ve been putting some of our conservation and efficiency tips into practice, you are definitely headed in the right direction and have probably noticed that your energy bill wasn’t quite as bad as this time last year – but there’s always room for improvement!

6 Ways to Save Energy in 2014

1. Replace old light bulbs with energy saving bulbs – Instead of using a 60W light bulb, switch to an 18W or 20W power saving bulb and use only a fraction of the energy. The amount of light will stay the same, but your cost will decrease. You may notice a difference in the colour of light, but we find that most people adjust to the change quickly.
2. Use power strips – We’ve mentioned phantom power in past posts, but now is a great time to remind you that you might be using energy without knowing it through devices like gaming consoles, televisions, and computers in standby mode. Who wants to pay for energy they’re not even using? Plug these devices into a power strip and turn off the strip at night to eliminate this energy drain.
3. Start the year off right by replacing inefficient appliances – Older appliances are known to use significantly more energy than newer Energy Star rated appliances. I know that buying new appliances sounds daunting, but the money you save in the long run will balance out the upfront cost of replacing these older appliances.
4. Turn down your water heater – How often do you mix your house’s hot water with cold to get the right temperature for taking a shower or doing the dishes? We all do it, but we would certainly benefit from asking ourselves why. Turn down your water heater to a temperature you’re comfortable with and save on the energy you were using to scald yourself!
5. Use fans to circulate air – As electricians in Toronto, we see some pretty extreme temperatures. In the summer, Canadians run their air conditioners on full blast to cool down, but end up in another sweat when their energy bill arrives. Turning your AC on for limited periods of time and then using fans to circulate the cool air while they’re off is a great way to save money while still keeping a comfortable home.
6. Install a programmable thermostat – Just as the AC is cranked up in the summer, Canadians become heavy handed with heat in the winter. I don’t blame you. That ice storm we had was just plain ugly. But instead of heating your empty house all day so that you arrive home to a warm house, install a programmable thermostat and program it to start heating right before you’re home. Same warm home, very different energy bill.

As we mentioned, these are just a few of the many ways you can cut down on your energy bill and cut down on your carbon footprint.

Picture from: energyintoaction.com