How to Save Electricity at Home

Co-authored by Natalie Kay Smith

Saving electricity at home has become increasingly important in recent years, as excess use can contribute to global warming and leads to massive electricity bills. However, with a few simple steps, you can begin conserving electricity to save money on your monthly bill.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Indoor and Outdoor Lighting

1
Use more natural lighting. Do you tend to keep the curtains and blinds closed and flip on the overhead lights? Letting your house flood with natural light instead can lead to big electricity savings.^{[1]
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Research source} Unless you need strong, focused light to complete a particular task, try leaving the lights off during the day and embracing the sun's rays in the rooms you're using.
- Try to set up your family's daytime work and play space in the brightest room in your house. That way everyone can read, work on art projects, use computers, and so on without relying on artificial lighting.
- Use light-colored curtains and blinds as window coverings. Find coverings that provide privacy but still allow diffused light to flood your rooms.
2
Designate a few rooms as night hangout rooms for your family. Instead of spreading out all over the house, have your family spend evening hours in just one or two rooms. That way you won't have to light the whole house to enjoy the evening, plus you'll have the added bonus of spending quality time with each member of the family.

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3
Use candles instead of electric lights a few times a week. You don't have to wait until a summer thunderstorm knocks out the power to break out the candles. Choose a night or two a week to leave the lights off and light your family's way with sturdy, slow-burning candles that cast a fair amount of light. Kids will find it exciting, and over time you'll save electricity and cash.
- You can use the candlelit nights as an excuse to power down the rest of the house, too. Encourage family members to do activities that don't require electricity, such as reading by candlelight or telling fun or scary stories.
- Be sure that your children know how to handle candles safely, and that the candles and matches are stored in a secure place when they aren't in use.
4
Rethink your outdoor lighting system. Leaving a porch light or path lights burning all night long can waste a lot of electricity. Determine whether having lights on overnight is really necessary before flipping the switch in the evenings.
- If you have lights around your house for security purposes, consider getting automatic security lights with motion detectors instead of using lights that stay on constantly.
- Decorative lights that complement your garden or pathway can be replaced with solar-powered lights that charge during the day and cast a soft, pleasant glow at night.
- If you use lights to decorate during the holidays, flip them off before going to bed, rather than leaving them on all night long.
5
Use energy-efficient lightbulbs. Replace all of your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) or LED bulbs. Incandescent bulbs release most of their energy through heat, rather than light. Newer bulb styles are much more energy efficient, and they save a lot of electricity and money over time.
- CFLs use only about 1/4 the energy of incandescent bulbs. They come in many shapes and styles. Be sure to dispose of these bulbs properly, since they contain small amounts of mercury.
- LED bulbs are slightly more expensive than CFLs, but they last longer and don't contain mercury. LED bulbs are slightly more efficient than CFLs. If you like the ability to customize your environment, LED bulbs come in multicolor and dimmable variants. Some even give you the ability to choose a color using your cell phone!

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Appliances and Electronics

1
Unplug everything. Did you know that appliances and electronics continue sapping electricity as long as they're plugged in, even when their switches are turned off?^{[2]
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Research source} Making a habit of unplugging these items when they aren't in use saves a lot of energy over time.
- Power down your computer and unplug it when you aren't using it. Computers are one of the main culprits when it comes to using a lot of energy in a household, so unplugging them when you're finished checking your email for the night is worth the hassle.
- Unplug your TVs, radios and sound systems. Leaving these plugged in day in and day out is a waste of electricity and money.
- Don't forget smaller appliances like coffee makers, toasters, hair dryers and phone chargers. These use small amounts of energy, but it really adds up over time.
2
Reduce your reliance on appliances. What appliances do you really need to use on a daily basis? Think about your routine and determine where you might be able to save some energy. In some cases it might mean spending extra time on certain chores, but the reward is saving energy, money, and having the satisfaction that comes with being more self-sufficient. For example:
- Dry your laundry on a clothesline outside instead of using the dryer. This saves a lot of energy, and many find the old-fashioned task of hanging clothes on the line to be among the more relaxing of chores.
- Fill your dishwasher to the brim instead of doing a partially-empty load. You could also wash dishes by hand using a water conservation method rather than relying on the dishwasher to do the job.
- Sweep instead of vacuuming. If you have carpets you'll still have to vacuum once in a while, but you can sweep up large crumbs and clots of dirt with a broom in between sessions. Pulling out the vacuum every day uses up a lot of energy.
- Do all of your baking on the same day of the week. Heating the oven requires a lot of electricity (unless your oven is powered by gas), so it makes sense to heat it once and bake more than one thing, rather than spacing out your baking over the course of the week.
- Reduce your reliance on small appliances, too. Let your hair air dry more often than you blow dry it, throw out that plug-in air freshener, and chop food by hand instead of using a food processor.
3
Replace your appliances with energy-efficient models. Manufacturers didn't used to pay much attention to how much energy their products used, but times have changed when it comes to the design of large appliances. Many are made to be more energy efficient, and some include settings that allow you to choose how much energy to use in a given cycle. Next time you need to replace a large appliance, do some research to find a model that doesn't use too much electricity. If purchasing appliances made and distributed in the United States, look for an "Energy Star" certification. This certification means the appliance was tested by the United States Department of Energy and it outperforms federal requirements for energy efficiency.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Heating and Cooling

1
Use less hot water.^{[3]
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Trustworthy Source
U.S. Department of Energy
Official site for the U.S. Department of Energy, which provides resources related to energy safety, conservation, and efficiency
Go to source} Heating water requires a lot of electricity; the more hot water you use, the more your water heater has to produce to keep up. Using less hot water on a daily basis is an important way to conserve energy. Start these new hot water-saving habits:
- Wash your clothes with cold water. Unless you're doing a load of clothes that is caked in dirt, it's not necessary to use hot water to wash them; in fact, hot water wears your clothes out much faster.
- Take showers instead of baths. Filling a bathtub requires gallons and gallons of hot water; taking a shower uses much less.
- Take cooler showers. Do you really need to take a steaming hot shower every day? Try reducing the temperature just a bit every time until you get used to a lukewarm temperature. Save the hot showers for a special treat.
- Insulate the water heater. Water heaters that aren't insulated waste energy that gets released from the heater instead of being used to heat the water. Make sure the one you have is insulated, or buy a new model that is designed to conserve energy.
- Insulate the pipes in unheated and uninsulated areas of your home, such as the basement by fitting them with pipe sleeves. This is important in climates where winter temperatures can go below freezing because uninsulated pipes can freeze and burst, leading to costly repairs. Even if you don't have freezing winters, be sure to insulate at least the first 3 feet of water pipes (both the cold inflow and hot outflow) from your water heater to reduce heat loss. According to the United States Department of Energy, insulating your pipes with pipe sleeves can save up to $8-12 annually. ^{[4]
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  Trustworthy Source
  U.S. Department of Energy
  Official site for the U.S. Department of Energy, which provides resources related to energy safety, conservation, and efficiency
  Go to source}
2
Insulate your house. It's important to make sure your house isn't releasing too much air-conditioned air during the summer or heated air during the winter. If you have cracks in the frames of your windows, under your doors, in your houses basement or foundation, in the attic, or anywhere else in your home, you may be leaking electricity and money.
- Have a contractor inspect your home to determine whether additional insulation may be needed.
- Use caulk and door seals to seal the areas around your window and door frames. You can also buy plastic sheeting to cover your windows during the winter.
3
Use the air conditioner sparingly. It's tempting to keep the house nice and cool during the summer, but this comfort comes at great expense. Leave the air conditioner off for most of the day, and use it to cool down rooms only when the heat becomes uncomfortable. Use alternative strategies to cool yourself down whenever possible.
- Take a cool shower during the heat of the afternoon.
- Open the windows and let the breeze come in.
- Drink plenty of water and eat ice cubes to keep cool.
- Spend time outside near a lake, river or pool.
4
Keep your house at a lower temperature in the winter. You can save a lot of money by turning the thermostat a few degrees lower during the winter instead of heating your house until it's toasty. Set it just low enough so that you're still comfortable while wearing thick layers of clothing. ^{[5]
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Research source} Wear wool socks and sweaters to keep warm instead of relying on your home's heating system.

Community Q&A

Question

Is it a bad idea to leave a light on if I'm not going to be in that room?

Community Answer

Yes, you should always switch off the lights when not in use. This saves energy and money.
Question

How can we save electricity in an office setting?

Community Answer

You could save electricity by turning off lights, unplugging computers, printers et cetera when not in use.
Question

How can I create awareness regarding the waste of electricity?

Community Answer

Talk to your family, friends and classmates about the issues with electricity usage in the home and classroom. Talk to them about how standby mode still consumes power, about the need to use efficient light bulbs and about needing to put appliances on timers rather than forgetting to turn them off. It's the little things that add up and count long term.