Now that its summer, households across the country have seen the return of college aged children. With them has come the annual upsurge in household energy consumption in the form of increased use and quantity of electronic devices – computers, television sets, mobile phone chargers – raising monthly electric bills.
What can a smart parent do to keep their energy use in check and their budget balanced?
Here are a few simple measures that can help reduce overall energy costs, while saving energy and helping the environment at the same time.
• Install wall-mounted motion switch sensors in heavily trafficked areas of your home. This type of light switch, uses motion to turn lights on and off (though lights can still be turned on manually if needed). When the sensor does not detect motion, it turns itself off, preventing home lights from being on when they are not being used.
• Set your programmable thermostat. Many homes have programmable thermostats that allow homeowners to program the temperatures that are most comfortable, depending on the time of day. They are often easy to set and adjust as needs change. If no one is at home during select hours of the day, users can program the thermostat to lower the temperature automatically, or adjust for sleep patterns. And since the thermostats work for both furnace and air conditioning systems, these can be used to reduce heating and cooling costs year-round.
• Replace lamp bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Compact florescent light bulbs last longer than traditional bulbs, reducing the frequency of replacement and average cost-over-time of bulb replacement.
• Consider a geothermal heat pump or hybrid heating system. If it’s time to replace your home’s heating and cooling system, research a geothermal heat pump or hybrid heating system. Geothermal systems use heat and energy from the earth’s ground to heat and/or cool and results in high efficiency. Though the initial investment may be greater, homeowners can earn back the savings within a few years. Hybrid heating systems, such as those made by Bryant, rely on two sources of heating or cooling in order to deliver energy efficient temperature comfort - so efficient, that according to Bryant, the cost to heat with a hybrid system is less than with any gas furnace alone.
More information on these and other energy saving tips can be found by visiting FlameFurnace.com, or by calling (888) 234-2340.
