How we use and ration the use of energy is a global issue, with concerns ranging from the types of pumps available from pump manufacturers used in water systems to the light bulbs we use in our homes. There are a few myths out there with regards to how we can reduce our daily energy consumption, and in some cases following these might actually end up costing you money.
Myth 1: Switching lights on and off consumes more energy than leaving them on
It’s often said that switching lights on and off a few times uses more energy than if you just leave them on. The simple truth is that if a light is on it’s using energy, and if it’s is off it’s not using energy. The switching on and off process doesn’t use any extra energy. So when you don’t need a light, turn it off – you’ll save money.
Myth 2: LED bulbs are expensive
Actually Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs cost a lot less than regular light bulbs when you take into account that you’d need to buy eight normal bulbs for every one LED bulb you buy. And LEDs also use just a quarter of the energy of regular bulbs. So if you’re looking to save money, LEDs are a really easy way to do it. In fact, it’s estimated that you’ll save around £30 over the lifespan of one LED bulb. When you consider the number of light fittings in a home or office, it’s a massive overall saving.
Myth 3: Electronic appliances don’t consume energy if they’re turned off
Switching electronic items like TVs and game consoles to standby means that they’re still consuming energy. It’s estimated that using standby mode can cost the average family around £90 a year. So if you’re not using appliances, make sure you turn them off at the plug to avoid hidden costs.
Myth 4: Solar panels mean you’ll never pay for electricity
Having solar panels installed is one way of harnessing a natural resource to provide ‘free’ energy. But the reality is that solar panels only produce energy during the day. Most are connected to the grid so have no way of storing electricity for you to use in the night time hours, so you will still need to pay for electricity during that time. Overall, solar panels should save you some money over the year, but they won’t mean you’re free from energy bills.
So What Should You Be Doing?
Be conscious of your energy use. Turn things off at the plug when you’re not using them, use LED bulbs, only have the lights on that you need, wash clothes at 30 or 40 degrees, hang laundry out to dry when it’s sunny and check if you can get cavity wall insulation. There are lots of little things you can do.
You might have thought about limiting your water use, but you should also take into consideration the efficiency of any water pumps. Often hidden, pumps are an essential part of modern life in our homes, offices, hospitals and just about everywhere. Every time you turn on a tap, flush a toilet, have a shower, use heating or air conditioning, some sort of pump is involved.
In fact, water pumps use around ten per cent of the world’s energy. But it’s estimated that two-thirds of pumps are inefficient, using up to 60 per cent too much energy. This means there’s the potential for massive savings if the correct energy-efficient pump systems are installed. This is the challenge to pump manufacturers: the types of pumps they create can have a huge impact on the world’s energy use. The response has been to focus on energy-efficient pumps such as the self-priming pump, which is highly efficient as it doesn’t need ejector or vacuum pumps to start it up.
So when you’re considering energy-efficiency in the home or any other environment, there are lots of things you can do. And don’t forget those hidden water pumps – there are major savings to be made.
*collaboration
I had no idea about this! I’m terrible for leaving things on standby all day./night etc!! Bad! H x
Harriet from Toby & Roo recently posted…Knaresborough & tips for foraging
Oh my goodness I leave everything on stand by. I need to stop! Xx
Sarah cantwell recently posted…Trying to Conceive
Great post! It’s amazing how a simple thing like turning off and unplugging device properly can save you so much money x
Zoe Alicia recently posted…How to Spring Clean when you’re Sentimental
Great tips, I did know that standby is still using energy. I tend to turn the TV etc off at the mains each night just from habit 🙂 We pretty much have LED lights in most rooms xx
Alice recently posted…Pouring Station; Toddler Activities
This is such a handy post…some of it I never even knew about.
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes recently posted…Review – The Saucy Fish Co. & a Flash Sale!
I think that I made need to start using the plug rather than the stanby button. Thank you x
Victoria Marden recently posted…Jamberry Nails • 7 day challenge
We’re buggers for leaving our Mac on 24/7 because it’s our TV and computer so always has loads of stuff open and we’re just lazy! Not an excuse and we know we need to change our ways!xx
Hannah Budding Smiles recently posted…What To Do When You’re Overdue!
Hey, great share….
I really loved your post as this topic is often overlooked by people. Making your house energy efficient is equally important. I really liked the ideas that you mentioned in your post.
Energy efficiency is the easiest, most affordable and most effective way for families to use energy more wisely and save money on both household expenses and transportation costs.
We have a wood burning stove in our living room but just don’t have enough space to store large quantities of logs for burning which is a shame since we as a family love having the fire going during the winter.
Thanks for sharing this valuable post.
Keep sharing more….
Have a nice day ahead.
Regards:
People including me need to know that these myths have to be exposed, and I thank you for that. 🙂 There are still better ways of saving up energy and cut the expenses. Thank you for sharing this one. 🙂
John Marc Ramirez recently posted…Here’s How Solar Panel Net Metering Works
Great advice! Not many people unfortunately are aware of how they spend energy. However, I would not be so imperative in the last paragraph: use of LEDs sometimes can be not efficient comparing to other light sources: e.g. if you rent an apartment and have to pay a fixed price or are going to live in a place for a short period
Thanks for all the important information, I never knew that switching on and switching off lights can spiral your electricity bills. Thanks so much for sharing.
So, solar panels aren’t that great they are thought of?
They are still great because they provide energy during the day when you use the most electricity. Meaning you don’t pay for what you use in the daytime. And you likely use little electricity at night. So you’ll see the difference anyway. By the way, you can install solar panels for a better price these days. Find out more in the article: http://www.edelmaninc.com/how-efficient-are-solar-panels/.
Solar energy is a new portable light saver that works on the concept of the conservation of the solar energy to anytime and anywhere. It is as easy to keep in the sun rays and get it charged to transfer the power into your electricity. The process is easy yet innovative for the better utilization and conservation of the solar energy.
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I see you’ve made some good suggestions for reducing energy consumption. I want to suggest one more way to do it.
Such a simple thing as keeping furnace filters clean can improve furnace efficiency by 5-15%, which means it will consume less energy to keep you warm.
Good point!
By the way, it’s also important to choose the right filter for your furnace. Any air filter with a MERV rating higher than 13 will restrict airflow, which could make your HVAC system work harder and consume more energy. The best MERV rating for a home is somewhere between 8-10. These filters will capture a large portion of the airborne particles and improve indoor air quality without increasing energy bills.
I agree with the first point. But I have something to add. Incandescent lights you should turn off straight away. They’re horribly energy inefficient and should really just be banned altogether. However! Fluorescent lights can be left on for a little bit longer (about 5 minutes). This is because they’re operating life is shortened by how often they’re turned on and off, and the payoff of having to buy new ones is more environmentally damaging than saving them by leaving them on slightly longer. So if you’re going to be right back, leave them on.
Another thing I want to mention is HVAC system replacement. We tend to think that it’s expensive and we are dragging our feet with the replacement, thinking that this way we save money, but actually, we don’t. Older systems have an efficiency rating between 50 and 70%. A new system will have a much higher efficiency rating (as high as 98.5%). With older systems, you spend much money on heating and cooling your home, which in the long run is more expensive than replacing the entire system.