Summer is here and so is all the bright sunshine and blue skies. However, the charm of
summer fades with high electricity bills and energy consumption at home. That’s one downside to this bright season. While your AC stays on the whole day, you often mull over how to reduce your energy costs and save power in this season.
Well, we have it covered for you. Here are 13 useful tips to help you save electricity and reduce your costs this summer.
1. Monitor Your Energy Usage Using Energy Saving Apps
Fortunately, there are many apps that help monitor your power usage remotely. There are mobile apps that can help you calculate your savings if you replace incandescent bulbs with energy-saving CFLs and LEDs. You can see the number of bulbs to be replaced and the amount of energy that can be saved. Likewise, there are apps that calculate which appliances use the most energy in your home. Such apps help you keep a track of the power usage at your home. You can further work on reducing the usage wherever necessary.
2. Upgrade to Energy Efficient Lighting
Replace all your regular tube lights and bulbs with LED and CFL lamps. Nowadays, a stunning variety of LED lamps and chandeliers are available. You can consider to switch to motion sensor lights, especially in your bedrooms and bathrooms. This way you won’t have to worry about switching them on and off each time. For the outdoors, you can use energy-saving solar-powered lights.
3. Use Smart Lighting and Smart Home Automation
Install a
smart lighting system to switch off a fan or light if you’re stepping out. Just get to the app, and turn off the lights from wherever you are. An expert can help you assess your daily needs and propose a customised lighting system for you.
4. Use Day Curtains and Drapes
Use thick day curtains or drapes made of thick fabric or jute in rooms that receive a lot of sunlight. In hot afternoons, this will naturally keep the temperature in the room under control. It will keep your room insulated from the heat letting you reduce the usage of your AC.
5. Turn Off Appliances When Not in Use
Turn off your tube lights, fans and air conditioners when you aren’t using them. Don’t let them run for hours unnecessarily. Putting their energy usage in perspective, a tube light consumes over 55 watts per hour, while a fan consumes around 75 watts an hour. Make sure you double-check the switches the next time you leave a room.
6. Plan Proper Ventilation
Allow proper air circulation and ventilation in your room. This will allow you to reduce the usage of your power guzzling air conditioners all day.
7. Increase the Efficiency of Your Refrigerator
Your refrigerator is a power guzzler. Place it in such a way that there is enough space for air circulation around it. Do not expose it to direct sunlight, otherwise it will consume more power.
8. Upgrade Your Air Conditioner and Appliances
Your old model air-conditioners and inexpensive fans can easily consume more than 90 watts an hour. Buy an AC that is Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) rated. Invest in Energy Star rated appliances that come with a high Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) and Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). They’re supposed to be 15% more efficient than all other models.
9. Maintain Your Home Appliances
Get all your appliances serviced frequently. For example, clean the air filter and exhaust of your AC often. This will help it to cool more effectively using less electricity. Clean your refrigerator coils frequently too to keep it functioning well.
10. Give Your Washing Machine Dryer a Break this Summer
In hot summers, get back to hanging your clothes out to dry on the lines outdoors. Use a dryer only if you’re in a hurry or you’ve got space constraints of hanging your clothes out to dry.
11. Reduce ‘Ghost Consumption’ or ‘Vampire Power’
‘Ghost Consumption’ or ‘Vampire Power’ is the standby power that is consumed if you just switch off your appliances, and not unplug them. So, you will still have to pay for standby power if you keep your devices plugged in when not in use. The most common culprits are your TV, laptops, chargers, music systems, WiFi router, and kitchen appliances. Go around your home and take all these off the plug at night.
12. Set the Timer on Your Air Conditioner
You may not need the AC to be on the whole night. After a few hours of cooling, you can turn it off and sleep comfortably with just the fan on. So set a timer for 3-4 hours so that your AC turns off automatically after the set time.
13. Make Sure Your House Has Proper Insulation
Faulty insulation can lead to electricity leakage, causing electrical hazards like shocks or fire. Make sure you get the internal wiring, outlets and light switches of your home checked by an expert. Also, use only high-quality products for your wiring, plugs points and switches.
These tips will substantially help you save electricity this summer. If you need any help in designing your home in a power-efficient way, our experts at
HomeLane are just a call away!