Home Power Generators

Are you interested in reducing your electricity consumption?  Perhaps you want to save money or just be a little kinder to the planet.  It turns out there are many ways that you can reduce your electricity consumption that you can start doing right now.  Here are some ideas:

1. Turn off lights when you aren’t using them.  This one is obvious but it is surprising how often this is overlooked by people.  To help with this I recommend installing a motion sensor.  This is ideal for your outside lights – they will provide light when you need it, turn off when you don’t, and will scare away any unwanted visitors who may get startled when the light suddenly comes on.
2. Use a power bar for your electronics such as your computer, TV equipment, or stereo equipment.  Electronics are notorious for consuming power when off.  When you are not using this equipment just turn off the power bar and these ‘phantom loads’ will disappear – thus reducing your electricity consumption.  This job can be made easier by using a Smart Strip which will turn off the whole power bar when one of the attached devices has been powered down.
3. Install an attic fan.  If you own your own home you probably know how much heat can collect in the upper floor.  The attic not only collects heat rising from the house but it also gathers heat from the sun shining on it all day.  By installing an attic fan you can help move the hot air out of the attic and encourage more heat to leave the house.
4. In the summer, close curtains and blinds when the sun shines in those windows.  The back of my house faces east where the sun rises.  Every night before I go to bed I close all the blinds on this side of the house.  This action alone makes a huge difference to the temperature in the house during the day.  The flipside to this technique is to do the opposite in the winter – make sure you get as much sunshine through your windows in the colder seasons as possible.
5. Line dry your laundry.  This technique actually has two benefits.  By hanging your laundry out to dry you are saving electricity by not using the drier.  However, by not using the drier you are not adding more heat and humidity to the interior of the house.  Even though the drier is vented to the outside it is often the case that some heat and humidity can escape – especially if the vent is old or not connected properly.
6. Make sure you fridge and freezer are always well stocked – even if you just fill the empty spaces with water bottles.  By being well stocked the items in your fridge and freezer will hold the cool temperature more and help reduce the amount of the refrigerator has to run, which in turn will reduce your electricity consumption.
7. Always make sure your dishwasher is full before turning it on.  Also, if your dishwasher has an economy mode then use it.  On my dishwasher this means the drier cycle doesn’t run.  While this leaves me with wet dishes I don’t mind letting them sit to dry.  I often run the dishwasher in the evening then open it to dry before going to bed.  When I wake up in the morning the dishes are dry and I can put them away.

I hope you have found these tips on how to reduce your electricity consumption useful.  Get started by implementing at least one of these techniques today.