Is it better to wash clothes at night or during the day? Can you heat the home quickly by using the highest setting when turning on the heat or not? We’ve all become accustomed to hearing recommendations for conserving energy, some of which are valid. Here are several misconceptions about home electricity that can be cleared up.
To keep the house cool, is it better to leave the AC running on a higher temperature all day or to let the home slowly cool off on its own? It is always better to cut the air conditioning off during the day and turn it on during the evenings in order to cool off the home if the goal is to save on energy.
During the hottest months, cranking up the thermostat can heat the house up that much quicker. The thermostat will increase the temperatures in the home at the same rate, regardless of the setting used to make the home comfortable. Insulation should be evaluated if the home is taking too long to warm up.
It doesn’t consume energy if it isn’t on. This is incorrect. Leaving items plugged in even when not in use does use energy, even though minimal amounts are used. The typical household can save a hundred dollars a year in simply unplugging devices when they are not in use to save on energy costs.
Screensavers on one’s PC can save energy. The screensaver functions just like any other program on the computer. The same power required to run a word processing program is the same amount required to keep a screensaver running.
It takes more power to boot an item than it does to leave an item running. The surge required to turn on an item is minimal compared to running something that isn’t in use for hours at a time. Consider running multiple things simultaneously that aren’t in use and consider how much energy is consumed in doing so.
Electric space heaters cut energy costs. If the home has central electrical heating, a space heater here and there will produce greater savings. If the home has central gas heating throughout, then there might not be that big of a difference since gas is much cheaper by the unit.
There you have it. Off and idle can still mean on as well as plugged in. Powering the heat or A/C up is much better than leaving it on when a home is unoccupied. Cranking the thermostat all the way up doesn’t produce heat that much quicker. Space heaters do save money … sometimes. Revisit your energy consumption habits today to see what changes you can make.