4 Easy Ways To Start Saving Energy

4 Easy Ways to Start Saving Energy

Your home uses a lot of electrical energy throughout the day. In addition to powering up lights, electronic items and appliances, your home also needs electricity for hot water. Your home’s furnace and air conditioner use electrical energy to make sure you and your family stay warm in winter and cool in summer, too.

All of this energy use comes at a price, though. The more energy people use, the more damage is done to the environment. While you can’t avoid using electricity, you and your family can do things that will lower the amount you use.

Turn the Heat Down

Ask your parents to lower the thermostat, so your furnace won’t have to work as much to keep your home warm. Don’t worry about being too cold. Even just turning the thermostat down by a few degrees will lower the amount of energy your home uses and save your family money on heating bills. Do the opposite in summer if you have central air conditioning. Turning the thermostat up a few degrees means the air conditioner won’t run as much, which helps save energy.

Don’t Leave Lights and Electronics On

Get into the habit of shutting lights off when you leave a room. The same goes for turning off TVs, computers and other electronic devices when you’re done using them. Remind your family members to turn off lights and electronics when they don’t need them. This simple step can end up saving a lot of electricity in the long run.

Watch Your Water Use

Using less water, especially hot water, helps save energy. Your town or city needs electricity to supply homes with clean water. The less water you and your family use, the less electricity the water company ends up needing. You can use less water by taking short showers and not leaving the water running when you brush your teeth. Also, let your parents know if any faucets in your home are dripping. Leaky faucets can waste a lot of water.

Use Better Bulbs

If your family isn’t doing so already, switch from using regular old light bulbs to energy-saving ones called Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs.) These are the bulbs with the swirly design that you might have seen in stores or in other people’s houses. They use much less energy than regular bulbs and last a lot longer, too. The next time a bulb stops working in your home, ask your parents to replace it with a CFL.