Energy Efficient Household Products

Appliances, electronic devices, light bulbs, and other household products can consume a lot of energy. Everyday items that meet basic needs are some of the leading causes of high monthly energy bills and drivers of your home’s energy footprint. Reducing energy consumption helps reduce pollution and lower your bills, so think about how household devices and appliances are draining energy and how you can make your home more efficient. The first step to improving the efficiency of your home is knowing which devices and appliances are using the most energy and exploring your options to upgrade or do away with them. Here is a look at some of the top energy expending items at home and how to get your home more efficient.

Refrigerators, Dishwashers, Washers & Dryers

Between these four items, most of your monthly household energy is consumed. Heavy water use and a lot of electricity are involved in powering these appliances. Water conserving washing machines, more power efficient dryers, dishwashers that use less water, clean better, and air dry, and newer energy efficient refrigerators are all options to help make your home appliances more efficient and save you money. By addressing inefficiencies in appliances alone, you can save hundreds of dollars a year.

Water Conserving Plumbing

Water conserving, low flow plumbing fixtures can help you save on water costs while still getting good water pressure. Low flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets can mean using up to thirty percent less water. Hundreds of gallons of water are wasted from inefficient fixtures. For toilets, look for a dual flush fixture to control the amount of water used. Water heaters should also be inspected for inefficiencies. Programmable water heaters that use less energy and don’t constantly heat water are good options. There are also tankless water heaters that are connected directly to pipes and only heat water when a faucet is turned to hot. These are all good ways to control energy consumption through appliances and fixtures.

Insulation and Bulbs

Your home’s insulation is a big part of helping your home retain heat and cold and remaining efficient. Make sure that your home has energy efficient insulation to keep heating and cooling costs reasonable. These expenses represent a bulk part of monthly energy costs and can be reduced by ensuring that you have good exterior wall and ceiling insulation, insulated ductwork, double pane windows, and properly sealed exterior windows and doors. Lighting is another big energy drain at home, so take a look at your lightbulbs. Replace incandescent bulbs with more efficient compact fluorescent or LED bulbs for better light and less energy consumption. Compact fluorescent bulbs can last up to ten times longer and use seventy five percent less energy.

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