Tips on Power Saving, How to Save Electricity at Home, Household Power Saving Tips

Saving electricity or power requires some general practice. At first you have to find out which electrical devices are you using at home, what devices are using excess power, who is using them and how to get them to use less. Get tips here on power saving, how to conserve electricity at home. Not only will you be surprised with a lower electricity bills, you will also be contributing towards conserving our environment.

How to Save Electricity at Home?

Lights

• For lights at home, use CFLs. CFL bulbs use 66 % less electricity compared to standard bulbs and last up to eight times longer. In this way you can save over Rs 2500 a year by simply replacing 5 old bulbs with energy-efficient CFLs.

Computers

• To save electricity if you have computers at home, then shut down your computer for 12 hours a day. This way, you save up to Rs 3000 a year.
• Remember screen savers do not save power. They simply protect your screen. Instead, use the sleep-mode or energy-saving feature on your computer.  With a sleep mode, the average computer uses 200 kWh less power per year.
• Save power by turning off your computer monitor when you are not using your computer for more than 10 minutes.
• Consider using a laptop instead of a desktop computer. Laptops use up to 90% less power.
• The smaller your computer monitor is, the less power it will use.
• Flat-screen LCD computer monitors use about 66% less electricity than standard monitors.
• Do not think that turning a computer on and off use any extra electricity. It won't damage your computer. Infact shutting it down reduces the wear on your computer and reduces your power use.

Refrigerator

• Try to get a new refrigerator if you have a refrigerator that is older than 15 years. It costs over Rs. 5000 a year to operate. But a new fridge costs less than Rs. 2500 a year to run. 
• If  it's running almost empty, unplug that fridge and save over Rs. 5000 a year on your power bill.
• To keep just a few items cold, use a mini fridge. A mini fridge uses about Rs. 1500 a year in electricity.
• Set your refrigerator's temperature to mid-range (3°C or 38°F) to optimize your power savings. 
• Let food cool before placing it in the fridge or freezer.

Kitchen

• Use your microwave instead of a conventional stove. A microwave oven uses less electricity. It also cuts down on cooking time and produces less heat in the kitchen.
• A microwave uses 84 per cent less electricity than a stove to cook the same amount of food
• Use an electric kettle and heat only as much water as you need. Electric kettles are more efficient than stove-top kettles or microwaves.

Mobile Chargers

• Unplug your phone charger. Phone chargers and other power adapters continue to draw power even if they're not being used. It's called "phantom power" and, believe it or not, it adds up to 5% of our nation's power bill!

Dishwasher

• Run your dishwasher only when it's full. You'll save Rs. 12500 a year running full loads instead of twice as many half-loads. 
• Load dishes according to manufacturer's instructions to allow proper water circulation. 
• Don't pre-rinse dishes before loading them. 

Washer and Dryer

• Wash your clothes with cold water. This save up to Rs. 3000 a year. About 80 to 90% of the energy used by washing machines comes from heating the water.
• Washing machine use about the same amount of energy regardless of the size of the load, so run full loads whenever possible. 
• There are clothes dryers that come designed with a moisture sensor, which automatically shuts off the machine when clothes are dry. This saves energy. This will also save wear and tear on your clothes caused by over-drying.
• Simply hanging a clothes line in your garden and use it to dry your clothes in the summer months will save the energy you would use to run a dryer.

Television

• A plasma TV that is the same size as your older TV can use twice the energy. And the bigger the size of your TV, the more power it uses. 
• Switch off your TV when not in use.

Electric Water Heater/Geyser 

• Electric hot water heaters are the second largest energy user in the home. Bathing uses the most hot water in the average household. To save energy, take short showers instead of baths. Any hot water you can save not only reduces your energy bill for heating the water.

General 

• Turn off your electronic entertainment devices when you are not using them and watch your savings add up.  
• Unplug your electronics or turning off the power bar when you are finished with them.
• Keep your appliances clean and well-maintained so they will operate efficiently. 
• Turn off appliances, lights and equipment when not in use.
Turn off kitchen, bath, and other exhaust fans as soon as they are no longer needed after cooking or bathing.

Get your home insulated in winter 

• If the winter chill has come and it is cold enough for the central heating, then this is a good time to have your home insulated. Not only will it save you energy and cut your bills, but it will make your home feel warmer too.