There are a lot of energy management services out there that can help you reduce your energy bills. However, you should start by taking a few steps to reduce your energy consumption before hiring a professional to take care of your energy conservation and management needs. Here are a few steps to take to reduce your home’s energy consumption
Adjust your behaviors
If you want to reduce your home’s energy consumption and increase your savings, you don’t need to go out and buy energy-efficient products. It can be as simple as turning off appliances or lights when you don’t need to use them. You can use energy-intensive appliances less by doing household tasks manually. Adjusting your behaviors that have the highest potential of saving on utility bills include using your AC less in summer and turning down the thermostat heat in winter.
Replace your light bulbs
Before you get energy management systems, you should replace your light bulbs with those that use less electricity. Incandescent light bulbs consume a lot of electricity and should be replaced with more energy-efficient options
Use smart power strips
Electricity used by your electronics when they are not on or in standby mode is what we call phantom loads. These are a major source of energy waste. It is estimated that most of the energy people use in their houses is consumed when they are turned off. This can cost you a lot of money cumulatively. You can use smart power strips to eliminate the problem on such loads by shutting off the power to electronics when they aren’t in use.
Buy energy-efficient appliances
Appliances are responsible for about 13% of the energy use in a household. When buying an appliance, you should pay attention to the annual operating cost and initial purchase price. Energy-efficient appliances might have high upfront buying prices but their operating cost can be up to 25% lower than conventional appliances. Couple this with energy management services and you will see a significant drop in your energy consumption.