Do you dread the arrival of your monthly utility bill? If you feel like you’re spending too much on energy, it’s likely that the culprit isn’t a neglected light switch but an energy-hogging appliance that’s to blame for your high utility bills.
It might be time to ask yourself how efficiently your appliances are working. Think about your fridge, your stove, your dishwasher, and your washer and dryer. All of these use a massive amount of energy to do the work they do.
High utility bills aren’t the only way to tell if appliances aren’t working the way they should. Loud noises during operation are an indication of inefficient operation. Do the lights dim when an appliance cycles on? That’s another sign.
Try this easy experiment for your fridge: open your fridge door, and then shut it on a dollar bill. If you can easily pull the bill out that means that your gaskets don’t seal properly, meaning your fridge is working harder to keep its contents cool.
Another sure sign is if your appliances are ten years or older, it’s probably time to replace them.
New energy efficient appliances will naturally use less energy. Shop for ENERGY STAR appliances – these have already been certified to use less energy and to do it more efficiently. This will have an immediate impact on high utility bills.
Most counties or states have programs in place to collect your old appliances when you replace them. They’ll properly recycle, or repair and refurbish and donate them to a family in need. Resist the urge to pass on your old washer and dryer to a relative, or to keep your old fridge running in the garage.
If you’ve got relatively new appliances, ENERGY STAR or otherwise, and want to do more to reduce your energy costs, consider what time of day you’re running your appliances. Your dishwasher and laundry machines should be run at night whenever possible. Running them at night reduces the load on the grid, when demand is lower.
When you leave the house, do you check to make sure all the lights are off? Of course you do. But there’s something using a lot of power anyway: your fridge operates whether you’re at home or not. Once you’ve got an efficient refrigerator, you can further reduce its energy usage by cleaning it out regularly. Removing leftovers that no one will eat or veggies that have gone bad will help your fridge use less energy since it won’t have to work as hard to keep these items cold.
Interested in learning more about energy efficient appliances? We can help you choose energy efficient appliances and high-tech gadgets.