Causecast

by JESSICA WOLF, Contributing Writer

Everyone knows they should be saving electricity these days, along with water, gas, money and just about any other wasteful byproduct of humanity that can deplete both Mother Earth and our own bank accounts.

But our lives are more plugged in than ever before and it can be daunting to step onto the great electricity-conservation path. Never fear, we’re here to offer five easy steps that will get you started.

STEP ONE: Examine your living space.
Knowledge is power and a great place to start on the path of saving yourself a few bucks on electric bills is simply by making sure you understand exactly how and where you are using or wasting energy.

There are companies that will come in to your home and do a massive energy audit, inefficiencies in windows and walls and insulation that can contribute to energy leakage. Or you can follow Energy Savers for a do-it-yourself home audit.

Shoring up the windows and walls is great, but more than 60%  of the the energy usage in your home comes from plugged-in appliances, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Make a list of all your appliances/devices and take a close look at how often you might be able to cut back on running them.

Include your cell phone, iPod, BlackBerry and any other portable devices that are plugged in at a given time. Consolidate smaller electronic devices into hubs on charging stations that can be turned off or unplugged when not in use.

STEP TWO: Examine your behavior.

Be honest and answer the following questions. Do you always turn off the lights when you leave a room? Do you open the windows and turn off the air conditioning whenever possible? If you answered no to either of those questions, make a commitment to turn those answers into a yes.

Do you have an extra refrigerator, wine cooler or deep freezer? If so, evaluate how much use you are getting versus the additional electricity costs. Perhaps you can consolidate without missing these costly ancillary energy suckers.

Take shorter showers. Saving water and conserving electricity go hand in hand given that up to one-fifth of household energy use can be attributed to hot water heaters.

STEP THREE: Examine your major appliances.

Your refrigerator is your most electricity-guzzling device, and can constitute 14% of your electricity usage. Keep it running efficiently by leaving a few inches of space behind it for the fan to function properly, positioning it away from other major appliances like the dishwasher, not dropping the temperature too low and keeping the fridge and freezer as full as possible and never store items on top of it.

STEP FOUR: Make small changes.

In addition to simply turning off lights and devices when they’re not in use, combat vampire energy by connecting all your devices to power strips that you can power down every time you leave the house.

Anywhere from 10%-25% of electricity costs in the home come from lighting, which is relatively easy to combat with energy-efficient CFL (compact flourescent light) or LED (light emitting diode) bulbs.

These days, CFL bulbs are available everywhere and are not much pricier than the traditional incandescent bulb. They’re also four times more efficient and last nearly ten times longer than incandescents.

STEP FIVE: Make big changes.

If your fridge was manufactured before 1993, it’s possible it’s using up to three times more electricity than newer models, according to consumer reports. Price out an upgrade and see if the cost of a new refrigerator might just be worthwhile in the long run. National Geographic Green Guide has a helpful product comparison.

If you are, like so many Americans, in the market for a shiny new digital television set, think twice before going too large. Often the biggest displays can use so much energy it’s like adding a second refrigerator to your electric bill. And go for the LCD option over Plasma, according to National Geographic Green Guide. 

Whenever making a big appliance purchase look for Energy Star-certified products when making any major appliance purchases, including that TV.

Photo by Caveman92223, flickr