Energy Efficiency | Energy Management

What You Can Do To Improve Energy Efficiency

Paying attention to energy efficiency or energy management is a way for you to rake in the savings and help the environment, often with very little effort on your part. For instance, most homes are still not operating with efficient energy consumption. A few examples of the most common energy inefficiencies which are straightforward to fix include: use of incandescent light bulbs; leaving appliances and lights on unnecessarily; not using a pot lid when bringing water to a boil; putting more water in than necessary in a pot or electric hot water jug; and a heating or air conditioning setting which is too high. These energy efficiency problems are extremely simple to fix, and all of these except the first can be fixed for free, allowing you to start saving quickly and instantly without any upfront investment.

Start With The Simple Things First

Requiring only a little more effort, there are plenty of other things you can do to save money by using energy efficiently. One is to line dry clothes instead of using a dryer. This method is very powerful because it actually results in more savings than just the cost of not using the dryer. This is because in summer, you will find that the air conditioner does not have to work as hard to overcome the warming effect of the dryer, while those living in very dry winter climates will find that line drying clothes offer a way of naturally increasing the humidity in the air without having to use a humidifier. Thus, savings are multiplied when you line dry your laundry.

You can also caulk the windows to ensure that heat is not escaping. Using curtains or drapes in addition to window blinds will also help keep heat in, especially at nighttime - when it is typically coldest. The use of 'black-out' curtain lining will ensure your curtains have maximum thermal properties. Although most people are aware of the importance of wall insulation, fewer are aware of the existence of energy efficient windows and doors. All of these can keep heating and air conditioning bills down - critical for saving you money because for most homes, climate control is the biggest source of energy inefficiency.

Building An Energy Efficient Home

If you have the luxury of building your home from the ground up, you will be able to gain the highest level of home energy efficiency by making the proper choice of building materials and building design. A purpose built energy efficient design can come with a fairly high upfront price tag; however that investment can be offset over the long term by lower ongoing energy costs due to the excellent efficiency of the building. An energy efficient design which works in a hot, dry location will have very different features to that which is designed to function in a cool climate, hence there is no one-size-fits-all solution; instead it is critical to view energy efficient building design in the context of your local environment.

Even if you do not have an especially designed energy efficient home (few do!), there is still much you can do to make improvements. Aside from the things already mentioned above, you can also renovate by selecting more energy efficient appliances such as the hot water heater, refrigerator, freezer, stove and washing machine. Recent models of these are usually much cheaper to run than older models as the technology is continually improving. Newer models of these large home appliances displayed in store will state how much energy will be consumed over the course of a year on average, allowing you to directly compare energy efficiency between different brands.

For those who wish to take energy efficiency to the next level, the use of renewable resources for home power is the way to go. Some areas offer tax credits or similar advantages for installing solar panels or geothermal heating. Furthermore, beyond installation, some power companies actually allow homeowners to feed in any excess solar power into the electricity grid, for which they get a credit on their next statement.

Pick The Right Vehicles

Vehicles are another obvious source of energy concerns. Manufacturers are continually improving the energy efficiency in cars. Clearly, a newer energy efficient smaller car will use much less gasoline than an older, larger vehicle. For those with medium to long work commutes, this can add up to a large ongoing savings in fuel costs over the long term. Car manufacturers offer information on the efficiency of the vehicle in miles per gallon which can be used to directly compare between different makes and models.

Another innovation is flex fuel vehicles. Flex fuel means the car is able to run on gasoline or a blend of up to 85% ethanol. Because ethanol can be generated by bio fuel (e.g. corn based ethanol), it is a renewable resource, unlike gasoline. Prospective buyers should be aware however that ethanol is less energy dense than gasoline, therefore while a flex fuel car will allow use of a renewable resource, it will consume somewhat more of it volume wise. Electric cars are another innovation; however consumers need to be aware the electricity will only be as efficient or as renewable as that supplied by the local power grid.

Many Resources To Do Your Research On Energy Management

There are plenty of resources where you can educate yourself in depth on a particular sub-topic of energy management. The internet is an obvious source. Another, now that demand is nearly outstripping supply, is your local electric company - they are usually very happy to give out guidelines on improving energy efficiency, particularly as it pertains to your area (e.g. information on government tax credits for renovations, etc.) Local contractors, such as heating and air conditioning electricians or building contractors are also a valuable source of this type of information.

There is plenty that each and every one of us can do to improve energy efficiency and energy management, starting with the easy and free fixes described at the beginning of this article. You'll have the satisfaction of seeing savings now, and knowing that you are improving the quality of life to be experienced by future generations in years to come.