There are several low-cost ways to reduce your electricity bills and usage in your home. Much of which comes from the types of lights and the way you use them.
1. Turn Off the Lights
Keeping the lights off when they’re not being used is sometimes with kids in the house. So try making it into a game, using a point system. When someone leaves a light on, you get a point and they lose a point. You’ll find that that kids love to catch parents leaving the lights on. Setting up a reward for their points will also help keep them motivated.
2. Compact-Fluorescent Light bulbs
Compact fluorescent use less electricity than standard light bulbs and can dramatically reduce the amount of energy and money you spend. With the extensive amount of options available, including recessed lighting, you can be sure to find the lighting that works for the areas in your home. Keep in mind that “dimmable” recessed lighting still has a long way to go and should be a last resort.
3. Dimmer Switches
While “dimmable” recessed lighting won’t help with conserving energy or saving money, standard dimmer switches will. Setting up a dimmer switch on all of your lights, especially those where compact fluorescents aren’t an option, will not only save money but significantly increase the lifespan of your lights.
4. Motorized Shades
Motorizing the shades in your home saves considerable energy by controlling the daylight. By doing so, you can determine how much solar heat enters your home during the sunny times of the day.
5. Solatube
Solatube is more affordable and versatile than standard skylights. In our next installment of our “Going Green” blog series, we will show you the detailed benefits and why you should choose Solatube.
6. Master Switching
A master switch is the switch that controls the supply of electricity in your home. Turning off the master switch stops the supply of electricity drained even when televisions and other electrical appliances are turned off. Here at Encompass, we use the Green Switch®.
703-242-9818