Try these energy-saving tips at home to save electrical costs and help the environment.
Do you want to make sure that your home is energy-efficient? It could be for the environment or to reduce your electrical costs that are mounting every month.
But don’t worry, whatever your motivations, small lifestyle changes can make a difference. The process of saving energy includes small lifestyle tweaks to keep costs at bay and also minimize environmental impact. This entails using lesser amounts of gas, and electricity, and reducing lighting and appliance usage.
Here are tips on how to save energy at home.
Keep your day-to-day activities at bay
To make sure that energy consumption at home is kept to a minimum, it’s not always about getting energy-efficient products, though that does help. It could be a simple matter of switching off your lights at home or even appliances when you don’t require them. Also, if you have older appliances that consume more energy, make sure that you don’t use them too often, or keep them at full load when you do. Some appliances, you don’t need at all, such as a clothes dryer. Consider hand-drying your clothes instead.
Light bulbs
Older versions of light bulbs are one of the biggest reasons for higher energy consumption. They consume way too much energy and also increase your electricity bills by a lot. Instead, replace your light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs. There are so many options in the market.
Examples of such bulbs include fluorescent lights, diode bulbs, or Halogen bulbs, all of which use lesser amounts of electricity than traditional bulbs. They might be more expensive than regular bulbs, but they are much more durable in the long run.
Better power strips
In today’s day and age, most appliances are kept on standby and consume a lot of electricity as a result. In fact, most power used is when these appliances are switched off, contributing a lot to the monthly electricity bills. There is a solution! Smart power strips are state-of-the-art and can cut the power off from appliances when they aren’t being used. You can set times to shut the strips off through a remote switch.
SMART cooling
We know it gets extremely hot in Dubai, but at the same time, it’s important to keep your AC costs under control. SMART HVAC systems let you program the times when you should switch your AC off. Perhaps when you’ve set out to work and forgot to turn it off. Or to even turn it off a few minutes before you enter your apartment. Such SMART devices can help save your overall AC costs by controlling when you switch it on and off from the comfort of your mobile application.
If you don’t have a central AC system, try to upgrade your HVAC system with the right appliances. Depending on the Energy Star rating, you’ll know which appliances consume less energy and which ones take too much. Also getting your vents checked and upgraded also makes a positive impact on energy efficiency.
A ventilation system includes a complex network of ducts through which cool air passes through your home. In situations where these ducts aren’t installed properly or if there are cracks, it could impact your cooling system and also increase your expenses.
Get energy-efficient appliances
Getting energy-efficient appliances can save the energy used by your household by a lot. Before purchasing your appliance, it’s important to watch out for two things; how much it costs and what is the estimated yearly operating cost. Energy-efficient appliances might be more expensive up-front, but their long-term maintenance costs are far cheaper.
Another aspect to watch out for is an Energy Star label, placed by a federal rating company. Depending on the rating, the appliance might save energy even during standby mode.
Water heating
Water heaters consume a lot of energy, much more than you can imagine. One alternative is purchasing an energy-efficient, smart water heater. Another simple method is by using less hot water in the first place. In Dubai, especially in the summer months, sometimes you don’t even need to use the water heater. The tank heats up by itself in the afternoons, giving you warm water throughout the day.
Windows which are energy-efficient
This might come as a shock to many, but the wrong windows can lead to a lot of energy wastage. They lead to an increase in your cooling bill, especially if they don’t keep cool air within the confines of your room. They also might let even more hot air inside if there are gaps on the side. A solution to this is by applying Low-E coatings that decrease the total amount of heat gain while reflecting light and keeping thermal energy on the lower side. Getting energy-efficient windows when you first move into your house is vital.
Insulating your home
Insulation is a word often used for colder seasons, but it’s also an important element during the unimaginable summers of Dubai. It plays a vital role in keeping hate at bay during the summer. For insulating your home, noting the “R-Value” is important. In warmer climates, you need insulation of lower R-value. Your insulation level will depend on where exactly you’re installing it in your house. As we live in Dubai, the upper levels will face the most heat, and it’s advisable to insulate your ceilings, windows, and floors of upper levels more than the lower levels.
Charging gadgets
In today’s era, when it’s nearly impossible to survive without your mobile phone or any other smart gadget, it’s important to charge your phones or laptops in moderation. Only charge them when it’s necessary, and remember to unplug them when they have charged fully. Also, try limiting chargeable gadgets to a minimum. The more you have in your house, the more likely it is that you would need to charge them, and this consumes electricity.
Fix your plumbing issues
Dripping taps and other leaks can let so much hot water go in a flash. All that hot water, down the drain, and you now know how much energy water heating consumes. It’s important to get experts such as Octopus to check your house for plumbing issues, and to get them fixed, fast. It may not seem like a pressing problem at first, but the more this continues, the worse it will be in the long run. Not to mention how leaking faucets increase your water bills as well.
Follow our energy-saving tips.
Now that you know the basics of energy saving in your home, it’s time to spring into action. Remember, there’s always a better way to spend your energy, and it’s better to consume as little as possible for the environment and for keeping your DEWA bills on the lower end.
