With the worsening economy and unemployment on the rise, we are all looking for ways to cut down on our monthly expenses. Whether it’s spending less on groceries, making less trips to the mall, or decreasing unnecessary spending, every little bit helps. For some helpful tips on how to cut down on your electricity bill, I sought the advice from an expert. Jason Shadowen, who is the general manager of Electrical Detectives in nearby Herrin, IL, offers 4 ways to save on your electricity bill.
1. Turn Your Lights Off
You may already know that compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) use about 75% less energy than standard incandescent light bulbs and can last up to ten times longer. What you may not know: Turning off CFLs when exiting a room for less than 15 minutes costs more than leaving them on. So if you are likely to be back in that part of your house within 15 minutes, leave the lights on to save!
2. Use Task Lighting
Why pay to brightly light an entire room if you’re working in just a portion of it? Instead, try focusing light only where you need it: on your desk when paying bills in your home office, under the kitchen cabinets when chopping ingredients for dinner, or on a side table when reading in bed.
3. Install Ceiling Fans
Moving air tends to help you feel warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, allowing for lower wintertime and higher summertime thermostat settings. The effect is equivalent to about 4 Degrees Fahrenheit, and using less energy than air conditioners and furnaces in doing so.
4. Perform Routine Maintenance on Your Electrical System
Specifically, your electrical panel. It is one of the most important parts of your home’s electrical system. It constantly distributes and receives electricity. The panel protects your home from power surges and other possible hazards. A loose connection in your panel will cause a greater power draw and more heat. This can lead to higher energy usage and potentially a fire. Regular maintenance is recommended once a year by a qualified electrician, to help reduce energy usage and breakdowns.
About Electrical Detectives
Electrical Detectives specializes in electrical service and repair work, anything from changing light bulbs to rewiring homes and offices. We have been family owned and operated since 1968. All of our team members are drug free, background checked, and professionally trained. We offer an unmatched 100% customer satisfaction money back guarantee. We have upfront, Straight Forward Pricing so you know the price before any work begins. We have 1000’s of parts on our service vehicles for on the spot repairs in your home or business. We like to call them our warehouse on wheels. Whether you call us at 2 am or 2 pm you’ll talk to a real live person, never an answering machine. You can find us in your local yellow pages or call us toll free at 1-877-4-WIRE-PI or click www.SolvedToday.com today.
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I thought it was very cool to learn about the amount of energy required to turn a bulb back on…
But then Mythbusters debunked it. They said it’s always better to turn them off.
Here is an article Scientific American did on the subject as well: http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=turn-fluorescent-lights-off-when-you-leave-room
Here is a quote from it: “shut off fluorescents if you’re planning to leave a room for more than five minutes”
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“Regular maintenance is recommended once a year by a qualified electrician…”
I have NEVER heard of such a recommendation in my life. Assuming that a home’s electrical system was installed properly, inspected, and meets all electrical codes, it should require no ongoing maintenance whatsoever. Unless your home has been subjected to severe stresses (like an earthquake), none of the connections in the electrical panel are going to spontaneously loosen.
Furthermore, “maintenance” of an electrical panel won’t do anything to “reduce energy usage” or “prevent breakdowns”. A 100w light bulb will still draw 100 watts of power, no matter what you do to the electrical panel. If there’s a power outage in your home, 99.99% of the time the problem will be with the power company’s feeder system, and not have anything to do with your home’s internal wiring.