Reducing Your Cost of Electricity through Energy Efficiency
The best way to help lower your cost of electricity is by being more energy efficient. To accomplish the goal of becoming more energy efficient, consider where your largest consumption of electricity may be and reduce that as much as possible, then move on to the next largest power drain in your home. Believe it or not, old refrigerators, old air conditioning window units, your water heater, and your electric garage door can be your largest energy hogs. To reduce your cost of electricity, you may need think about replacing that old refrigerator or air conditioning unit.
In apartments or condos where you typically cannot install a central air conditioning unit, many people resort to using those air conditioning units you can install in windows. As a general rule, they are not known for their energy efficiency. And, the older they are, the more they are increasing your cost of electricity. You need to replace those older window-based air conditioning units with one that is rated the highest for energy efficiency within your budget to get the most return on investment possible. Find out what the current efficiency rating is for the unit(s) you currently have and then compare to the efficiency rating to the models currently available at the local appliance stores. You may spend a couple of hundred dollars replacing that unit but you will more than make up for that initial outlay over the course of the next 1 to 3 summers with the money you will save in electricity. You will save a significant amount of money in the long run.
Another area that will save you a lot of money is your doors and windows – you would be absolutely amazed at how much energy you are literally losing through improperly insulated doors and windows. Properly insulating those doors and windows could quite possibly be the biggest reduction of your cost of electricity than all of the other energy saving measures you could possibly take combined.
Reducing your cost of electricity and energy efficient homes are measures you can take towards having a Green Home.