Ever thought about where the power is being distributed in your home or office building? Knowing where the largest consumption of energy is located is the first step to saving yourself money.
Energy Consumption Within Your Home
Power in the Kitchen
Although the appliances in your kitchen may not be the costliest, they consume a lot of energy from the abundance of them in a single space. For instance:
- The Fridge and Freezer — It’s estimated that around 4% of the energy costs in your home come from the fridge and freezer. Although the percentage is small, it reaches about $100 a year in most households. However, you can save the amount of energy used by this appliance by keeping it clean and maintained.
- The Oven — In most cases, it’s more energy efficient to have a gas-powered oven in your home. An oven including a self-cleaning feature is better insulated and therefore, more energy efficient but it uses a huge amount of energy. To save energy, use a lid or tin foil to keep food from spilling over instead.
- The Dishwasher — This appliance accounts for around 2% of the home energy costs. By rinsing dishes and loading the machine to full capacity, you save on water used in cleaning them and you use the energy efficiently.
Power in the Laundry Room
In the laundry room, there are two main appliances which account for a high amount of costs in your home. To save energy, you can switch to more energy efficient models or make changes to increase efficiency:
- The Washer — Between both the washer and dryer, 17% of the energy used in your home takes place in the laundry room. That percentage comes needing to heat water for the different cycles. For clothes which aren’t overly dirty, wash a full load in cold water. This helps reduce the energy costs in this one appliance.
- The Dryer — Some models for this appliance come with moisture sensors. They can detect when clothes are dry and turn off the appliance when finished.
Power in the Living Room
Most families spend a lot of time in the living room, using multiple appliances which consume energy to bring entertainment and convenience:
- The Lighting — The lighting travels throughout the house but it’s important to know when to use it and turn it off when no longer needed. For the entire house, lighting accounts for 9% of the energy bills.
- Television and DVD Players — Televisions in homes are used constantly but they only use about 6% of the energy. To keep this appliance from using more energy than necessary, unplugging them or using a power strip which powers everything down at once saves more than most people realize.
Energy Consumption Within Your Office
Energy use within office buildings and other businesses vary due to the size of the structure and the staff working within. The following are factors of energy use within a business:
- Lighting — In an office building, about 16% of the electricity is used every day. A simple way of saving energy would be to turn off the lights or installing occupancy sensors.
- Computers — Employees ultilize computers every day in an office space for all kinds of work. Ultimately, these devices use around 17% of the energy in a building. Due to this factor, occupancy sensors can turn off all plugged-in devices when not in use.
- HVAC System — Trying to maintain a constant temperature within a space is hard when a large group of workers occupy the space. It’s no surprise the HVAC system account for 28% of electrical use because it’s constantly changed by individuals. By installing simple controls to maintain constant levels during weekends and seasons, the heating and cooling system will no longer have to work overtime.
Because nearly all our equipment runs on electricity, it can make it hard to conserve energy. With electricity rates going up constantly, however, it’s important to address. The licensed electricians at Grounded Solutions can help you do so. Our team will make sure you have quality advice and service when looking to save electricity.
