Looking for simple ways to save electricity and reduce your energy bills? I’ve got you covered with these 5 easy and effective tips that will help you conserve energy and make a positive environmental impact while saving money.
Our last electric bill was for April, and it was $76.75. While that’s not super high, we still figured we could reduce it by cutting down on our energy usage. So, the next month, we committed to reducing energy use by identifying things in our house that were using too much energy. We figured out there were a few “energy vampires” sucking the life out of certain appliances and causing our energy costs to climb.
In this post, I’m going to share with you how we identified those pesky energy vampires and discovered more energy-saving tips to help you use less energy and save money!
What Are “Energy Vampires?”
Energy vampires might sound like something out of a spooky story, but they actually refer to those sneaky electronic devices in our homes that consume energy even when they’re not in use. These energy vampires are often the reason behind those unexpectedly high electricity bills.
Energy vampires are electrical appliances or devices that continue to draw power from electrical outlets even when they’re turned off or in standby mode. They include televisions, game consoles, computer monitors, phone chargers, coffee makers, and many other gadgets with a standby function. These devices often have transformers or power supplies that keep drawing small amounts of electricity to maintain features like clocks, timers, or instant-on capabilities.
How to Save Electricity: 5 Ways
While the power consumed by each individual device might seem insignificant, the collective energy drain from multiple energy vampires can add up over time, leading to a higher electricity bill. But fret not! Here’s how you can unplug those energy vampires and reduce your electricity usage:
#1 Identify the culprits:
Take a stroll through your home and keep an eye out for those sneaky energy vampires lurking in standby mode. Look for devices with little lights that stay on when they’re not in use, such as your trusty TV, game console, computer peripherals, and chargers. Identifying these culprits is the first step in reclaiming your energy and saving some cash!
I went around my house to identify the energy-draining culprits and noticed LOTS of things plugged in and unused. Here’s just a handful of items I found when I went through the house, room by room:
- Television (we don’t have cable, so I’m not sure why we even kept this plugged in!)
- Laptop charger (unless it’s actually charging, this is just silly)
- Coffee pot (our coffee brews into a carafe, meaning we don’t have a burner… once it’s brewed, there’s really no need to have it plugged in!)
- Microwave
- Lamps (can you believe we had some plugged in, in rooms where they rarely get turned on because we only use the room during the day?)
- Toothbrush charging stations
While having these items plugged in might not seem like a big deal, none were in use, draining unnecessary energy.
#2 Use power strips:
Power strips with switches are like the superheroes of energy savings. Simply plug those energy vampires into the power strip. With a flip of the switch, you can turn off multiple devices at once, putting an end to their power-draining antics. It’s an effortless way to cut off their power supply completely and stop the unnecessary drain on your electricity bill.
We use a power strip for the entertainment center. The TV, Wii, and DVD player are all plugged into it. When we want to watch something or play a game, we simply flip the red switch and turn it on. The TV and Wii turn on automatically. The DVD player is the least used electronic, but since it still requires the power button to be pressed, we’re not wasting money by having it plugged into the power strip.
#3 Unplug when not in use:
If power strips aren’t your thing, or you have a few lone energy vampires that resist the strip’s charm, don’t worry! A simple and effective solution is to unplug these energy-sucking culprits when they’re not in use. By disconnecting them from the outlet, you’re preventing any standby power consumption and taking a stand against wasted energy. Plus, it’s a quick and easy habit to develop that can lead to significant savings.
#4 Consider smart power strips:
Smart power strips are like energy-saving wizards that automatically detect when a device is in standby mode or not in use. They work their magic by cutting off power to these devices without you lifting a finger.
#5 Opt for energy-efficient alternatives:
When it’s time to upgrade your home appliances or add some new gadgets to your collection, keep an eye out for the energy-efficient superheroes of the electronic world.
Here are some home improvement examples:
- LED Light Bulbs: Replace traditional incandescent bulbs with energy-saving LED bulbs. They use significantly less energy and last much longer.
- Energy Star Appliances: When shopping for new home or kitchen appliances, look for the Energy Star label. These appliances, like a hot water heater or washing machine, are designed to be energy-efficient products, reducing both energy consumption and your electricity bill.
- Smart Thermostats: The air conditioner and heater can draw a lot of energy. Upgrade to a smart programmable thermostat that allows you to easily program and control the temperature in your home. They optimize energy usage by adjusting settings based on your schedule and can lead to substantial seasonal energy savings.
- Energy-Efficient Windows: Check for air leaks in your windows and doors. Add a weather strip to cover leaks or consider upgrading to energy-efficient windows, which are designed to minimize heat transfer. They help regulate indoor temperature, reducing the load on your heating and cooling systems.
- Solar Panels: Explore the option of installing solar panels to generate your own renewable energy. While it requires an initial investment, solar panels can significantly reduce your reliance on the grid and lower your electricity bills in the long run.
- Energy-Efficient HVAC Systems: If your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is outdated, consider upgrading to an energy-efficient model. These systems are designed to use less energy while maintaining a comfortable indoor environment.
- Power-saving Settings on Electronics: Take advantage of power-saving settings on your electronic devices, such as computers, TVs, and gaming consoles. These settings help reduce energy consumption during periods of inactivity.
Some appliances can’t be unplugged, like the dishwasher, refrigerator, washer and dryer. Using energy-efficient products will help reduce the utility bills.
Additional Ways to Save Energy
- Consider using cold water for washing dishes and doing laundry to reduce the energy put out by the hot water heater.
- Install ceiling fans using a stand-up fan in bedrooms and main living areas to cut back on A/C use.
- Keep your air ducts clean so that the air moves efficiently through the vents.
- Keep your blinds or drapes closed during the hottest parts of the day for better insulation against direct sunlight.
FAQs on Ways to Save Electricity
Is it inconvenient to unplug appliances constantly?
The biggest issue people have when I share this great way to save electricity is that they think unplugging items is inconvenient.
Honestly, I haven’t found this to be the case at all.
Fortunately, most of our plugs are not behind heavy furniture, but I know that’s an issue for some families. This surge protector with an 8-foot cord might be helpful. Or, if you have a very large entertainment center, consider this massive 3-foot-long power strip on a 15-foot cord!
Do I need to replace all my appliances to save electricity?
Not necessarily. While energy-efficient appliances are great for long-term energy savings, you can still make a significant impact by adjusting your energy habits. Unplugging devices, using natural light, and running appliances with full loads are simple changes that can save energy regardless of the appliances you have.
How much money can I save by implementing these energy-saving tips?
The amount of money you can save depends on various factors, such as your current energy consumption, the size of your home, and local electricity rates. However, implementing these tips consistently can lead to noticeable reductions in your electricity bills over time, putting more money back in your pocket.
For example, our next electric bill was just $56.44!
We saved 26 percent less on our electricity bill in a month! For simply unplugging and/or turning off items we didn’t use. That’s a big difference!
Saving Electricity
By implementing these simple and effective tips, you can reduce energy bills and have a positive impact on the environment. Lower costs, a smaller carbon footprint, and a sustainable lifestyle are within reach. If you try any of these simple tips, let me know in the comments below!
More Money Saving Tips
We also have a timer on our electric water heater. It is off 12 hours (overnight) which helps too. That alone saved us $10 a month.
Wow! That’s a great tip – thanks for sharing!
I am on solar so we really can feel the usage. We bought a killawatt meter. There are two kinds. Get the one with the ” watts, amps , volts” on the face as separate readings.
Our TV was using 300 watts, we traded it with a friend for an LED TV, same size, 36″, and this one uses 40 watts. When turned off it uses less than 2 watts. Our laptops use 48 watts when in use. Our whole living room uses 15 watts when things are turned off. Not generally a big deal but our inverter ( it turns 24 volts DC from the battery bank to 120 volt AC house power) for some reason needs at least 15 watts on at all times or it blinks. We have taken to going ahead and turning everything off at night for now so we won’t lose all power during the night and have to walk out in the ice to the pumphouse to reset it.
Our old refrigerator used to use 175 watts on start up and then 125 when it kicked on. I glued solid foam insulation all over the outside of it and now it uses 125 watts start up and 75 watts when it kicks on but it only kicks on every 1to 2 hours, and runs about 3 minutes. The insulation is R19, doubled on the top. It has the old find on the back so no insulation on those. The newer ones have the fins on the bottom so you are safe to superinsulate all the way around. I turn it off at night in winter. Our house is about 30-50 F inside.( In winter). (Very seldom do we get a good enough fire to warm it for any length of time) It is a crappy trailer, so we need to superinsulate the whole thing.
All our appliances are electric which I have on power strips with switches. Anything that heats is our power drain, but we don’t want to have to buy gasoline or propane to power anything. The griddle and skillet and toaster all use 1300 watts max but that’s only for a short period of time, when we’re done cooking they go off. Crock-Pot can run at 300 wars but it has to run for hours. Washing machine only uses 15 watts while filling, and then 600 while agitating and a little more for the spin. Dryer uses 300 for turning. It has no heating element and is outside , in the summer using ambient heat from dry summer air, I would like to install an element for winter. Right now my husband’s clothes are frozen in the washer ( clean but wet) and I can’t get them out till we have a good defrost.
Very informative article. To save electricity, I do not use spin dryer for drying clothes on sunny days, I spread my clothes on a drying line in open,clothes are done within 1-2 hours.
I’m so glad to read that other people do this also. I was feeling a little embarrassed when the person I dated slept over and I had to re-plug things in. It did bother me that he would walk from room to room leaving the lights on and having a long shower. I have become so used to thinking of ways to cut back that it bugs me when other people are wasteful. Besides unplugging things, I save rain water to water my plants. Lasted most of the summer without using the AC except three times and grow some edible vegetables in small planters with the rainwater. I had a hot water heater timer installed so it does not stay on all day long. When the electrician set it up it only stayed on for an hour right before my usual bathtime.
When I leave the house in the morning, I turn off the breaker switch for things like my range, microwave, washer & dryer, and dishwasher. I use the breaker box, because it is conviently located. I also adjust my thermostat in the summer up to 78 and in the winter down to 64. I find that by turning these items off or adjusting the temps while I am away really saves money.
We keep unplug the tiny things, we have our entertainment items on a power strip. We also replaced all bulbs with energy saving ones. Another power sucker we did away with was those little plug in air fresheners. I had 2 in every room. I pulled out more then 15 of those things.
This completely works because I now routinely flip off the power surge that my bedroom television/ cable box is plugged into. Cable boxes are the WORST. Doing nothing else at all, my electric bill has gone from the mid $80’s to the mid $60’s. This will all change soon with air-conditioning, of course, but it is surprising how noticeable that one small change is.
If you are not a believer CALL your local electric company!! They will tell The same thing! Unplugging or using special power strips that are designed for savings is a great way to save electricity!!
Even my heater repair man said turning down my (gas) thermostat by just a few degrees will save up to 40% depending on how much you turn it down during the day and @ night. I went from paying over 220$ a month in natural gas to paying just over 120$ a month by turning my heat down from 68 degrees to 62 degrees. Cold you say? Actually I rarely ever noticed… After all isn’t that what sweaters, sweatshirts, slippers and socks are for? By the way I am from Michigan and out winters can be brutal… 10 degrees for weeks @ a time. My pipes never froze and I even had less ice build up on my 1940’s built poorly insulated roof. Go figure. I did tape several windows but that didn’t seem to make much difference over a 2 year period. I even shut off my entire upstairs and was still paying the higher price! The cost went down when my thermostat went down. I honestly barely noticed about 98% of the time. Now I know why my parents never wanted the heat to be over 70 when I was a kid…. Propane is even more expensive and that’s what we had growing up.
Be mindful of the planet! Don’t do this just to save money… Do it for the good of the environment. And for all you non believers… Take a chance… You might be surprised! You may not be thrifty or care about where your money goes,or have so much $ you could keep everything on 24/7 but….
Shouldn’t we all try to lower our carbon footprint? Spend the money saved on a vacation, feeding the homeless or local charity. You go girl! Be an awesome human!
WO.
PLEASE DO NOT PLUG HIGH CURRENTS ITEMS SUCH AS OVENS INTO EXTENSION STRIPS.
Any money you may save will not pay for the potential fire damage that an overloaded extension strip may cause.
If you can’t reach the plug save your life rather than electricity.
Yes to chargers, TV’s, routers at night and anything that has some sort of standby mode with an led light glowing. Anything you can operate with a remote control is using current in ‘standby’ mode, so if it’s convenient, switch it off at the socket or unplug.
Switched off lamps do not draw any current anyway.
Overall great tip.
I’ve had my TV plugged in for 6 months and never turn it on! That is the first thing I am doing when I get home!!!! I hate wasting money! I need to be better at unplugging my computer and cell phone chargers when I’m done.
Me too 😉
I think it’s great that all of you can do these things! Not possible in my house though. All of my plugs are hidden behind heavy furniture, my husband would have to move furniture all the time. We use our washer and dryer all the time and it’s a pain to get to the plug. Even my phone charger is plugged in behind the bed. How do you guys NOT use a dryer???? I live in northern Michigan so not good weather most of the year, plus I hate hanging clothes outside. Don’t like how they feel, smell, and get faded from the sun. We use our microwave a lot and the computer and tv are on and used all day so can’t unplug them. The only thing I can unplug are the toaster and can opener. 🙁 I try to hide my outlets because I think they’re ugly.
I hang dry my clothes outside in the summer but in the winter I use a drying rack placed over a heat vent and by a sunny window. Jeans can take up to a day to dry in winter but most shirts are done in 12 hours.
Pretty smart thinking Carrie!
Could you use a power strip for some of the ones hidden behind furniture? Maybe you can reach the red button?
Routers – unplug at night! ?
The article was wonderful and informative! I started disconnecting thing I never thought about. Everyone should be trying to save electricity. Thanks!
You’re welcome!
I had no idea! Thanks for sharing this! We have a ridiculously high electric bill–in fact we get letters from our electric company saying we pay 50% more than our neighbors! With five people in the house, I just thought we were doomed. I’ll try it and let you know my results. Thanks again!
You’re most welcome!
Our electric company gave us a energy saver kit after we did an audit/questionnaire about usage, and one of the items is a power strip (that was mentioned earlier) that specific plug ins on the strip don’t draw power when turned off.
I discovered your blog on Pinterest and absolutely loved the article/post! We moved from Florida to Kansas two years ago this month and our electric bill for our 1,400 square foot Kansas home is almost as much as was our electric bill for our 2,700 square foot Florida home! In 2015, our electric bill AVERAGED $185 a month. It was a very cold winter followed by a very warm summer, but that’s crazy! In fact, it’s insane because we have gas heat! I will be discussing your article/post with the family tonight at dinner. We’ve adjusted the thermostat, switched to energy-saving light bulbs, and turn off the lights and fans when they are not being used, so unplugging is the next step. I just did a walk-through of the house and noted four TVs hooked up to an assortment of cable, Roku, Wii, XBox, and DVD boxes. Yikes! I’m hoping we can lower our electric consumption by 20% or more. Keep your fingers crossed!!
They’re crossed for you – good luck!!
Interesting post! Thanks! I am unable to unplug some of the things to unplug because the plug is not reachable.
But will start trying to do the ones I can reach.
Thanks
You’re welcome!
It makes sense to get a Kill-o-watt device for measuring energy consumption. It helps identify devices using power when they are “off”. Normal lights don’t need to be unplugged, but most electronics are hogs when off. I put a Belkin switch on the plug for the TV, Roku, and DVD which can be set to 30 min, 3 hours, or 6 hours. The kids have to touch the button to activate it and then it will turn off after the preset time.
I love this idea. I’m glad that you shared your results so people can see real numbers. Maybe one day we could use this as well. At this point my washer and dryer are almost constantly being used as well as many other energy suckers. Plus with 8 kids I can barely get them to close the door and turn off lights so unplugging things would be a full time job! I will be checking out your other ideas though
LOL, maybe someone can be in charge at certain times of the day (10, 12, 2, 4?) of hitting off all the switches? Might be a fun game to play to see how many they find!
Hi Ciara! Welcome to Crumbs, and thank you! I think you should give it a go – I’m willing to bet you’ll save a good bit!! 🙂
For my entertainment center I keep the TV plugged in all the time. But with the Roku, Blu Ray, and XBox I have them plugged into a power strip which is hooked up to a timer, so it turns off at 10:30pm every night and turns back on around 7:00-7:30am every morning. In my bedroom the only thing plugged in 24/7 is my alarm clock. Otherwise my bedroom tv, cell phone charger, and ipod charger are all plugged into a power strip that I use during the night and unplug every morning. I’m always unplugging the toaster and coffee make in the kitchen. My electric bill is relatively cheap, but considering I also have propane for my water heater, dryer, and stove.
Since where I live requires a landline due to poor cell phone reception. I keep the phone and wifi router plugged into 24/7.
My husband and I have a home in the mountains, which has very sketchy cell phone reception. A landline is a necessity, in particular for safety reasons. I do shut off everything that I can within reason, and I believe that this helps with the electric bills.