Reducing Your Electrical Bill

TIPS AND TRICKS TO SAVE ON ENERGY   

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  The Three most asked questions from the beginner. pdf file

Turn it off

The biggest area for electrical savings for most is still the off-switch. Turn off lights, appliances and equipment when they are not required.

Ghostbusters

Many devices consume power even when they are "off". These are known as "phantom loads". For example, most televisions consume power to support their "instant-on" features. 

The only way to stop these devices from consuming power completely is to isolate them completely from the wall socket, either by unplugging them or using a discrete isolation switch, as may be found on power-bars, surge-protectors or purpose built switches. 

If that has not spooked you, consider this: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (U.S.) says electrical appliances that were switched "off" consumed over 91 tera-watt-hours in the U.S. in 2006. That's 91,000,000,000,000 Watt-hours - to power appliances that are "off".  

To put this number in perspective:  It is about twice the power that the entire Pickering nuclear power plant generation complex could produce  - if it could run all eight of its reactors full power for two years in a row..

Shopping

When it is time to replace an appliance, shop for the one that uses less electricity. For example, smaller refrigerators usually use less power than larger ones. However, insulation and design make a difference, so look for the energy label to get a common benchmark for comparison across models. 

For smaller appliances without Energy Guide labels, check the plate or power supply label for power ratings (in watts or amps - lower is always better). For hyper-efficient devices, look at what people who live off-grid use for appliances.

Lighting: -  Switch to energy-efficient lighting

The conventional incandescent light bulb is horribly inefficient. It produces more than 3 times as much heat as light from the power it consumes. Fluorescent lighting, including compact fluorescent (CF) lights, consume about 25% of the power of incandescent bulbs to produce the same amount of light. 

Fluorescent lights last longer. Compact fluorescent lights will usually fit right into your existing incandescent light fixtures without modifications. In some cases, CF's will not fit into existing shades or light covers. 

Switching to fluorescent lights will save you money in two ways. They will outlast incandescent bulbs, reducing purchase price and maintenance effort over their lifetime, as well as reducing your electrical consumption by about 75%. The variety of CF lighting continues to expand. 

There are now flood and spot-light packages, and more types rated for outdoor use. Warmer colours are also improving the appearance of fluorescent light in the home environment.

A more recent, and currently more expensive, contender for even more efficient lighting is LED (Light-Emitting Diode) lighting. Research into better "white" LED's continues, but expect to see more of these in the future. Life is expected to be in the 100,000's of hours. LED lighting tends to be very directional.

Natural Lighting

It's free! Arrange furniture to take advantage of natural lighting. During the summer/AC cooling season, ( you may wish to keep windows more covered to reduce solar gain (heating from the sun).

Decorative Lighting

Cut back. Put up fewer lights. Use decorations that are more visible in existing light.

Sensors and Timers

Put motion sensors, daylight sensors (photo sensors) or timers on outdoor lights to reduce the amount of time they are on. Daylight sensors are also available for some nightlights. Consider the case where there is a 100-watt light left on all the time to provide outdoor lighting. 

In a year, it will consume 57.6 kWh. Suppose we replace this with a 25-watt compact fluorescent with a photocell sensor. On average, this light will now be on less than 12 hours a day, but whenever it is needed to provide lighting. 

Assuming it is on 12 hours a day average over the year, this light will consume just 1/8 the power of its predecessor (7.2 kWh), while providing the same amount of light during dark hours. That's a saving of 50.4 kWh..

More Switches

If you have a lot of lights on a single switch, e.g. basements, so that larger areas are lit than necessary, then install switches at some of the fixtures so that they can be controlled individually, reducing the number of lights that are on.

Air Conditioning

Air conditioning is probably the biggest single load faced by the electrical grid on hot, summer afternoons. They create the largest peak demand for electricity in North America, resulting in the highest prices for electricity. The more you can reduce your demand for electricity on hot summer days, the lower our overall bills for electricity will be in the future. There are things you can do.

Reduce solar gain

During the AC cooling season, the biggest source of heat in most residential buildings is solar gain. The best way to combat this is to stop the sunlight from reaching your windows. Sunlight that does not reach your windows cannot be converted to infra-red that will heat up your house. 

Use awnings, shutters, roof overhangs, trees and other coverings to shade your windows. This is far more effective than using indoor window coverings which allow the heat to enter your home, but try to trap it against the window. 

If you cannot block sunlight outside the sun-facing windows, try to use reflective window treatments on the outside  (our Thermal Barrier works great) so that at least some of the heat energy is sent back  rather than being absorbed in your home.

Suppose the average home has 8 square meters of sun-facing windows (undoubtedly a low figure) with no shade or outside covering. 

Let us further assume that the double-pane glass typical of most Canadian buildings converts only 50% of that energy into heat as it passes through the glass. That's still 3 kW of heat! (8 sq. meters x 1 kW/sq. meter insolation energy x 75% incidence/reflection allowance x 50% conversion factor) Suppose you get the equivalent of 7 full-sun hours on a sunny summer day. That's 21 kWh of heat coming in through your windows. 

Put another way, it's like taking two of those 1500-watt portable electric heaters, and turning them on in your house for 7 hours on a day that is already hot. Some sort of summer shading for sun-facing windows is probably a worthwhile investment. Remember, the key is to stop the sunlight from reaching the window glass in order to achieve the maximum benefit.

Use natural ventilation and cooling

During cooling season, when temperatures are cooler (e.g. at night), open windows to cool your building with cooler air, and give your air conditioner a break. If the air is still, use fans to move the air. Where practical, draw in cooler air down low, and exhaust warmer air from a higher opening (e.g. an attic exhaust fan), to take advantage of convection effect. Take care not to sacrifice your security by leaving unsecured basement and ground-floor windows open when you are asleep.

If you have a basement, it is probably cooler than upper floors. The ground around your basement and below the frost line will typically stay close to 12 degrees C year-round. Take advantage of that natural coolness when it is practical.

Use Fans

Use ceiling fans, oscillating fans, whole house exhaust fans or other air-movers instead of air conditioning where practical. Fans use much less power for similar perceived cooling effects than air conditioners.

Thermostats and Timers

Use a programmable thermostat to control operation of central air conditioning, or a timer for window units. It is not necessary to keep your house as cool when no one is home, and it will use less power. If you have a regular schedule, let the building warm up when it is unoccupied, and set the timer or programming to resume the desired temperature about 30 minutes before you will arrive. 

If you are going to be away for a few days, shut air conditioners off. Set the thermostat to the highest setting you find comfortable, and dress for the season.

Reduce Unnecessary Heat

Switch to energy efficient lighting (see lighting section above). Efficient lights produce less waste heat.

Refrigerator

Pull it out from the wall and clean (vacuum) the coils at the back. Fridges are a major electrical power consumer in most of our homes. The accumulated dust on the coils acts as insulation, inhibiting the heat exchange, making the compressor work harder and draw more power. 

Keep the fridge fairly full to minimize air space. Use bottles of water if necessary to reduce air space. Keep the fridge door closed as much as possible. Make sure the temperature control is set to the correct temperature (many are set too cold, which consumes more power).

Hot Water

Clearly, the following apply primarily if you have an electric hot water heater. However, even if you don't, these tips will help you reduce your energy bill whichever fuel you use to heat water.

Use Less

Install water-saver shower-heads and aerator faucets on your taps. They really do reduce the amount of water you use. For the shower, look for the type with the sliding shut-off. This allows you to shut-off the flow completely while lathering up, without affecting the temperature of the water when you re-start it.

Insulate the hot water tank

Most hot water tanks have some insulation built into them, but it is almost never enough, because it makes the units bulkier and more expensive. Most hot water tanks are installed in the coldest part of the house, in the basement, near a cold, concrete, exterior wall. 

Put an extra layer of insulation around the water heater to reduce heat loss. Insulating jacket kits are available at most hardware stores. Put more on top of the heater, and between the heater and the nearest wall to maximize results. Keeping the heat in the hot water tank will help keep the air around it cooler, which may help with that air conditioning bill as well.

Insulate the hot water pipes

This is of most benefit if there are short periods between hot water uses, e.g. people showering after each other. The insulation helps the water in the pipes stay warmer, longer.

Set the temperature lower

Most hot water heaters have a thermostat. Set the temperature as low as you find comfortable. This reduces the amount of energy used to raise the water temperature and maintain the desired temperature. If you use a dishwasher, this may have to be higher than you would choose otherwise.

Solar Heating

Investigate the potential for solar water heating.. Solar hot water systems are typically significant investments, but they can pay fast for themselves in most situations.

Dishwasher

Don't run the dishwasher until you have a full load. Reducing the number of loads is the easiest way to reduce the amount of power used.

Don't use the hot-dry cycle - let the dishes dry at room temperature. The hot-dry cycle uses the electric heating element.

Use the most economical setting that will do the job. Many dishwashers come with heavy-duty and normal settings, and some with rinse or economy settings. Use the one that uses the least power (typically shortest operating time) but still gets your dishes clean. Letting dishes soak in a dish tub for a few hours before putting them in the dishwasher may let you use a lower-power setting.

Electric Heating

Whether it is a forced-air, central electric furnace, baseboard heaters or those small portable resistance (wound-wire) or radiant heaters, there's just one solution. Use less heat.

Weather-sealing and Insulation

Slippers, Socks and Sweaters

The warmer you are, the cooler your house can be. The cooler your house, the less heat energy it takes to maintain the temperature. Warmer air rises, and in most buildings the air near the floor is colder than the air near the ceiling. So, warmer socks and slippers will accomplish a lot to make us feel warmer. 

Our rule of thumb - if your fingers are cold, the room is too cold. Otherwise, put on warmer socks, slippers or a sweater.  Use an extra blanket at night, if this allows you to lower the temperature in the room or the rest of the house.

Thermostat

Set the temperature as low as you find comfortable. The lower the temperature, the less energy it takes to maintain that temperature.

Use Free Heat

When the sun is shining, make use of it. Open the window covering, and let the sun stream in. Make sure your windows are clean in the fall, to make the most of this heat source.

When taking a shower in a bathtub, put the stopper in the drain. Let the hot water stand in the tub until it cools to room temperature, to extract the heat from it. Then drain the water. Similarly, when taking a bath, let the water stand until cool. Note: these heat-saver steps will likely lead to soap-rings around the bathtub, which may require some extra cleaning effort later.

Use bathroom exhaust vents as little as possible. Their primary function is to remove humid air when you are showering. In winter, you may be able to use that humidity in your house, as well as the heat from the warmed, moist air. 

Try leaving the bathroom door open a bit when showering to let the humidity escape to the rest of the house. If your exhaust fan is wired to the bathroom light switch, it is throwing heat out of your home whenever the light is on, not just when there is excess humidity. Look into installing another switch to control the exhaust fan separately and keep that heat in.

Solar Heating Retrofits

Investigate the potential for a active solar heating system. These are major investments, but they can pay for themselves over no time in some situations.

Clothes Dryer

An electric clothes dryer consumes a lot of power when it is running, typically more than 4 kilowatts. If you use an electric clothes dryer, you can hang your clothes to dry instead, either outdoors, or indoors when weather is a factor or zoning rules prohibit hanging clothes outside.. Even if you have a gas dryer, the motor that turns the drum uses electricity.

When you do use your clothes dryer, make sure you have full loads. Avoiding an extra cycle is the easiest way to reduce the amount of electricity used.

When shopping for a clothes dryer, look for a "smart" unit that senses when the clothes are dry, rather than relying on a timer.

Computer

The largest power consumer on your computer is likely the monitor. Shut it off when not in use, or use an LCD type monitor - it is better for your eyes anyway. If your monitor has a time-out power-saver feature, enable it. If it has an adjustable time setting, set it to the shortest time that works for you, perhaps 5 minutes. 

Another big power consumer could be your printer. Shut it off when not in use, even for short periods. When shopping for printers, look for those with power-saver modes, or auto-shut off based on timers.

Miscellaneous

Think about going independent and the “Whole Nine Yards” – but this maybe involves a total change of lifestyle – something not many of us are willing and able to do - but it would be worthwhile for future generations to come.