Kicking Bad Energy Habits

Posted on 07-14-2016

We are busy, forgetful, lazy or just unaware when it comes to wasting energy in our homes.  Why do you sleep with the TV on?  Well, maybe it's something you have done since your were 19 and living in your first apartment on your own, and now it's a habit, a bad habit at that.  There are many bad habits being played out in homes across the country.  If we were to add up all of those energy wastes, we would be shocked at how much money is wasted every year.  

Here are some things to consider when it comes to kicking those bad habits:

• Let's start with leaving the TV on while you sleep or when you leave the house.  If you have a modern ENERGY STAR TV, you aren't wasting nearly as much as an older model television that can consume nearly 400W.  If it's noise that you need in order to fall asleep, there are great devices on the market that can help you.  The savings you will get by turning off the TV at night could afford you a really nice dinner out.


• Holding the refrigerator door open is a bad habit among teens.  Teach your kids early on the importance of keeping the cool air inside your refrigerator.  More importantly, make sure the door is always sealed shut and not cracked open.  Your refrigerator will work overtime for as long as the door is cracked open and cold air is escaping.


• We are all guilty of leaving lights on in an empty room.  Obviously, you want to turn big overhead lights off when leaving a room.  There are people who like to keep table lamps on in every room whether occupied or not.  Consider getting nightlights put in hallways, bathrooms, bedrooms to keep a soft glow and help family members navigate through the house more easily when it's dark outside.  This will cut down on your lighting bill and will be more safe to have on when you are not home.


• How many times do you walk by a cell phone plugged into an outlet and see it's 100% charged?  Keeping your electronics plugged in after charged does nothing except waste electricity.  Nothing can be charged past 100% so be sure to unplug your devices.  


• Washing your clothes in warm water?  It takes 90% of total power to heat water (EnergyStar.gov)  Go with running cool water for regular loads, and try to run only full loads. Look for cold-water detergents which are created to work in a powerful way with cold water and will help you save money and preserve your fabrics.

Do some more research online to find more bad energy habits that you may not be aware of and costing your household extra money.  Also, by eliminating these energy wasters, we can help improve the environment which is always a good motivator!