Moving forward, the Eco-resolution for September is to improve your home’s energy efficiency by turning off lights, electronics and appliances when not in use.
Sounds easy enough but often times is simply overlooked for whatever reason. I know we have dashed out of the house many a time with a light on upstairs or the computer and printer powered up unnecessarily. If you find yourself in a similar situation, try incorporating these actions to improve your home energy efficiency.
1. Unplug when not in use or use power strips/surge protectors. To declutter cords and wires and improve efficiency, place strategically for maximum benefit in these key areas of the home:
- Kitchen for the microwave, toaster and any other kitchen appliances you may have grouped together. I know - you don’t want to lose the time on the microwave and constantly reset, but after a while you’ll get used to it.
- TV area where the TV, DVD, sound system and game stations may be combined.
- Computer space for the monitor, printer, desktop or laptop.
- What about the cell phones, iPods and hand held game devices you may have in the house? Get a charging station to not only organize all those wires, but again keep everything plugged into one outlet – and charge at night for more efficient use of energy and take off charger once fully charged.
Whether you decide to use a strip or not, if it’s not in use, unplug the item or turn off the strip to avoid the phantom load or vampire power menace. Even though something is not is use, even if still plugged in can draw power from the outlet and it’s been estimated that 5% or so household energy consumption is from this alone adding up to more than 3 billion in costs. Read this explanation from Wikipedia and this article from Green Options for more ideas.
2. Reminders. If necessary and especially if you have children, consider placing helpful reminder stickers in those high traffic areas.
- Light switches and remote controls.
- On those appliances/electronics or power strips we just talked about above.
- By the door as you leave is also especially helpful so you don’t run off with something still on. Eco-minders offers removable stickers for home, school and office use. Or get crafty with the kids and make your own.
3. Visualize. This technique is often used by athletes and business people before an important event to help them enhance their performance and achieve the desired result. In this case, I encourage you to think tw
ice, imagine that coal plant puffing black smoke into the air for no reason at all and paying those additional dollars on your next energy bill because you left a light on or one of those electronics and appliances individually plugged in when you didn’t need to.
Now imagine the opposite by incorporating these easy actions. You may find that improving your home’s energy efficiency is not such a turn off after all.
