With summer around the corner, it’s important to start thinking about saving energy and costs. During the warmer weather months, there are a number of ways that you can save energy by making smart purchases and by being creative. Here are a few suggestions to get you started whether you use IDT Energy or another company.
If you’re buying an air conditioner for the summer months, look for one with the ENERGY star label. They are the most energy efficient models that you’ll find, enabling you to cool the house for less money. A new air conditioner can actually reduce your cooling costs by as much as 20% when compared to an older unit.
While most people don’t realize this, the location of the room air conditioner actually makes a difference. Try to keep your room air conditioner out of the sun. Room air conditioners work the best when they are kept cool. Usually, the best place to install one is on the north-facing wall.
These tips should help you to begin your summer electricity preparations. Keep it cool while saving money!
An even better idea is to hang your clothes to dry when the sun is shining outside. This ancient form of solar energy is free and abundant and will even give your clothes a nice “outdoorsy” smell. Yes it is time consuming, but maybe you would like to get some fresh air and enjoy the warm sunshine, and the great garden smells while at the same time saving quite a bit of energy and money.
To insure energy efficiency in your appliances, make sure they have the EnergyStar Logo. If you find the more energy efficient appliance is too expensive for your budget, ask the salesman if they have the same product in last year’s model. This way you will be getting basically the same appliance, but at a reduced price. Don’t forget to include the kind of service the store will provide if problems should arise. For many people it is worth it to spend more money in a store that offers better service than a discount store which sends you somewhere else if there are problems.
Now might be the perfect time to change your storage tank water heater to an energy efficient tank-less style water heater. These water heaters are more efficient than the older style where you have to pre-heat your water and store it in a large water tank, ready to use. According to some natural gas suppliers like IDT Energy tank-less water heaters can be anywhere from 10%-20% more efficient saving that much money on your gas bills by making the switch.
Sometimes, big savings can come in small packages. This is the case with the programmable thermostat. Purchasing a programmable thermostat can drastically decrease your energy consumption and add up to great savings each year. Here’s how:
President Obama and the White House have made great strides lately with clean energy investments and more. They have over $80 billion in clean energy investments as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This should jump-start the economy and help to build the clean energy jobs for our future.